How does rene descartes's philosophy impact on our society today?

Question

In his Discourse on the Method, He attempts to arrive at a fundamental set of principles that one can know as true without any doubt whatever could be doubted must be rejected. how does it affect to our society today? any benefits?

Answer 1

well, he codified the scientific method.  you can see what science has done for us.  

also, he was the first modern philosopher, which simply means he got away from theological thinking and more toward science.  he introduces the concept of doubt, whereas theology is mostly about faith.  

he was a true hero, ushering in a new era of thought--  

it doesn't matter if you like his writing or not.

Answer 2

descartes was an example of free thought and free will. Some people go wacko with it and harm others and it has nothing to do with him.  My free will is to turn to God.   God is not going to cure anything in life, but helps to lead a way on a better life.  He was an atheist, but he was free to have his belief.  We are given a free will and I simply choose God.  I went through a time of confusion and science and God can be combined.

Answer 3

Your question is not clear but your answerers give the details and make it clear for an answer.

As pointed out, it evolves on doubt & faith and they are the natural process of life encountered by all.  If you don't, then I think you are quite abnormal without any impact.

The Society is a living thing that absorbed all things and thinking to develop with generated input and grow with age to be this modern world.   Tell me, living in this current world and compare to the old world, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OR ADVANTAGES  YOU ARE FACING NOW?  ANYONE TO HELP TO ANSWER.

Answer 4

...those who believe in him are followers...

...i don't, doesn't affect me...

...thanks for asking...

Answer 5

we're still suffering from his legacy of dualism.

Answer 6

AFFECTS?

Descartes method has led to objectivity in the way modern western cultures go about solving problems. Any conclusion not based on verifiable information and not ascendant from rigorous logic does not belong in modern law or science. In other words, the Cartesian Method removes doubt from the equation when dealing with problems that ought not involve religious, superstitious, or quasi-scientific analysis.

BENEFITS?

In theory, by removing doubt from the pursuit of justice and knowledge, more objective good is attained. Good that is not otherwise attainable if unprovable information and illogical conclusions are allowed in. However, in practice the pursuit of law and knowledge are still heavily influenced by political realities and wealth, which are supposed to be unaccounted for in the Cartesian Method. The Method breaks down because in the modern world we often rely on second hand observation as proof. Thus if the observation is flawed in some respect, then every premise built upon it is equally flawed. Any conclusion, even if based on logic, is flawed. Therefore any legal or scientific conclusion derived from the original observation is not free from doubt, not true, and therefore not useful for the purpose which it was intended.

Answer 7

The mind body problem...mind as an unextended thinking substance and body as extended, non-thinking, material substance. How do they relate to one another? That's the problem.

Answer 8

His legacy is the radical subjectivity that permeates the ideological assumptions of the popular culture.  Descartes quest for certitude became the pathology of modern rationalism, however it has been eclipsed by the relativism of post-modern discourse.

Answer 9

Descartes did what we all do today, he was attempting to justify his view of the world.  I do it, you do it, we all do it.  He did do it in a graceful way I think.  I don't agree with all of it but to answer your question, the impact he has on our society today is to generate conversation and thought, which we could all use.

Answer 10

Everyone like a star and would have its own locus or path.

Answer 11

Very big impact.

For example, his ideas on problems solving :

1/solve problems in a sequence.

2/earlier solution provide information on how to solves the later problems.

I've got a funny idea he invented Cartesian geometry.

Cartesian geometry is extraordinary

For example

locus  of intersection of  lines through one point and perpendicular lines through another point. (in a plane)

locus is a circle.

He thought it would take centuries for his methods to be accepted widely. I don't think he stated the obvious.

His methods have been criticised for encouraging "over-hasty generalization" - if they do, that contradicts the idea that he only stated the obvious. But I'm not sure they do encourage "overhasty generalization" - if people apply his methods and after several centuries come up with modern theories it doesn't sound like it's "overhasty".

Answer 12

My brain is hurting. There is no doubt that is true.

Answer 13

Unfortunately for today's society his conclusion is that nothing can not be doubted. While this might logically be true it would appear that this is taken as an excuse to argue that nothing is true.

("I might not have written this, you know, because "writing" "I"  and "this" are all debatable).

I am NOT a skeptic, so whether things are or not true is not as important as informed belief.

Answer 14

The idea expressed in the sentence--'The man in the street is a Cartesian'--sums up Descartes influence on our society today; most people accept the distinction Descartes made between mind and body. Even though, given a little thought, it is unrealistic to think there are two substances, mind and body, the vocabulary suplied by Descartes lives on into the 21 century.

Answer 15

I am thinking therefore I am seems to be that fundamental principle that most people would agree with. Atheist use this attitude of rejecting anything can be doubted. The attack on religion is a reflection of this attitude. With the rejection of religion comes all kinds of immorality, ie. WAR and street violence as well as porno.

Just my opinion and can surly be doubted therefore rejected.

Answer 16

...those who believe in him are followers...

Answer 17

descartes only stated the obvious, his only impact was that it was written in a book to be discussed in class to cause me to smile for about 5 minutes, thinking about how obvious he was trying to defend the catholic church---absurd.