Renee Descartes Research Paper

Math through the Ages provides an interesting and concise analysis of the mathematical culture of different societies in history. The section “The History of Mathematics in a Large Nutshell” provides an interesting discussion of Greek mathematics. The mathematics of the culture both influenced and was influenced by the culture of the society. The Greeks were most likely the most important historical society in the Western world. They spread their vast knowledge and affected the mathematical traditions of the world.

Being a well educated person, Descartes finds his knowledge unsatisfying due to its uncertainty. He profoundly admires mathematics, but did not perceive its higher use since its applications lie in the applied sciences. However major part of his philosophy was based on problem solving skills

In Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes takes the reader through a methodological exercise in philosophical enquiry. After stripping the intellect of all doubtful and false beliefs, he re-examines the nature and structure of being in an attempt to secure a universally valid epistemology free from skepticism. Hoping for the successful reconciliation of science and theology, Descartes works to reconstruct a new foundation of absolute and certain truth to act as a catalyst for future scientific research by “showing that a mathematical [rational-objective] physics of the world is attainable by creatures with our intellectual capacities and faculties” (Shand 1994, p.

René Descartes’ argument that he does not know his piece of wax through his senses is rather straightforward. First, his sensory perceptions of the wax are its color, scent, sound, texture, temperature and the like. However, these purported properties of the wax are not constant; if the wax is brought close to a flame, its color, sound, texture and all the rest will change. Nevertheless, Descartes claims, no one would deny that the object now by the fire is the same wax that was first away from the fire. Descartes implies that it is evident and obvious that the wax, though its appearance to the senses is wholly changed, is still the same wax. Let us grant this. Because the wax is still the same wax even

Nicole Dekonte Harrison is my name; therefore the middle name has a unique pronunciation. In addition, some people have difficulty correctly pronouncing and spelling Dekonte which does not derive from the English Language but is a West African Liberian name. What I had feared practically growing up, were the key factors that led to the judgment and originality of Dekonte that I inherited. Therefore, the prime objective in elementary, middle, and high school years was not prevailing Dekonte.

In Rene Descartes’ Discourse on Method he expresses his disappointment with traditional philosophy and with the limitations of theology; only logic, geometry and algebra hold his respect, because of the utter certainty which they can offer us. Unfortunately, because they depend on hypotheses, they cannot tell us what is real, i.e. what the world is really like. Therefore Descartes suggests a method of thought combining the consistency of mathematics but based on natural truths about what is real, basic knowledge which could not be wrong (like the axioms of geometry). He calls into question everything that he thinks he has learned through his senses but rests his entire system on the one truth that he cannot doubt, namely, the reality of his own mind and the radical difference between the mental and the physical aspects of the world.

Descartes work has been well known for a while. He is often thought as the first thinker to emphasize the use of reason

René Descartes was born in 1596, in La Haye, France. He was the youngest of three children, and his mother, Jeanne Brochard, died only a year after his birth, and his father, Joachim Descartes, sent them to live with their grandmother and great-uncle. Even after Joachim remarried a few years later, they remained there. Although Joachim may not have been a major presence in his children’s lives, he placed great value on education, and René was sent to the Jesuit College of Henri IV in La Fleche, a neighboring province, at age eight. He remained there for seven years, learning primarily about rhetoric, logic, and mathematics. At that time, the “mathematical arts” included everything from music, astronomy,

René Descartes was a mathematician who lived from March 31 1596-February 11 1650. Descartes was from the commune La Haye in northeastern France. His father was a member of the Parliament of Brittany and René grew up without his mother because she died giving birth to another child who also died. René eventually had one daughter, with a serving woman, named Francine. He passed Francine off as his niece until she died of scarlet fever at five years old.

In part six we see that Descartes has a bit of a God complex. In paragraph two he reveals what his goals are for his new science, which is human comfort, less pain, improved health, and immortality. Descartes does deserve some credit; with his complex math and new science we can see some of his goals came to light as time moved forward. We now have additional comfort, including: refrigeration, air conditioning, cars and computers. Health technology has made leaps since Descartes’ time with cures to many diseases and people have a longer life expectancy now. But we must consider if this is a correlation or a cause and effect. We must consider how much influence Descartes really had on these matters? Was he brilliant or just another eccentric

Throughout Descartes live he contributed many important ideas, including, about algebra, he explained in detail that how algebraic equations can be through shapes. He is widely acclaimed for being the first mathematician who started modern geometry that later developed calculus and analysis. His major contribution is that he created the Cartesian coordinate system. The Cartesian system explained the algebraic equations through geometrical shapes. He “invented the convention of representing unknowns in equations by x, y, and z”. It was his work of calculus that was later used by Newton thus evolving a new branch of mathematics. Besides, that, he also invented rule of signs to establish the positive and negative roots of polynomial. He is known

Since the commencement of human existence, personal qualities such as: the pursuit of knowledge, the desire to expand ones horizons, and the inclination to establish and follow a dream, has significantly impacted society. From the earliest days, right up until the present time, a number of accomplishments have filled the vast expanse of time. Such accomplishments span from exemplary literary works, such as those of Cicero, Virgil, and Goethe; to philosophical breakthroughs of men like Rene Descartes who said, “I think therefore I am”, and finally to the unprecedented discoveries in the fields of mathematics and science. Among all the civilizations of time, those of the Pre-Columbian Era seem to have successfully applied mathematical

With the emergence of the scientific revolution in the 17th century, views of society and nature were transformed throughout Europe. There were great developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry. The world and its views were changing, and with that change, came a new change in thought, a new change in philosophy. Apart from ancient Greek philosophy, which was centered on finding order in a vast variety of things by searching for a fundamental amalgamating principle, Descartes sought to establish order via some fundamental division. Descartes understands and expresses that what we know about our mind is more definite than what we know about the world outside our mind. Descartes’

Descartes spent his first four years in Holland, 1629 to 1633, writing Le Monde, which attempts to give a physical theory to the universe. He learned, however, that its publication would likely bring to him animosity from the church 4. Descartes felt no desire to become a martyr; therefore, he abandoned it. Following this work, Descartes began work on Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa raison et chercher la vérité dans les sciences which was a disquisition on universal science. Descours de la méthode was published in 1637

Rene Descartes was a famous French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. He was arguably the first major philosopher in the modern era to make a serious effort to defeat skepticism. His views about knowledge and certainty, as well as his views about the relationship between mind and body have been very influential over the last three centuries.