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I've started an approach that may apply to Wikipedia's Core Biography articles: creating a branching list page based on in popular culture information. I started that last year while I raised Joan of Arc to featured article when I created Cultural depictions of Joan of Arc, which has become a featured list. Recently I also created Cultural depictions of Alexander the Great out of material that had been deleted from the biography article. Since cultural references sometimes get deleted without discussion, I'd like to suggest this approach as a model for the editors here. Regards, Durova 17:35, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
In Adolf Fredriks kyrka in Stockholm, where he was first buried (he was actually buried in "St Olofs Chapel", which was there before the church) there is a monument (se link for picture) which says Renato Cartesio - not Renatus Cartesius. The full text on the monument is:
Gustavas Pr. Haer. R. S.
Renato Cartesio
Nat. in Gallia MDXCVI
Mort. in Svecia MDCL
Monumentum erexit
______________
MDCCLXX.
Which latinized form is correct? Did they misspell on the stone monument? Kricke 20:47, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
I found an article (in old style Swedish from 1876) that says his skull was separated from his body when it was moved to France in 1666, by someone named Planström. And that it remained in Stockholm in (amongst others) Celsius and Stiernemans posession. When Carl Löwenhielm moved it to Paris in 1821, it sparked a debate between François Arago and Jean Pierre Flourens about its authenticity (it only says Arago and Flourens, but I think it must have been them). It also contains a portrait of him (by François Hals - is that Frans Hals?) that must be in the public domain and can perhaps be used in this article. Kricke 20:39, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
Is not the fact that Decartes was a)in the army, b)on drugs worth mentioning? These are hardly minor points of anyone's life, even a mathematician's. Nev1 16:32, 13 March 2007 (UTC)
This section starts out talking of Discourse on Method and mentions Principles of Philosophy and then, unannounced, shifts to a blow-by-blow of Meditations. If I had not read a good deal of his work, I would have thought the entire section was about Discourse. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Shaolinpat ( talk • contribs) 03:53, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
To my knowledge the name Algebra is derived from Arabic origins; Someone needs to correct this.
06/03/07--23:37
Could somebody confirm the "Theory of Fallacies" information? Sounds a bit like a gullibility spoof... I've never heard of it and can't find supporting evidence -- but I'm far from an expert on these matters. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.138.102.131 ( talk) 02:04, 29 January 2008 (UTC)
The description for this image [2] suggests that he graduated from the Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand in 1616, yet the article says that he got his Baccalauréat and License from the University of Poitiers in 1616. Surely one of these dates is wrong (as is the age at which he started school, according to the French wikipedia and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy bio, which say that he started at the age of ten or eleven and graduated from it in 1614). What are our sources for his bio? LeighvsOptimvsMaximvs (talk) 19:59, 27 April 2008 (UTC)
In the first paragraph, the beginning sentence reads:
René Descartes (French IPA: [ʁəne de'kaʁt] Latin:Renatus Cartesius) (March 31, 1596 – February 11, 1650), also known as Renatus Cartesius (latinized form)
I think it would be appropriate to remove one of these? I'd prefer to keep the second entry myself.
86.160.190.194 (
talk) 18:59, 4 June 2008 (UTC)
Question: Many credit Descartes's "I think therefore I am" to be the back bone of the movie the Matrix. However, it would seem that empiricism is more akin to what the Matrix is about, i.e., you can be a brain in a jar somewhere and not even know it because all you an know is what you perceive through your senses. It would seem that Descartes's saying should really be "I experience, therefore I am" since one cannot think without outside point of reference, at least initially. If there was no environmental perceptions, you could not think in the first place, and there would be no "I am." Thoughts? ( RossF18 04:01, 7 February 2007 (UTC))
a phil student once told me that when descarte wrote the work in which he speaks of his demon, that many of the christians who read his work were ironically turned away from christianity. I want to know if there is evidence for this interpretation of history? if so it would be an interesting result. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.110.23.180 ( talk) 05:51, 23 June 2008 (UTC)
All the sources I can find give a bald "11 February". Sweden was still using the Julian calendar in 1650, so it's not clear to me whether this date is the Old Style date (that's equivalent to the Gregorian calendar's 21 February), or the New Style date (that's equivalent to the Julian's 1 February). Anyone have any clue? I would guess that it's the date that applied in Sweden, and had he died in France on the same day we'd be saying he died on 21 February. But my guess is not good enough. -- JackofOz ( talk) 07:07, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
Descarte walks into a bar. The barman asks "would you like a drink?" Descarte replys "I think not!" and swiftly disapears —Preceding unsigned comment added by Urgeblind ( talk • contribs) 09:52, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
This article and the main article on cogito ergo sum disagree on whether Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum is "more precise" or a misquotation. That's rather unfortunate. Please correct. Oyst1 ( talk) 16:47, 20 August 2008 (UTC)
Everone who pronounces descartes in English pronounces it day-cart, but I'm sure this wouldn't be how the French pronounce it. Can anyone enlighten me? Musungu jim 17:16, 12 March 2007 (UTC)
I speak (very) basic french, but i'm sure they would pronounce it de'scar, if anyone has ever heard a french speaker pronouncing it that would settle it Musungu jim 21:48, 12 March 2007 (UTC)
I am French. Descartes is pronounced with "di" instead of "day" and would pronounce the "t" but not either of the "s"s. -- RaphaelBriand 01:04, 2 December 2007 (UTC)
The origin of the name comes from des Cartes. I think that the *original* pronounciation may therefore have been "de kart". DanielDemaret ( talk) 11:07, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
This page ( Forvo) has the spoken name, with French pronunciation, if that would help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jarnex ( talk • contribs) 20:30, 15 October 2008 (UTC)
I was just reading the intro now and it seems it could be condensed considerably. For example, the end of para 1 mentions Descartes founded analytic geometry, then para 3 repeats the same point. Given that this is just the intro, this probably need be said only once and then it can be discussed more fully in the body of the article. I would think a 2 paragraph intro would probably suffice with some editing. Anthony Mohen ( talk) 21:24, 25 January 2009 (UTC)
It is stated in the biography section that his remains were moved to the Pantheon. I believe this is incorrect, as the action was never carried out due to more pressing political matters of the revolution. Also, his current tomb is under much speculation and it has been proposed that his remains were indeed lost or plundered during the revolution. The journey of his skull was also an important part of his story. The book titled "Descartes Bones" delves into the matter further, and perhaps would be worth citing. 06:12, 18 November 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.117.4.17 ( talk)
"he rejects any ideas that can be doubted" – should it not sound as "can't be doubted"? mingis —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.61.211.126 ( talk) 08:00, 13 March 2010 (UTC)
In the section, "Mathematical Legacy", it is written, "He also 'invented', the notation which uses superscripts to show the powers or exponents, for example the 4 used in x4 to indicate squaring of squaring." The quotes around invented and the comma following are unusual grammar and have implications that are not explained or cited. This needs citation. 165.21.240.246 ( talk) 11:53, 20 May 2010 (UTC)
Does anyone who has followed the history of this article, better than I, know why its lede has three overly long paragraphs and includes repetitions of the same items?
