Descartes, René

Scholars generally consider René Descartes to
be the father of early modern philosophy insofar
he rejected scholasticism, Aristotelianism,
but also Renaissance philosophies and
grounded a new system of knowledge whose
roots lie solely in the mind and not in previous
assumptions. This defines a modern self that
achieves the knowledge of nature and shapes
the modern universe. In the Discours de la
Méthode (1637) and the Meditationes de
prima philosophia (1641), after rejecting earlier
education, doctrines, and scientiæ, Descartes
isolates the powers of the mind (i.e.,
clear and distinct ideas) as the beginning of
any certainty. Yet, having considered Descartes’
system as dismissing all doctrines and
beliefs, in this entry I will first examine some
relations between the French philosopher and
those contexts and then discuss the novelties of
his system. After a short biography, in the
second section, I will briefly explore the interrelations
between Descartes and Renaissance
scholars, whom he reproached for their precipitate
conclusions. Third, I will unearth his criticism
of Aristotelian-scholastic philosophy
(which he reproached for its preconceptions),
while highlighting his attention to a few Aristotelian
texts. Fourth, I will investigate a few
innovative aspects of his methodology; this
consists of novel combination of intellectual
cognition and experimentation. As a result,
Descartes’ entire natural philosophy consists
of a theoretical framework that defines the
principles of knowledge and the architecture
of science, while the body of all disciplines and
the knowledge of particular issues are methodologically
and experientially constructed.
Despite several limitations, Descartes’ system
is remarkably innovative.