“The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.”
René Descartes (1596 – 1650)
A French philosopher, mathematician, scientist and writer of the Age of Reason. He has been called the “Father of Modern Philosophy”, and much of subsequent Western philosophy can be seen as a response to his writings. He is responsible for one of the best-known quotations in philosophy:
“Cogito, ergo sum”
(“I think, therefore I am”).
Meditations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes is widely considered to be one of the top philosophical books of all time. For many, Meditations on First Philosophy is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic philosophical literature, this gem by Rene Descartes is highly recommended.
“If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.”
“It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.”
He changed civilization. Including the symbolic way to write mathematics.
Good pick, Abbie Lu
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I love philosophy!
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Being a mathematician (who read some Descartes philosophical works as a student) don’t forget the Cartesian Coordinates…. (equinoxio21 beat me to that statement though…)
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Thank you for the suggestion 🙂
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Thank you for sharing💗
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Reblogged this on Routine Matters.
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Thanks Abbie Lu, and how about: I am, therefore I think, or I feel, therefore I am?
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Great post. I love his work.
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Not to mention, he is also the guy who started the Cartesian coordinate system which everyone uses today!
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Have you read, ‘Meditations on First Philosophy?’ Like many philosophy books, it is much easier to read some Professor who interprets it in the way they want, and then makes money form writing another book about it. Much like the bible. However, in some cases, the interpretation is incorrect. Original texts are usually huge expeditions into the deepest part of the mind, most commonly with the influence of drugs. Seriously.
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Doubt is everything, thanks for the text miss. 🙂
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“The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.” He truly has the best quotes of all time.
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Some great quotes! Thanks.
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I haven’t read his Meditations of First Philosophy, but I have researched a lot on him, especially when I was writing this blog post on reality. I love his approach of starting with disbelieving everything and then forming conclusions, though I do not agree with some of his concepts like the evil demon.
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Please read his Meditations, his evil demon example is to show that he can’t even trust the world around him because an evil demon could be tricking him. It is important to his argument.
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Okay. I’ll try to get a copy 🙂
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You missed https://dl.wdl.org/3157/service/3157.pdf
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His influence cannot be understated. He certainly (not sure he would want me to use that word) has had a deep impact on the forming of the Western mind. That being said, he was one of the sloppiest philosophers to ever walk the earth and I wish he had never published! After Descartes, the West has never recovered certainty, and doubt continues its ugly reign of terror.
Before Descartes, everyone thought, “the truth is out there, and I can know it.” After Descartes, the locus of truth moved inside and there was no comfort in the external world, and the only truth that is knowable comes from within.
Thanks for the existential loneliness, Rene!
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Modern Western Philosophy can trace its roots to a man who decided to throw out the philosophy of the Greeks and Middle ages and try to start over from scratch. So simple, yet so brilliant.
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Humbly I submit that my theory that the human race would be a better place if people understood what motivates their minds. Please consider checking out my Philosophy of Inclusion. It could lead to a world without wars and to what I call the Age of Inclusion. http://www.thephilosophyofinclusion.com
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