Seems to me that it might be important to WP that a bio on a person of this importance to world history might make a better impression on a new reader than I got from wading through all that stuff, to try get a handle on him that I wanted to pass on to others. SergeWoodzing ( talk) 14:58, 5 June 2010 (UTC)
From the paragraph about his daughter: Much to Descartes' distress, she died in 1640 at the age of 5. His father died a month later, aged 78.
And elsewhere in the article it is said he was born in 1596 and died in 1650. And where did this 78 come from? Gligi 15:51, 25 March 2007 (UTC)
Descartes was born on March 31, 1596 and he died on February 11, 1650. He was 53 years old. LCraft —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.234.65.156 ( talk) 04:45, 9 November 2010 (UTC)
AC Grayling's biography on Descartes suggest that Descarte worked as a spy for the Jesuit order; keeping tabs on the Rosicrucians and their 'occult' knowledge. I think that this should be mentioned. msp4realmf ( talk) 19:58, 18 November 2007 (UTC)
Was Grayling merely speculating? DanielDemaret ( talk) 10:58, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
Grayling was speculating, but speculating with an eye to finding the actual truth. Grayling's very tentative claim is that Descarte's bizarre travels and seemingly inexplicable movements are best explained if Descartes was working in some secret capacity during his military years and perhaps well afterwards. Why would an extremely devout Catholic Jesuit go and join the Prince of Orange's Protestant army after standing for is legal exams? This should DEFINITELY be mentioned in the article. Hexag1 ( talk) 03:59, 12 November 2010 (UTC)
The section begins with the sentence: "Descartes's theory provided the basis for the calculus of Newton and Leibniz, by applying infinitesimal calculus to the tangent line problem, thus permitting the evolution of that branch of modern mathematics." Perhaps it is my lack of mathematical education, but beginning a section in this way seems strange. I have no idea what "Descartes's theory" refers to and the links do not particularly contribute to an understanding. Apparently something needs to be added. Also, the section asserts Descartes invented analytical geometry and then quite some space later mentions Descartes inventing Cartesian geometry. Aside from the redundancy of Descartes inventing something Cartesian, aren't analytical and Cartesian geometry the same thing? Why are they separated by a paragraph about rainbows? Does optics even belong in this section? Is there any logic at all to how these paragraphs are arranged? Someone more knowledgeable than I could surely make quick work of these somewhat minor changes. At some point however, I think this section will need some major expansion. I think a more in depth explanation of exactly how he contributed to the formation of calculus is justified especially because it does not seem to exist elsewhere on Wikipedia. The Cartesian coordinate system is not even mentioned; surly that is important? PatxiG ( talk) 08:39, 13 February 2011 (UTC)
Apparently as a kid who was always sick, he developed a habit to do everything while in bed and not getting up until he was ready to do so. Much of his great works of philosophy and math were thought up while he was laying in bed. Apparently its a good place to think and meditate. Gottfried Liebniz apparently had the same practice.
Morgantw —Preceding unsigned comment added by Morgantw ( talk • contribs) 16:21, 4 May 2011 (UTC)
The article states, "He also 'invented', the notation that uses superscripts to show the powers or exponents, for example the 4 used in x4 to indicate squaring of squaring." I thought Diophantus used a superscript in the development of syncopated algebra (Burton, D.M., The History of Mathematics: An Introduction (7th ed.), 2011, p. 219). MstoneMTH314 ( talk) 04:11, 4 May 2011 (UTC)
Comment: MTH314 That is a curious fact to point out. I believe the situation is that on Wikipedia it states that Diophantus had a lemma which "states that the difference of the cubes of two rational numbers is equal to the sum of the cubes of two other rational numbers, i.e. given any a and b, with a > b, there exist c and d, all positive and rational, such that a^3 - b^3 = c^3 + d^3." While Diophantus figured this out, it does not necessaryly mean he knew the notation of superscripts and subscripts, or the notation that Descartes found, unless there was something that I might have missed, or researched incorrectly? 76.121.153.100 ( talk) 18:21, 4 May 2011 (UTC) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diophantus —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.121.153.100 ( talk) 17:22, 4 May 2011 (UTC)
Paragraph 3 states "Descartes was a major figure in 17th century continental rationalism, later advocated by Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Leibniz, and opposed by the empiricist school of thought, consisting of Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume."
Berkeley was a rationalist, not an empiricist b real 00:38, 15 March 2007 (UTC)
Berkeley was an empiricist. He believed the world existed through his perceptions. He uses a reason to find God to ensure the existence of a world outside his perception. Thus God for him was an omnipresent perceiver. I think the confusion might arise from his rejection of Lockeian empiricism. He does believe that the qualities that we atribute to an object are ideas in our own mind, but he does not reject the fact objects exist outside of the mind.
Who dare to say Berkeley wasn't an empiricist????????????? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.225.0.109 ( talk) 15:10, 26 July 2011 (UTC)
This article has a good philosophical exposition, but misses completely the fundamental role that Descartes' contribution played in the evolution of geometry and mathematics. The whole article should be re-conceived in order to show how important Cartesio's oeuvre was for the development of mathematics in '700. http://www.amazon.com/History-Mathematics-Second-Carl-Boyer/dp/0471543977 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.225.0.109 ( talk) 15:14, 26 July 2011 (UTC)
Why does the article need the recently added "His conception of philosophy" section?
The content of this section doesn't seem very notable (apparently drawing entirely from a single short preface -- to only a translated copy rather than a main text, and it is an historic primary source at any rate). Even if it were appropriate enough to warrant inclusion, shouldn't it be incorporated into the pre-existing "Philosophical work" section (rather than a separate major section higher in the article)? It also obviously isn't written in the most encyclopedic tone. I kind of suspect original research being used as a vehicle here to push a POV regarding the general field of philosophy (and by an editor with a recent history of heterodox views regarding Descartes). Cesiumfrog ( talk) 03:54, 12 December 2011 (UTC)
I can not understand why the most poignant event in his life and possible the last four hundred years (certainly in the context of science) has been completed ommited from this article. I am refering to his experience in Uolm when he had a dream in which an angel came to him and told him that the conquest of nature will be found in measure and number. Considering this was the spark of his interest in the matter and the birth of modern science it seems like an odd thing to omit from the article. 201.230.141.148 ( talk) 23:10, 12 November 2009 (UTC)
This is an exact transcript of the relevant portion of the 1991 Unfolding the Stone lecture that I have made for your reference. One must be careful with Mckenna as a source [as much as I loved the old man] especially when he is speaking live to an audience, he does occasionally make errors of fact when he is 'on a role', I am thinking particularly of a time he misattributed a famous alchemical woodcut of Hienrich Khunrath from Amphitheater of Eternal Wisdom to Athanasius Kircher. Mckenna was well enough read to know the correct attribution, but may have had a slip of the tongue in the heat of the moment. In this case I would consider his dates as suspect.
