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Cartesian doubt is a systematic process of doubting all beliefs to find certain knowledge, based on the writings and methodology of René Descartes. It involves using arguments such as the dream and the evil demon to question sense data and rationalism, and concluding that only the self-evident "I think, therefore I am" is indubitable.
René Descartes (/ d eɪ ˈ k ɑːr t / day-KART or UK: / ˈ d eɪ k ɑːr t / DAY-kart; French: [ʁəne dekaʁt] ⓘ; [note 3] [11] 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) [12] [13]: 58 was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science.
Learn about the history of scientific thought on how the Solar System was created and evolved, from Descartes' vortex model to the nebular hypothesis. The nebular hypothesis, proposed by Laplace and Kant, explains the formation of planets by the collapse of a giant molecular cloud.
This model was the first theory of gravitation which was worked out mathematically. He assumed that the aether particles are moving in every direction, but were thrown back at the outer borders of the vortex and this causes (as in the case of Descartes) a greater concentration of fine matter at the outer borders.
Learn about Descartes' metaphor of the tree of knowledge to describe the relations among different parts of philosophy. The tree's roots are metaphysics, its trunk is physics, and its branches are medicine, mechanics and morals.
Dioptrique is a treatise by René Descartes on the nature and properties of light, published in 1637. It contains his famous Law of Refraction, based on models of light as a stick, a wine vat, and a tennis ball.
Cartesian theater is a term used by philosophers and cognitive scientists to criticize the idea of a homunculus in the brain that observes sensory data. It is based on Descartes' dualism and materialism, and contrasted with alternative theories of consciousness.
Reductionism is the idea that complex systems can be explained by simpler or more fundamental phenomena. It can apply to ontology, methodology, theory, and levels of explanation in various fields, such as science, religion, and mathematics.