René Descartes Questions and Answers
René Descartes
Examine the implications behind Descartes's statement: "If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary...
The main implication of Descartes's statement is that it is difficult, if not outright impossible, to establish a meaningful connection between the thinking subject—the “cogito”—and the phenomenal...
René Descartes
How does Descartes define what it means to be human, and what is the signifcance of the definition?
Descartes claimed that there is an essential distinction between the mind (or soul) and body. Proceeding from his famous maxim, “I think, therefore I am,” Descartes concluded that the first thing I...
René Descartes
What is the explanation of "je pense donc je suis?"
"Je pense donc je suis" by Descartes can be translated into English as "I think, therefore I am" and into Latin as "cogito ergo sum." Descartes published this phrase in his Discourse on the Method...
René Descartes
What does Descartes mean when he writes that the phrase "I think, I am" must "necessarily be true"? First, can you...
René Descartes was a French philosopher, who lived from 1596 until 1650. He is considered to be one of the strongest influences on the Enlightenment movement. His most important quote is usually...
René Descartes
How does Descartes use the notion of divisibility to argue that the mind exists independently from the body?
Descartes’s notion of divisibility can be confusing. However, if we break it into smaller parts (something he likes to talk about), we can begin to understand how it informs his arguments about the...
René Descartes
According to Descartes, how can we be sure that corporeal (or material) things really do exist outside our minds?
The answer to this is a bit complicated (no surprise there) and not terribly convincing, but here it is: First, Descartes has to prove that there is something out there other than ourselves. He...
René Descartes
On Descartes' view, can we ever know the other minds exist? Why or why not?
Descartes was a major proponent of a philosophical school of thought known as solipsism. Solipsism is the notion that the only thing that a person can be sure actually exists in their own mind. The...
René Descartes
Explain the theory of substance (Cartesian) dualism. Consider the nature of minds and bodies, according to Descartes.
Descartes defines substance as anything that doesn't depend on anything else for its existence. In other words, a substance is that which is self-subsistent. Strictly speaking, this quality is only...
René Descartes
According to Descartes, what is the relationship between the mind and the body? After you explain his position,...
Cartesian dualism is the the idea that the human body is a mechanical object that is controlled by an immaterial mind, first proposed by seventeenth-century French philosopher René Descartes...
René Descartes
How did Descartes ensure that he didn't hold any false beliefs?
In his Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes begins by remarking on the number of false beliefs he once held. His solution to this was to abandon all his beliefs and start again from nothing....
René Descartes
What is ultimately known about physical objects according to Descartes, and what is his guarantee that it can be...
In his Fifth Meditation, Descartes makes a solid argument to disprove the idea that truth is found only through our senses. To use one of this examples, we do not know triangles are real because we...
René Descartes
Does Descartes view of mastery of nature as a moral obligation?
In his Discourse on Method, Descartes wrote that once he had "acquired some general notions respecting Physics," he felt he would be "sinning grievously" by not sharing them with mankind. This is...
René Descartes
What do the philosophers Descartes and Locke think it means to be conscious?
Due to the fact that formatting only allows for brief answers, I had to shorten your question because Kant's views on consciousness are far more complex than space allows.According to Descartes,...
René Descartes
How is philosophy connected to natural science? Explain and critically evaluate the position of Descartes. If you...
René Descartes was famous for being a natural scientist in addition to a philosopher. He underlined how the natural world could be understood by intellect and observation. His argument was that...