By the way, I do not understand the source of the change of the location of the 'visitation of Ulm' made by user 62.226.164.41 on 23:57 11Mar2011 from "Neuburg (near Ulm), Germany)" to "Neuburg an der Donau, Germany". Neuburg an der Donau is actually 120km+ from Ulm. Perhaps this is a mapping error due to disagreement between contemporary [17th century] and modern maps [google?]? Is there an authoritative source for this? Most internet sources outside of Wikipedia reference Ulm, the modern Neu-Ulm may be correct. Expert source anyone?
Atani (
talk) 18:41, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
Decartes is also called the 'father of psychology' due to his work on the subject of mind/soul or nous. This discussion could be a new template and added to the main article that way. DennisDA2010 ( talk) 19:13, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
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== End of life in Sweden==
In September 1649, he agrees to become the tutor of Queen Christina to Sweden in Stockholm where he lived in France's ambassador Pierre Chanut. From this period comes the rumor that she has an affair with the philosopher, even if this link is very credible. The harsh climate and the morning hours of talks with the Queen before 5 am the thinker are unusual and would have been correct, according to the official version of his health. He plans to leave the return of spring, but died 11 February 1650, officially of pneumonia.
A whole mythology about the circumstances of his death is born from death. The most common hypothesis articulated from this period is that of an arsenic poisoning. This thesis will again be developed by Eike Pies in his book "Der Mordfall Descartes" ("L'Affaire Descartes"), published in 1996 and then in ("Der Tod rätselhafte of René Descartes", "The Mysterious death of Rene Descartes" of Theodor Ebert. According to this version, it would have been poisoned by a wafer containing a lethal dose of arsenic, given by Chaplain Francis Viogué (Catholic father and apostolic missionary of the Propaganda Fide, attached to the Embassy of France in Stockholm ), which would have feared that the influence Cartesian. Including (as the Protestants) his refusal of the dogma of transubstantiation) will discourage Queen Christina Lutheran convert to Catholicism: Christina of Sweden sends bedside philosophy Van Wüllen the doctor who notes the following symtoms in his report: colic, chills, vomiting, blood in urine. Descartes had prepared an emetic (antidote) based on wine and tobacco, suggesting that he himself suspected poisoning. But as has happened several times elsewhere, people have died accidentally poisoned with arsenic, which is prevalent at the time, including dyeing the hangings in a beautiful dark green ...
95.176.75.230 ( talk) 16:18, 11 March 2012 (UTC) From the french article on Descartes.
Not done: please provide
reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Thanks,
Celestra (
talk) 21:03, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
Can someone expand the section regarding his influence on math?
So far it's just a stub and seems in inadequate for someone like Descartes.-- 108.20.46.24 ( talk) 15:51, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
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The final statement under the heading Religious Beliefs which reads, "[...]who was her personal tutor." requires a citation (next citation after citation number 16). The page from Stanford University's philosophy encyclopaedia contains information to fulfil this citation at part 5, para 2. The address for this is http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-works/. Thanks! 176.250.75.69 ( talk) 21:13, 2 May 2012 (UTC)
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Descartes was 6"3 82.198.228.238 ( talk) 08:07, 13 June 2012 (UTC)
The section #2.1 Dualism, contains the claim that Descartes practiced vivisection on animals, but there is not a valid reference to support this. Should not this be improved, I will proceed to suppress that claim. Auró ( talk) 22:00, 19 May 2012 (UTC)
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According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, Descartes had a fetish for cross-eyed women.
Is Encyclopedia Brittanica a valid source for Wikipedia? If so, may we incorporate this interesting biogrpahical fact? — Esotropic Flautist ( talk) 19:24, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
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Argouarch ( talk) 20:43, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
The page is very low on citations Martin48535 ( talk) 08:31, 20 November 2008 (UTC) i do accept... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.161.37.81 ( talk) 07:57, 25 October 2009 (UTC)
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Regarding Aristotle opinion that happiness depends on the goods of fortune, Descartes does not deny that this goods contribute to happiness, but remarks that they are in great proportion outside our control, whereas our mind is under our complete control.
This sentence contains three grammatical errors, and should read:
Regarding Aristotle's opinion that happiness depends on the goods of fortune, Descartes does not deny that this good contributes to happiness, but remarks that they are in great proportion outside our control, whereas our mind is under our complete control.
corrections: Aristotle's good contributes Bpanhuyzen ( talk) 16:33, 8 March 2013 (UTC)
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The first two of his Meditations on First Philosophy, those that formulate the famous methodic doubt, are the portion of Descartes writings that most influenced modern thinking.
"Descartes" is missing the apostrophe to indicate the possessive.
I would also use the phrase, "represent the portion" rather than "are the portion" Bpanhuyzen ( talk) 16:41, 8 March 2013 (UTC)
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This was a revolutionary step that posed the basis of modernity (whose repercussion are still ongoing)...
"modernity" is not a person, so "whose" is incorrect
Bpanhuyzen (
talk) 16:44, 8 March 2013 (UTC)
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Descartes philosophical revolution is sometimes said to have sparked modern...
"Descartes" is again missing the possessive apostrophe
Bpanhuyzen (
talk) 16:49, 8 March 2013 (UTC)
If so, could you please post the revised (1963 or later) rendition of the "je pens, donc je suis" para here? (Google Books offers only the 1902 edition and I don't currently have library access to the later editions.) Also, if it's not too much trouble, could you include any front matter or other material describing changes from the 1902 version (AT VI 32)? Thanks in advance, humanengr ( talk) 22:59, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
The black and white image of Descartes's graduation refers to his graduation from the University of Poitiers (Bachelor and License)
in utroque jure (Civil and Canon Law) in 1616 and not his graduation from the Jesuit College of La Flèche. The text reads : Nobilis Vir dominus Renatus Descartes, diocesis Pictavensis, creatus fuit baccalaureatus in utroque jure die nona et licentiatus in ejusdem canonico et civili juribus die decima mensis novembris anno domini millesimo sexcentesimo decimo sexto, wich means "The Noble Lord René Descarte, from the diocese of Poitiers, was created Bachelor of both Laws the 9th and Licensed of the same Canon and Civil Laws the 10th of November, Year of the Lord 1616".
