Positivist

Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes is the father of modern philosophy. But I first learned about
him in my algebra class. He was known as the one who created the Cartesian plane
which had been a main part of our lessons. But after further research, I found out
that he was even a soldier and a positivist. He was known to doubt and using this to
formulate ideas without basing from the already established knowledge. This is the
reason he is considered to be a positivist. Because he tests it using his own ways
and observing them, using the knowledge to formulate new ways of doing it easier
and better.
Rene Descartes was born in France on March 31, 1596 to Jeanne and Joachim
Brochard. His mother passed away while giving birth on his next sibling which also
died. His father was a part of the Parliament of Brittany and wanted him to be a
lawyer. He lived with his grandparents and studied in Jesuit Collge Royal Henry-LeGrand. This was where he was introduced to physics and mathematics along with
Galileo Galileis work, who is a famous astronomer that discovered Jupiter using his
telescope. After this, he finished law at the University of Poitiers.
After earning a baccalaureate and a license in law, Rene Descartes joined the
army despite of him being prone to sicknesses. This was when he worked with
Dutch philosopher Isaac Beeckman in studying free fall and fluid statics linking it to
physics and mathematics. He also worked with Tycho Brahe, a Danish nobleman
known for his astronomical and planetary observations, and Johannes Kepler, a
German Mathematician and astronomer who once made his own model of the solar
system.
Rene Descartes was known for his works in analytical geometry. But he
formulated this idea after a cold day inside an oven. According to Adrien Baillet, a
French scholar and critic, Rene Descartes kept himself warm inside the oven, or as
he presumed to be an oven. While inside, he had visions that revealed a new
philosophy. That patterns formed in discovering new sciences in the use of physics
and mathematics. That to discover all truths, he must discover the fundamental
truth. That in order to discover these, he needed to trace ideas that have links with
one another to find the main truth of it all. This was when he said I think, therefore
I am.
After this, he went back to France to continue his studies on his ides which
were considered to be heretical or ideas that challenges the laws that are
established by the church. But despite this, he continued on his work on algebra
and geometry and using them together as new ways in solving.
He published a book called "Discours de la mthode" and one of his
appendices "La Gomtrie". "La Gomtrie" was where the basic variables were
introduced including the representations of unknown values or quantities as x, y, or
z and representing known values or quantites as a, b, or c. This book is considered
as his most important work as it had a large contribution to the history of
Mathematics. This also contained the Cartesian plane which contained an infinite

number of points called Cartesian coordinates, each representing a location and two
dimensions can be described by two points on the plane. And everything drawn in
the plane has a formula which can be derived using the points at which the object
inside the plane covers.
One of his most important works was in the field of analytical geometry or
Cartesian geometry, which opens the possibilities of solving problems using new
equations either using algebra for solving geometric problems or solving algebraic
problems with geometry. It also helped in developing discoveries on calculus by Sir
Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, further developing the ability of solving
problems easier. It also helped in the development of geometry.
His studies continue in the field of physics. Although these were also covered
in heresy. His studies with Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe helped in the
development of the three laws of Kepler. One of these is the law of planetary
motion. He also formulated the modern laws of nature and conservation principle of
motion.
One of his works were concerned with matter. It is very well known that
matter is anything that occupies space and has mass. This means that everything is
matter, as proposed by some philosophers that focus on the Aristotelian dictum
which says that every space is filled with matter, yet some philosophers propose a
space that does not contain matter such as a vacuum. In a vacuum, matter is not
present and therefore, no sound can be produced. But Rene Descartes, known for
using his own theories and not basing on the facts, rejects the possibility of the
existence of vacuum.
Rene Descartes also had large contributions on philosophy. One of these is
dualism which concerns the mind and body. It is said here that the body is a
machine because of it being physical and has material properties while the mind is
non material. This proposes that the mind controls the body but it does not mean
that the body cannot affect the way the mind functions. This explains certain acts
that are influenced by passion or love. He also believes that we should always seek
the goods and that it should guide our actions.
As a very devoted catholic, he also contributed to it, setting two proofs in the
existence of God. This means that everything that we thing what God is and that we
have a God who is supremely perfect and infinite. This idea of his also gained
oppositions because of its religious ideas. It has even got to the point that he was
accused of Deism, meaning that he rejects the proposed religious knowledge and
determining the existence of one all-powerful creator. He was accused by Blaise
Pascal, a French mathematician, inventor and writer. Pascal said that he could never
forgive Descartes but despite this, he continues his studies on this topic. He was
also further accused with atheism despite him having an explicit criticism on
atheism.