Modern philosophy’s rationalist archetype

Even if we have no interest in philosophy, most of us are struggling to evade answering three basic questions. The answers, if we are fortunate to find them, underlie man’s every thought, feeling and action. The questions seem to be simplistic, but they are not. Are we consciously aware of our thoughts, feelings and actions? Each person can ask the question: Where am I? How do I know it? What should I do then?

Physically you may be in Colombo or New York. But to answer the questions meaningfully, you need to know philosophy because it is all about the fundamental nature of existence of man and his relationship to existence. The philosophy of the eminent French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) can be a stepping stone to such a philosophical quest.

Descartes, the French philosopher and mathematician, is considered the Father of Modern Philosophy. His magnum opus Meditation on First Philosophy had a hectic impact on the philosophy of mind and epistemology for more than 300 years. He probed the problems of our knowledge of the world and said the only thing that you can be certain of is the fact of your own existence. He summed up his central idea of philosophy in his well-known maxim Cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am).

Human knowledge

Like most other philosophers, Descartes wanted to put the edifice of human knowledge upon a secure foundation. He reviewed his own views and found that some of his ideas were contradictory. However, as a mathematician, he said that mathematical propositions were certain and the rest turned out to be false.

He wished to develop some kind of order into this jumble of beliefs. To do so, he had to begin with what was certain and infallible. But, like many of us, he faced the inevitable problem of where to begin.

Descartes then decided to examine his own beliefs against a method of doubt. The process involved questioning the source of his beliefs and asking whether that was infallible. He derived many of his beliefs from his senses or perception. He knew, however, that senses could mislead him. One of his popular examples was that a stick would look bent when it was half submerged in water. Similarly, the true size of the sun or moon would be very much bigger than what we see.

As an existential philosopher, Descartes knew that senses could deceive him from time to time. But he was sure of his existence. For instance, he was conscious of his sitting in his study. Yet, he found that there was no way of differentiating between reality and dreaming. This led him to reject all perceptual knowledge.

Radical deception

According to perceptual knowledge, he knew that a mother was older than her son. But he realised that he could be deceived at any stage by a divinely benevolent or malignant being. His idea of radical deception was the theme of two films, The Matrix and Twelve Monkeys. He also said that no god or demon could make his existence false. The cogito was the beginning of an idea through which he tried to prove the existence of God. However, other philosophers were not impressed by his theory.

Descartes was a Catholic who set aside the so-called accumulated wisdom of the past. He insisted that each person should examine what is true and false. In his formative years, Descartes was a frail child. but he studied Greek. Latin, history, liberal arts and science. His interest in philosophy, music, dancing and fencing was amazing. At the University of Poitiers he earned a degree in law.

On November 10, 1619 Descartes had a revelation that transformed him. Then he changed the direction of Western philosophy. He claimed that he was divinely encouraged to establish a universal method of reasoning based on mathematical principles. In later years, he travelled extensively, studied many subjects and wrote. With all his vast knowledge, Descartes remained a recluse who preferred to live with his domestic aids. He lived in 20 houses during a 20-year period.

Public glare

Descartes lived away from the public glare. He avoided meeting his friends and devoted his time and energy for his studies. Strangely, he was not immune to the charms of women. He corresponded with Princess Elizabeth for about six years. The 19-year-old princess was impressed by his clarity of thinking after reading his Discourse on Method.

Sometime later he joined the court of Queen Christina of Sweden. Although he had the habit of sleeping late in the morning, the queen forced him to get up at 5 am. and teach her philosophy. Then his health began to fail. He died on February 11, 1650.

Descartes was not only the Father of Modern Philosophy but also the original archetype of the rationalist movement. For rationalists, reason was the primary source of all knowledge. He advised people not to rely on what others have said. He said, “We must look at ourselves with new eyes and new understanding.”

To reach a wider readership, Descartes wrote his views in the first person. The Cartesian “I” should not be interpreted in a narrow sense because it also refers to anybody else. In geometry, he said, we begin with self evident truths such as “A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.” However, he said that we should not accept anything we can doubt. That is the ultimate rationalist viewpoint.