78.232.54.121 (
talk) 15:06, 29 August 2013 (UTC)
It has recently came to my attention that Descartes made the "top 10 list" of some evangelical Christian author's idea of the worst books ever (or top 10 reasons the world is messed up today), because Descartes allegedly "made the existence of God subject to the ego of man" (or something to that effect). Should that be included in the article, or is it even worth consideration? The fact that something like this made it onto [what I assume to be] a mainstream audiobook "best sellers list" gravely disturbs me. Shanoman ( talk) 03:51, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
As an evangelical (gospel believing) Christian, my main criticism would be that he calls on 'God' (or his conception of same) only as a last resort to buck up a failing argument. Our starting point would be with God's existence as a beginning point and be at the center of any discussion. Reliance is in all cases on the Bible as the arbiter of all questions and considerations. DennisDA2010 ( talk) 19:25, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
He calls on "god" to avoid being burned at the stake, by religious idiots, like all other thinking people of his and the entire Dark Ages were. The bible is a joke. How can you ignore Descartes's Dubito (Doubting religious dogma) as he preceded Cogito Ergo Sum with it? "DUBITO ERGO COGITO, COGITO ERGO SUM." "I doubt therefore I think, I think therefore I exist." That is "exist" as opposed to predestination as your bible says everyone is. 3 bible examples: 1)Only two people existed on earth (so says your book), but the two sons found "wives." How odd. Were the wives monkeys? 2)What about dinosaurs and fossils? 3)The bible says that Unicorns exist. Try thinking for yourself as Descartes did.
63.245.178.216 (
talk) 19:46, 9 June 2014 (UTC) Randy C Hamilton
Article seems to be missing subject's notable Vortex Theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_explanations_of_gravitation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Descartes_Aetherwirbel.jpg http://descartes.cyberbrahma.com/vortex.html 144.183.224.2 ( talk) 20:45, 29 May 2012 (UTC)
{edit request} By leaving off Dubito you change Descartes message. Dubito ergo cogito, cogito ergo sum. Means "I doubt therefore I think, I think therefore I exist." (NOT I am). His doubting of religious dogma lead him to realize that that was thinking and because he could think he existed as opposed to being a cog in the wheel of religion's absolute control of people (ie The Dark Ages) and their predestination as expounded in their much-edited book. This also needs to go under Teleology as the refutation to "Ends" as professed by some philosophers. 63.245.178.216 ( talk) 19:16, 9 June 2014 (UTC) 63.245.178.216 ( talk) 19:55, 9 June 2014 (UTC) Randy C Hamilton
At present the article uses both forms of the possessive - it talks about "young Descartes's life", but says "In Descartes' system, knowledge takes the form of ideas ...". I believe the more common possessive form is Descartes' - see [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]. Would anyone object if I changed Descartes's to Descartes' throughout the article ? Gandalf61 ( talk) 17:23, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
I disagree with " Descartes' " as the " s " is silent. Therefore, the " 's " of "Descartes's" adds a possessive [s] where there was none before. Sure it doesn't look as nice, but I asked my linguistics professor and he confirmed that it should be " Descartes's ". Mlvand2 ( talk) 02:47, 12 October 2013 (UTC)
Oxford Dictionary agrees that it should be Descartes's instead of Descartes', but just for consistency, there is still a rogue "Descartes's" in the article that should be edited if the article is going to use Descartes'. 92.237.49.208 ( talk) 05:54, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
Is the Vision subsection really worth including in the main article? It's a speculation at best, and it paints a totally different picture from the man scientist. Besides it's not coming from Descartes himself. Inorout ( talk) 12:55, 16 March 2015 (UTC)
The first we hear that Francine died young is in this quote, " Russell Shorto postulated that the experience of fatherhood and losing a child...". There should be preceding notice that Francine died young. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.250.4.107 ( talk) 04:50, 2 June 2016 (UTC)
This article is seriously incomplete. Descartes (along with others at the time) believed that animals did not have souls and therefore were beast machines. He thought that not having a soul meant no higher mental experiences. So when a dog had its paws nailed to a board and it yelped, it was not actually in pain, just exhibiting the external mechanical response that we perceive to be signs of pain. See Nicolaas Rupke, "Vivisection in Historical Perspective", London, Routledge, 1990. I'm not a vegetarian dog-loving, cruelty hating hippy who is complaining that Descartes needs to be portrayed as an ass. I'm just saying that it was an important part of Descartes' work. -elliot
I love cruelty. ninjabulous 22:16, 17 October 2006 (UTC)
I would venture to say that the average dog has more of a soul than some of the contributors to this section. Lestrade ( talk) 03:43, 21 January 2010 (UTC)Lestrade
I've taken the stuff about animal vivisection out of the article. This is disproportionate and essentially off-track. Isambard Kingdom ( talk) 15:50, 8 October 2016 (UTC)
The article on Marin Mersenne mentions that "Some history scientists suggest he died for having drunk a huge quantity of fresh water, along with Descartes, on a hot summer day." But this article says nothing like this. What is the truth? 118.210.203.47 ( talk) 10:48, 14 January 2017 (UTC)
In the article, it is stated that Descartes taught at the Utrecht University ("who was born in 1635 in Deventer, at which time Descartes taught at the Utrecht University"). I myself am a student at Utrecht University today and I'm following a course on history of mathematics. However, my professor says that Descartes never had any position at the Utrecht University. A student of his, Henry Reneri, did teach at Utrecht University in that time (source: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-works/) so I think somebody got the two mixed up. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.211.76.106 ( talk) 23:17, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
René Descartes noticed a slight delay as people were overriding their instinctive reactions with willed deliberate voluntary acts. This is exactly the same delay Benjamin Libet researched. This also calls for "readiness potential" to be renamed into neuronal activity required for intent.
Descartes' soul was necessary to explain slight delay. We now need to examine other intepretations. This is a bridge to science end we should cross it. Damir Ibrisimovic ( talk) 22:50, 3 June 2017 (UTC)
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As a passing reader, the lack of discussion of criticism and nearly empty reception section is striking in this article. I'm no studied philosopher, but I must have read a dozen ecofeminists blame Descartes for the subject-object distinction in Western philosophy, or Thomas Merton describing Cogito ergo sum as the "the declaration of an alienated being, in exile from his own spiritual depths, compelled to seek some comfort in a proof for his own existence (!)" -New Seeds of Contemplation. 1961. p. 9.. I'm not arguing about the validity of these claims, but surely some expansion of the Reception section is in order to discuss contemporary authors treatment of Descartes? Sondra.kinsey ( talk) 21:59, 15 July 2017 (UTC)
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Hi, I've researched Descartes for a few years, and I was under the impression that he never married. The section on 'Netherlands' states "he married his servant Helena". — Preceding unsigned comment added by MaTRiX709 ( talk • contribs) 19:06, 3 December 2017 (UTC)
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Archive 1 | Archive 2 | Archive 3 |
I've started an approach that may apply to Wikipedia's Core Biography articles: creating a branching list page based on in popular culture information. I started that last year while I raised Joan of Arc to featured article when I created Cultural depictions of Joan of Arc, which has become a featured list. Recently I also created Cultural depictions of Alexander the Great out of material that had been deleted from the biography article. Since cultural references sometimes get deleted without discussion, I'd like to suggest this approach as a model for the editors here. Regards, Durova 17:35, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
In Adolf Fredriks kyrka in Stockholm, where he was first buried (he was actually buried in "St Olofs Chapel", which was there before the church) there is a monument (se link for picture) which says Renato Cartesio - not Renatus Cartesius. The full text on the monument is:
Gustavas Pr. Haer. R. S.
