Article: An exemplary life: the case of Rene Descartes.(Critical Essay)(Biography)

I

IT IS A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT Rene Descartes is the founder of modern philosophy. (1) There is far less consensus on the question of what his modernity means. The majority of Descartes's readers have focused on the cogito, the "I think" that is the fons et origo of all knowledge. The method of doubt and the famous rules of evidence have played a crucial role in the formation of a distinctively modern search for foundations of truth. (2) Political theorists have frequently treated Descartes as the harbinger of a new age, but there is widespread disagreement over precisely what this means. Tocqueville regarded the Cartesian method as ideally suited ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!