Descartes & Cartesianism Flashcards
Focus on René Descartes and Cartesianism, highlighting the revival of ancient philosophical traditions and Descartes' role in shaping the mechanical philosophy.
According to Descartes, how do animals differ from humans (and what are they, fundamentally)?
There is only body and mind.
Animals and humans differ in possessing minds / souls.
World separated into thinking and non-thinking things. Animals lack the capacity for abstract thought and language, operating solely based on instinct and sensory perception.
What discouraged Descartes from publicly incorporating Copernicanism into his theories?
Fear of Church condemnation and the fate of Galileo.
Name and describe one of the three ancient schools of thought that were revived in the late 16th century.
Atomism: the theory that all matter is composed of tiny unseen particles (in a strict sense, atoms are indivisible particles)
What was the basis for Descartes’ philosophical ideas?
Schools of thought being revived at the time, like scepticism and the idea of ‘what can be known’ led him to a search for certainty, much like Bacon.
His main mission was to create a complete system of philosophy, science, and physiology.
Why did Descartes write Discourse on Method in French?
To make his philosophical ideas more accessible to a wider audience. Writing in the vernacular aimed to reach scholars and the educated public.
Why was Descartes concerned with what the Church thought of his work?
Descartes was concerned with what the Church thought of his work because the Church held significant influence and power during his time. To avoid conflicts with religious authorities, Descartes aimed to ensure that his philosophical ideas were not perceived as challenging or contradicting Church doctrines.
Explain the rainbow fountain theory.
The Rainbow Fountain, as discussed in Descartes’ “Météores,” represents an artisanal machine, like a garden fountain, that produces an artificial rainbow.
Descartes argued that such machines, including the artificial rainbow fountain, are intelligible through mathematics.
He believed that the artificial rainbow created by the fountain could be understood using the same mathematical principles as natural rainbows.
This perspective reflects Descartes’ mathematization of nature.
The Rainbow Fountain illustrates the intersection of Descartes’ scientific work with artisanal endeavours, like the Zielsel Theory.
What was the argument of mechanical philosophers?
Mechanical philosophers argued for a mechanistic and materialistic view of the natural world.
All natural phenomena, including the workings of the universe, living organisms, and even mental processes, could be explained through mechanical principles, particularly the motion and interaction of tiny particles (corpuscles).
Explain the two worlds of Descartes viewed.
- The body, the realm of physical entities and extended substance, encompassing material things and their spatial dimensions.
- The mind, the domain of thought, consciousness, and mental processes, devoid of material extension.
This dualism asserts a radical separation between the physical and mental realms, emphasizing their distinct natures. Expressed in his renowned maxim “cogito, ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am), Descartes underscores the certainty of self-awareness as the cornerstone of knowledge in the realm of the mind.
What was an atheist at the time?
It encompassed a spectrum of beliefs, including pantheism and deism. The association of atheism with moral danger and societal disruption led to a general moral panic. The term often implied a lack of ethics, raising concerns about its potential impact on societal order.
Explain the tree of knowledge
A symbolic representation of knowledge, resembling a tree with branches representing different fields or disciplines. The idea is that knowledge branches out into various areas, each interconnected and contributing to a broader understanding of the world. Metaphysics as the roots, physics as the trunk, and various disciplines as the branches.
What were certain themes that Descartes took from Bacon?
- Rejection of reliance on ancient authority
- Depart from traditional approaches to knowledge
What was Descartes’s principal theory?
A philosophy stemming from a systematic method of doubt.
His own existence being undeniable, as the starting point and foundation for his philosophy, famously outlined as ‘I think, therefore I am.’
He proposed mind-body dualism, a radical separation between the mind (or soul) and the body, asserting that the mind is a thinking, non-material substance distinct from the physical, extended substance of the body.
Descartes also contributed to natural philosophy, advocating a mechanistic view of the physical world, treating it as a complex machine governed by mathematical laws.
Explain the connection of mechanics and mathematics in relation to the Corpuscular theory.
In the context of the corpuscular theory, the connection between mechanics and mathematics is seen in the attempt to mathematically describe the behaviour of corpuscles.
Mathematic models were employed to represent the mechanical aspects of corpuscular motion, aiming to provide a quantitative understanding of physical phenomena within the framework of the corpuscular philosophy.
What was the Corpuscular theory?
The corpuscular theory, associated with Robert Boyle and others, proposed that atoms are divisible, and matter is composed of these smaller, indivisible particles called corpuscles. T
hese particles were thought to be in constant motion and were used to explain various physical properties and phenomena, contributing to the development of early modern chemistry.