Renato Cartesio
Nat. in Gallia MDXCVI
Mort. in Svecia MDCL
Monumentum erexit
______________
MDCCLXX.
Which latinized form is correct? Did they misspell on the stone monument? Kricke 20:47, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
I found an article (in old style Swedish from 1876) that says his skull was separated from his body when it was moved to France in 1666, by someone named Planström. And that it remained in Stockholm in (amongst others) Celsius and Stiernemans posession. When Carl Löwenhielm moved it to Paris in 1821, it sparked a debate between François Arago and Jean Pierre Flourens about its authenticity (it only says Arago and Flourens, but I think it must have been them). It also contains a portrait of him (by François Hals - is that Frans Hals?) that must be in the public domain and can perhaps be used in this article. Kricke 20:39, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
Is not the fact that Decartes was a)in the army, b)on drugs worth mentioning? These are hardly minor points of anyone's life, even a mathematician's. Nev1 16:32, 13 March 2007 (UTC)
This section starts out talking of Discourse on Method and mentions Principles of Philosophy and then, unannounced, shifts to a blow-by-blow of Meditations. If I had not read a good deal of his work, I would have thought the entire section was about Discourse. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Shaolinpat ( talk • contribs) 03:53, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
To my knowledge the name Algebra is derived from Arabic origins; Someone needs to correct this.
06/03/07--23:37
Could somebody confirm the "Theory of Fallacies" information? Sounds a bit like a gullibility spoof... I've never heard of it and can't find supporting evidence -- but I'm far from an expert on these matters. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.138.102.131 ( talk) 02:04, 29 January 2008 (UTC)
The description for this image [2] suggests that he graduated from the Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand in 1616, yet the article says that he got his Baccalauréat and License from the University of Poitiers in 1616. Surely one of these dates is wrong (as is the age at which he started school, according to the French wikipedia and the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy bio, which say that he started at the age of ten or eleven and graduated from it in 1614). What are our sources for his bio? LeighvsOptimvsMaximvs (talk) 19:59, 27 April 2008 (UTC)
In the first paragraph, the beginning sentence reads:
René Descartes (French IPA: [ʁəne de'kaʁt] Latin:Renatus Cartesius) (March 31, 1596 – February 11, 1650), also known as Renatus Cartesius (latinized form)
I think it would be appropriate to remove one of these? I'd prefer to keep the second entry myself.
86.160.190.194 (
talk) 18:59, 4 June 2008 (UTC)
Question: Many credit Descartes's "I think therefore I am" to be the back bone of the movie the Matrix. However, it would seem that empiricism is more akin to what the Matrix is about, i.e., you can be a brain in a jar somewhere and not even know it because all you an know is what you perceive through your senses. It would seem that Descartes's saying should really be "I experience, therefore I am" since one cannot think without outside point of reference, at least initially. If there was no environmental perceptions, you could not think in the first place, and there would be no "I am." Thoughts? ( RossF18 04:01, 7 February 2007 (UTC))
a phil student once told me that when descarte wrote the work in which he speaks of his demon, that many of the christians who read his work were ironically turned away from christianity. I want to know if there is evidence for this interpretation of history? if so it would be an interesting result. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.110.23.180 ( talk) 05:51, 23 June 2008 (UTC)
All the sources I can find give a bald "11 February". Sweden was still using the Julian calendar in 1650, so it's not clear to me whether this date is the Old Style date (that's equivalent to the Gregorian calendar's 21 February), or the New Style date (that's equivalent to the Julian's 1 February). Anyone have any clue? I would guess that it's the date that applied in Sweden, and had he died in France on the same day we'd be saying he died on 21 February. But my guess is not good enough. -- JackofOz ( talk) 07:07, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
Descarte walks into a bar. The barman asks "would you like a drink?" Descarte replys "I think not!" and swiftly disapears —Preceding unsigned comment added by Urgeblind ( talk • contribs) 09:52, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
This article and the main article on cogito ergo sum disagree on whether Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum is "more precise" or a misquotation. That's rather unfortunate. Please correct. Oyst1 ( talk) 16:47, 20 August 2008 (UTC)
Everone who pronounces descartes in English pronounces it day-cart, but I'm sure this wouldn't be how the French pronounce it. Can anyone enlighten me? Musungu jim 17:16, 12 March 2007 (UTC)
I speak (very) basic french, but i'm sure they would pronounce it de'scar, if anyone has ever heard a french speaker pronouncing it that would settle it Musungu jim 21:48, 12 March 2007 (UTC)
I am French. Descartes is pronounced with "di" instead of "day" and would pronounce the "t" but not either of the "s"s. -- RaphaelBriand 01:04, 2 December 2007 (UTC)
The origin of the name comes from des Cartes. I think that the *original* pronounciation may therefore have been "de kart". DanielDemaret ( talk) 11:07, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
This page ( Forvo) has the spoken name, with French pronunciation, if that would help. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jarnex ( talk • contribs) 20:30, 15 October 2008 (UTC)
I was just reading the intro now and it seems it could be condensed considerably. For example, the end of para 1 mentions Descartes founded analytic geometry, then para 3 repeats the same point. Given that this is just the intro, this probably need be said only once and then it can be discussed more fully in the body of the article. I would think a 2 paragraph intro would probably suffice with some editing. Anthony Mohen ( talk) 21:24, 25 January 2009 (UTC)
It is stated in the biography section that his remains were moved to the Pantheon. I believe this is incorrect, as the action was never carried out due to more pressing political matters of the revolution. Also, his current tomb is under much speculation and it has been proposed that his remains were indeed lost or plundered during the revolution. The journey of his skull was also an important part of his story. The book titled "Descartes Bones" delves into the matter further, and perhaps would be worth citing. 06:12, 18 November 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.117.4.17 ( talk)
"he rejects any ideas that can be doubted" – should it not sound as "can't be doubted"? mingis —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.61.211.126 ( talk) 08:00, 13 March 2010 (UTC)
In the section, "Mathematical Legacy", it is written, "He also 'invented', the notation which uses superscripts to show the powers or exponents, for example the 4 used in x4 to indicate squaring of squaring." The quotes around invented and the comma following are unusual grammar and have implications that are not explained or cited. This needs citation. 165.21.240.246 ( talk) 11:53, 20 May 2010 (UTC)
Does anyone who has followed the history of this article, better than I, know why its lede has three overly long paragraphs and includes repetitions of the same items?
