I. II. I.: Background To The Scientific Revolution
I. II. I.: Background To The Scientific Revolution
I. II. I.: Background To The Scientific Revolution
Toward a New Earth: Descartes, Rationalism, and the New View of Humankind
I. The new conception of the universe contained in the cosmological revolution of the 16th
and 17thc had an impact on the western view of mankind. Nowhere is this more evident
than in the works of Rene Descartes, an important figure in Western history.
A. Descartes began by reflecting the doubt and uncertainty that seemed pervasive in the
confusion of the 17thc and ended w/a philosophy that dominated Western thought
until the 20thc
B. Having perceived in 1 night the outlines of a new rational-mathematical system, w/a
sense of divine approval he made a new commitment to mind, mathematics, and a
mechanical universe. For the rest of his life, he worked out the details of this vision.
II. The starting point for Descartes’ new system was doubt, as he explained at the beginning
of his most famous work, the Discourse on Method, written in 1637.
A. Descartes decided to set aside all that he had learned and begin again. One fact
seemed beyond doubt—his own existence (I think, therefore I am). W/this emphasis
in mind, Descartes asserted that he would accept only those things that his reason
said were true.
III. From his 1st postulate, Descartes deduced an additional principle, the separation of mind
and matter.
A. Descartes argued that since “the mind cannot be doubted but the body and material
world can, the 2 must be radically different.” From this came an absolute duality b/w
mind and body, what has been called Cartesian dualism.
B. Using mind or human reason, the path to certain knowledge, and its best instrument,
mathematics, humans can understand the material world because it is pure
mechanism, a machine that is governed by its own physical laws.
IV. Descartes’ conclusions about the nature of the universe and human beings had important
implications. His separation of mind and matter allowed scientists to view matter as dead
or inert, as something that was separate from themselves and could be investigated
independently by reason.
A. The split b/w mind and body led Westerners to equate their identity w/mind and
reason rather than w/the whole organism.
B. Descartes has been called the father of modern rationalism.
C. His books were placed on the papal Index of Forbidden Books and condemned by
many Protestant theologians.
D. The radical Cartesian split b/w mind and matter, and b/w mind and body, had
devastating implications not only for traditional religious views of the universe but
also for how Westerners viewed themselves.