Seems to me that it might be important to WP that a bio on a person of this importance to world history might make a better impression on a new reader than I got from wading through all that stuff, to try get a handle on him that I wanted to pass on to others. SergeWoodzing ( talk) 14:58, 5 June 2010 (UTC)
From the paragraph about his daughter: Much to Descartes' distress, she died in 1640 at the age of 5. His father died a month later, aged 78.
And elsewhere in the article it is said he was born in 1596 and died in 1650. And where did this 78 come from? Gligi 15:51, 25 March 2007 (UTC)
Descartes was born on March 31, 1596 and he died on February 11, 1650. He was 53 years old. LCraft —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.234.65.156 ( talk) 04:45, 9 November 2010 (UTC)
AC Grayling's biography on Descartes suggest that Descarte worked as a spy for the Jesuit order; keeping tabs on the Rosicrucians and their 'occult' knowledge. I think that this should be mentioned. msp4realmf ( talk) 19:58, 18 November 2007 (UTC)
Was Grayling merely speculating? DanielDemaret ( talk) 10:58, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
Grayling was speculating, but speculating with an eye to finding the actual truth. Grayling's very tentative claim is that Descarte's bizarre travels and seemingly inexplicable movements are best explained if Descartes was working in some secret capacity during his military years and perhaps well afterwards. Why would an extremely devout Catholic Jesuit go and join the Prince of Orange's Protestant army after standing for is legal exams? This should DEFINITELY be mentioned in the article. Hexag1 ( talk) 03:59, 12 November 2010 (UTC)
The section begins with the sentence: "Descartes's theory provided the basis for the calculus of Newton and Leibniz, by applying infinitesimal calculus to the tangent line problem, thus permitting the evolution of that branch of modern mathematics." Perhaps it is my lack of mathematical education, but beginning a section in this way seems strange. I have no idea what "Descartes's theory" refers to and the links do not particularly contribute to an understanding. Apparently something needs to be added. Also, the section asserts Descartes invented analytical geometry and then quite some space later mentions Descartes inventing Cartesian geometry. Aside from the redundancy of Descartes inventing something Cartesian, aren't analytical and Cartesian geometry the same thing? Why are they separated by a paragraph about rainbows? Does optics even belong in this section? Is there any logic at all to how these paragraphs are arranged? Someone more knowledgeable than I could surely make quick work of these somewhat minor changes. At some point however, I think this section will need some major expansion. I think a more in depth explanation of exactly how he contributed to the formation of calculus is justified especially because it does not seem to exist elsewhere on Wikipedia. The Cartesian coordinate system is not even mentioned; surly that is important? PatxiG ( talk) 08:39, 13 February 2011 (UTC)
Apparently as a kid who was always sick, he developed a habit to do everything while in bed and not getting up until he was ready to do so. Much of his great works of philosophy and math were thought up while he was laying in bed. Apparently its a good place to think and meditate. Gottfried Liebniz apparently had the same practice.
Morgantw —Preceding unsigned comment added by Morgantw ( talk • contribs) 16:21, 4 May 2011 (UTC)
The article states, "He also 'invented', the notation that uses superscripts to show the powers or exponents, for example the 4 used in x4 to indicate squaring of squaring." I thought Diophantus used a superscript in the development of syncopated algebra (Burton, D.M., The History of Mathematics: An Introduction (7th ed.), 2011, p. 219). MstoneMTH314 ( talk) 04:11, 4 May 2011 (UTC)
Comment: MTH314 That is a curious fact to point out. I believe the situation is that on Wikipedia it states that Diophantus had a lemma which "states that the difference of the cubes of two rational numbers is equal to the sum of the cubes of two other rational numbers, i.e. given any a and b, with a > b, there exist c and d, all positive and rational, such that a^3 - b^3 = c^3 + d^3." While Diophantus figured this out, it does not necessaryly mean he knew the notation of superscripts and subscripts, or the notation that Descartes found, unless there was something that I might have missed, or researched incorrectly? 76.121.153.100 ( talk) 18:21, 4 May 2011 (UTC) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diophantus —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.121.153.100 ( talk) 17:22, 4 May 2011 (UTC)
Paragraph 3 states "Descartes was a major figure in 17th century continental rationalism, later advocated by Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Leibniz, and opposed by the empiricist school of thought, consisting of Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume."
Berkeley was a rationalist, not an empiricist b real 00:38, 15 March 2007 (UTC)
Berkeley was an empiricist. He believed the world existed through his perceptions. He uses a reason to find God to ensure the existence of a world outside his perception. Thus God for him was an omnipresent perceiver. I think the confusion might arise from his rejection of Lockeian empiricism. He does believe that the qualities that we atribute to an object are ideas in our own mind, but he does not reject the fact objects exist outside of the mind.
Who dare to say Berkeley wasn't an empiricist????????????? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.225.0.109 ( talk) 15:10, 26 July 2011 (UTC)
This article has a good philosophical exposition, but misses completely the fundamental role that Descartes' contribution played in the evolution of geometry and mathematics. The whole article should be re-conceived in order to show how important Cartesio's oeuvre was for the development of mathematics in '700. http://www.amazon.com/History-Mathematics-Second-Carl-Boyer/dp/0471543977 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.225.0.109 ( talk) 15:14, 26 July 2011 (UTC)
Why does the article need the recently added "His conception of philosophy" section?
The content of this section doesn't seem very notable (apparently drawing entirely from a single short preface -- to only a translated copy rather than a main text, and it is an historic primary source at any rate). Even if it were appropriate enough to warrant inclusion, shouldn't it be incorporated into the pre-existing "Philosophical work" section (rather than a separate major section higher in the article)? It also obviously isn't written in the most encyclopedic tone. I kind of suspect original research being used as a vehicle here to push a POV regarding the general field of philosophy (and by an editor with a recent history of heterodox views regarding Descartes). Cesiumfrog ( talk) 03:54, 12 December 2011 (UTC)
I can not understand why the most poignant event in his life and possible the last four hundred years (certainly in the context of science) has been completed ommited from this article. I am refering to his experience in Uolm when he had a dream in which an angel came to him and told him that the conquest of nature will be found in measure and number. Considering this was the spark of his interest in the matter and the birth of modern science it seems like an odd thing to omit from the article. 201.230.141.148 ( talk) 23:10, 12 November 2009 (UTC)
This is an exact transcript of the relevant portion of the 1991 Unfolding the Stone lecture that I have made for your reference. One must be careful with Mckenna as a source [as much as I loved the old man] especially when he is speaking live to an audience, he does occasionally make errors of fact when he is 'on a role', I am thinking particularly of a time he misattributed a famous alchemical woodcut of Hienrich Khunrath from Amphitheater of Eternal Wisdom to Athanasius Kircher. Mckenna was well enough read to know the correct attribution, but may have had a slip of the tongue in the heat of the moment. In this case I would consider his dates as suspect.
By the way, I do not understand the source of the change of the location of the 'visitation of Ulm' made by user 62.226.164.41 on 23:57 11Mar2011 from "Neuburg (near Ulm), Germany)" to "Neuburg an der Donau, Germany". Neuburg an der Donau is actually 120km+ from Ulm. Perhaps this is a mapping error due to disagreement between contemporary [17th century] and modern maps [google?]? Is there an authoritative source for this? Most internet sources outside of Wikipedia reference Ulm, the modern Neu-Ulm may be correct. Expert source anyone?
Atani (
talk) 18:41, 22 February 2012 (UTC)
Decartes is also called the 'father of psychology' due to his work on the subject of mind/soul or nous. This discussion could be a new template and added to the main article that way. DennisDA2010 ( talk) 19:13, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
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== End of life in Sweden==
In September 1649, he agrees to become the tutor of Queen Christina to Sweden in Stockholm where he lived in France's ambassador Pierre Chanut. From this period comes the rumor that she has an affair with the philosopher, even if this link is very credible. The harsh climate and the morning hours of talks with the Queen before 5 am the thinker are unusual and would have been correct, according to the official version of his health. He plans to leave the return of spring, but died 11 February 1650, officially of pneumonia.
A whole mythology about the circumstances of his death is born from death. The most common hypothesis articulated from this period is that of an arsenic poisoning. This thesis will again be developed by Eike Pies in his book "Der Mordfall Descartes" ("L'Affaire Descartes"), published in 1996 and then in ("Der Tod rätselhafte of René Descartes", "The Mysterious death of Rene Descartes" of Theodor Ebert. According to this version, it would have been poisoned by a wafer containing a lethal dose of arsenic, given by Chaplain Francis Viogué (Catholic father and apostolic missionary of the Propaganda Fide, attached to the Embassy of France in Stockholm ), which would have feared that the influence Cartesian. Including (as the Protestants) his refusal of the dogma of transubstantiation) will discourage Queen Christina Lutheran convert to Catholicism: Christina of Sweden sends bedside philosophy Van Wüllen the doctor who notes the following symtoms in his report: colic, chills, vomiting, blood in urine. Descartes had prepared an emetic (antidote) based on wine and tobacco, suggesting that he himself suspected poisoning. But as has happened several times elsewhere, people have died accidentally poisoned with arsenic, which is prevalent at the time, including dyeing the hangings in a beautiful dark green ...
95.176.75.230 ( talk) 16:18, 11 March 2012 (UTC) From the french article on Descartes.
Not done: please provide
reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Thanks,
Celestra (
talk) 21:03, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
Can someone expand the section regarding his influence on math?
So far it's just a stub and seems in inadequate for someone like Descartes.-- 108.20.46.24 ( talk) 15:51, 15 March 2012 (UTC)
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The final statement under the heading Religious Beliefs which reads, "[...]who was her personal tutor." requires a citation (next citation after citation number 16). The page from Stanford University's philosophy encyclopaedia contains information to fulfil this citation at part 5, para 2. The address for this is http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-works/. Thanks! 176.250.75.69 ( talk) 21:13, 2 May 2012 (UTC)
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Descartes was 6"3 82.198.228.238 ( talk) 08:07, 13 June 2012 (UTC)
The section #2.1 Dualism, contains the claim that Descartes practiced vivisection on animals, but there is not a valid reference to support this. Should not this be improved, I will proceed to suppress that claim. Auró ( talk) 22:00, 19 May 2012 (UTC)
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According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, Descartes had a fetish for cross-eyed women.
Is Encyclopedia Brittanica a valid source for Wikipedia? If so, may we incorporate this interesting biogrpahical fact? — Esotropic Flautist ( talk) 19:24, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
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Argouarch ( talk) 20:43, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
The page is very low on citations Martin48535 ( talk) 08:31, 20 November 2008 (UTC) i do accept... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.161.37.81 ( talk) 07:57, 25 October 2009 (UTC)
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Regarding Aristotle opinion that happiness depends on the goods of fortune, Descartes does not deny that this goods contribute to happiness, but remarks that they are in great proportion outside our control, whereas our mind is under our complete control.
This sentence contains three grammatical errors, and should read:
Regarding Aristotle's opinion that happiness depends on the goods of fortune, Descartes does not deny that this good contributes to happiness, but remarks that they are in great proportion outside our control, whereas our mind is under our complete control.
corrections: Aristotle's good contributes Bpanhuyzen ( talk) 16:33, 8 March 2013 (UTC)
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The first two of his Meditations on First Philosophy, those that formulate the famous methodic doubt, are the portion of Descartes writings that most influenced modern thinking.
"Descartes" is missing the apostrophe to indicate the possessive.
I would also use the phrase, "represent the portion" rather than "are the portion" Bpanhuyzen ( talk) 16:41, 8 March 2013 (UTC)
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This was a revolutionary step that posed the basis of modernity (whose repercussion are still ongoing)...
"modernity" is not a person, so "whose" is incorrect
Bpanhuyzen (
talk) 16:44, 8 March 2013 (UTC)
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Descartes philosophical revolution is sometimes said to have sparked modern...
"Descartes" is again missing the possessive apostrophe
Bpanhuyzen (
talk) 16:49, 8 March 2013 (UTC)
If so, could you please post the revised (1963 or later) rendition of the "je pens, donc je suis" para here? (Google Books offers only the 1902 edition and I don't currently have library access to the later editions.) Also, if it's not too much trouble, could you include any front matter or other material describing changes from the 1902 version (AT VI 32)? Thanks in advance, humanengr ( talk) 22:59, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
The black and white image of Descartes's graduation refers to his graduation from the University of Poitiers (Bachelor and License)
in utroque jure (Civil and Canon Law) in 1616 and not his graduation from the Jesuit College of La Flèche. The text reads : Nobilis Vir dominus Renatus Descartes, diocesis Pictavensis, creatus fuit baccalaureatus in utroque jure die nona et licentiatus in ejusdem canonico et civili juribus die decima mensis novembris anno domini millesimo sexcentesimo decimo sexto, wich means "The Noble Lord René Descarte, from the diocese of Poitiers, was created Bachelor of both Laws the 9th and Licensed of the same Canon and Civil Laws the 10th of November, Year of the Lord 1616".
78.232.54.121 (
talk) 15:06, 29 August 2013 (UTC)
It has recently came to my attention that Descartes made the "top 10 list" of some evangelical Christian author's idea of the worst books ever (or top 10 reasons the world is messed up today), because Descartes allegedly "made the existence of God subject to the ego of man" (or something to that effect). Should that be included in the article, or is it even worth consideration? The fact that something like this made it onto [what I assume to be] a mainstream audiobook "best sellers list" gravely disturbs me. Shanoman ( talk) 03:51, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
As an evangelical (gospel believing) Christian, my main criticism would be that he calls on 'God' (or his conception of same) only as a last resort to buck up a failing argument. Our starting point would be with God's existence as a beginning point and be at the center of any discussion. Reliance is in all cases on the Bible as the arbiter of all questions and considerations. DennisDA2010 ( talk) 19:25, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
He calls on "god" to avoid being burned at the stake, by religious idiots, like all other thinking people of his and the entire Dark Ages were. The bible is a joke. How can you ignore Descartes's Dubito (Doubting religious dogma) as he preceded Cogito Ergo Sum with it? "DUBITO ERGO COGITO, COGITO ERGO SUM." "I doubt therefore I think, I think therefore I exist." That is "exist" as opposed to predestination as your bible says everyone is. 3 bible examples: 1)Only two people existed on earth (so says your book), but the two sons found "wives." How odd. Were the wives monkeys? 2)What about dinosaurs and fossils? 3)The bible says that Unicorns exist. Try thinking for yourself as Descartes did.
63.245.178.216 (
talk) 19:46, 9 June 2014 (UTC) Randy C Hamilton
Article seems to be missing subject's notable Vortex Theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_explanations_of_gravitation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Descartes_Aetherwirbel.jpg http://descartes.cyberbrahma.com/vortex.html 144.183.224.2 ( talk) 20:45, 29 May 2012 (UTC)
{edit request} By leaving off Dubito you change Descartes message. Dubito ergo cogito, cogito ergo sum. Means "I doubt therefore I think, I think therefore I exist." (NOT I am). His doubting of religious dogma lead him to realize that that was thinking and because he could think he existed as opposed to being a cog in the wheel of religion's absolute control of people (ie The Dark Ages) and their predestination as expounded in their much-edited book. This also needs to go under Teleology as the refutation to "Ends" as professed by some philosophers. 63.245.178.216 ( talk) 19:16, 9 June 2014 (UTC) 63.245.178.216 ( talk) 19:55, 9 June 2014 (UTC) Randy C Hamilton
At present the article uses both forms of the possessive - it talks about "young Descartes's life", but says "In Descartes' system, knowledge takes the form of ideas ...". I believe the more common possessive form is Descartes' - see [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]. Would anyone object if I changed Descartes's to Descartes' throughout the article ? Gandalf61 ( talk) 17:23, 5 February 2008 (UTC)
I disagree with " Descartes' " as the " s " is silent. Therefore, the " 's " of "Descartes's" adds a possessive [s] where there was none before. Sure it doesn't look as nice, but I asked my linguistics professor and he confirmed that it should be " Descartes's ". Mlvand2 ( talk) 02:47, 12 October 2013 (UTC)
Oxford Dictionary agrees that it should be Descartes's instead of Descartes', but just for consistency, there is still a rogue "Descartes's" in the article that should be edited if the article is going to use Descartes'. 92.237.49.208 ( talk) 05:54, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
Is the Vision subsection really worth including in the main article? It's a speculation at best, and it paints a totally different picture from the man scientist. Besides it's not coming from Descartes himself. Inorout ( talk) 12:55, 16 March 2015 (UTC)
The first we hear that Francine died young is in this quote, " Russell Shorto postulated that the experience of fatherhood and losing a child...". There should be preceding notice that Francine died young. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.250.4.107 ( talk) 04:50, 2 June 2016 (UTC)
This article is seriously incomplete. Descartes (along with others at the time) believed that animals did not have souls and therefore were beast machines. He thought that not having a soul meant no higher mental experiences. So when a dog had its paws nailed to a board and it yelped, it was not actually in pain, just exhibiting the external mechanical response that we perceive to be signs of pain. See Nicolaas Rupke, "Vivisection in Historical Perspective", London, Routledge, 1990. I'm not a vegetarian dog-loving, cruelty hating hippy who is complaining that Descartes needs to be portrayed as an ass. I'm just saying that it was an important part of Descartes' work. -elliot
I love cruelty. ninjabulous 22:16, 17 October 2006 (UTC)
I would venture to say that the average dog has more of a soul than some of the contributors to this section. Lestrade ( talk) 03:43, 21 January 2010 (UTC)Lestrade
I've taken the stuff about animal vivisection out of the article. This is disproportionate and essentially off-track. Isambard Kingdom ( talk) 15:50, 8 October 2016 (UTC)
The article on Marin Mersenne mentions that "Some history scientists suggest he died for having drunk a huge quantity of fresh water, along with Descartes, on a hot summer day." But this article says nothing like this. What is the truth? 118.210.203.47 ( talk) 10:48, 14 January 2017 (UTC)
In the article, it is stated that Descartes taught at the Utrecht University ("who was born in 1635 in Deventer, at which time Descartes taught at the Utrecht University"). I myself am a student at Utrecht University today and I'm following a course on history of mathematics. However, my professor says that Descartes never had any position at the Utrecht University. A student of his, Henry Reneri, did teach at Utrecht University in that time (source: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-works/) so I think somebody got the two mixed up. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.211.76.106 ( talk) 23:17, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
René Descartes noticed a slight delay as people were overriding their instinctive reactions with willed deliberate voluntary acts. This is exactly the same delay Benjamin Libet researched. This also calls for "readiness potential" to be renamed into neuronal activity required for intent.
Descartes' soul was necessary to explain slight delay. We now need to examine other intepretations. This is a bridge to science end we should cross it. Damir Ibrisimovic ( talk) 22:50, 3 June 2017 (UTC)
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As a passing reader, the lack of discussion of criticism and nearly empty reception section is striking in this article. I'm no studied philosopher, but I must have read a dozen ecofeminists blame Descartes for the subject-object distinction in Western philosophy, or Thomas Merton describing Cogito ergo sum as the "the declaration of an alienated being, in exile from his own spiritual depths, compelled to seek some comfort in a proof for his own existence (!)" -New Seeds of Contemplation. 1961. p. 9.. I'm not arguing about the validity of these claims, but surely some expansion of the Reception section is in order to discuss contemporary authors treatment of Descartes? Sondra.kinsey ( talk) 21:59, 15 July 2017 (UTC)
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Hi, I've researched Descartes for a few years, and I was under the impression that he never married. The section on 'Netherlands' states "he married his servant Helena". — Preceding unsigned comment added by MaTRiX709 ( talk • contribs) 19:06, 3 December 2017 (UTC)