René-Descartes

RenéDescartes(1596——1690）P151112105英3李静Contents•1.Profile•2.Life•3.Achievement•4.Influence1.Profile•RenéDescartesistheworldfamousFrenchphilosopher,mathematician,physicist.ItisgenerallybelievedthatmodernphilosophybeginswithFrancisBaconinEnglandandwithRenéDescartesinFrance.Hemadeanimportantcontributiontothedevelopmentofmodernmathematics.Descartesisconsideredtobethefatherofanalyticgeometrybyformalizingthegeometriccoordinatesystem.2.Life•1596——Descarteswasborninalowerstatusofthearistocraticfamily,thefatherisamemberoftheBrittanyParliament.•1597——1yearoldmotherdiedoftuberculosis,andhewasinfected,resultingininfirm.Buthisoutstandingacademicperformance,theteacherwillallowhimnottogetupearlymovement.AndDescartesthusdevelopedahabitofusingthistimeofmeditation.•1604——DescarteswaseducatedattheJesusEnglishSchoolinRavel,andwaswelltrainedinclassicalandmathematicalstudies.•1613——1616HestudiedlawatPoitiersUniversity.•P.S.IntheeraofDescartes,Latinisthelanguageofscholars.However,DescarteswritinginFrenchratherthanLatin,whichalsoindicatesthattheLatinEuropeanacademiclanguagestatusisconstantlybeingabandoned.•1618——HejoinedthearmyintheNetherlandsandtraveledwiththearmy.Descartesinterestinmathematicsandphysics,isproducedintheNetherlandsduringthemilitary.•1628——HemovedtoHolland,wherelivedformorethan20years.Duringthisperiod,Descartesdevotedhimselftothestudyofphilosophy,andgraduallyformedhisownthoughts.3.Achievement•a.Philosophy——TheMethodofCartesianDoubt;Descartes’sTheoryofknowledge;InnateIdeas;Descartes’sDualism•b.Physics——Principleofconservationofmomentum;Lawofrefraction•c.Astronomy——EvolutionoftheUniverse•d.Mathematics——AnalyticalGeometrya.Philosophy•*Cartesianmethod——ⅠThefirstofthesewastoacceptnothingastruewhichIdidnotclearlyrecognizetobeso.ⅡThesecondwastodivideupeachofthedifficultieswhichIexaminedintoasmanypartsaspossible,andasseemedrequisiteinorderthatitmightberesolvedinthebestmannerpossible.ⅢThethirdwastocarryonmyreflectionindueorder,commencingwithobjectsthatwerethemostsimpleandeasytounderstand,inordertoriselittlebylittle,orbydegrees,toknowledgeofthemostcomplex…•ⅣThelastwasinallcasestomakesenumerationssocompleteandreviewssogeneralthatIshouldbecertainofhavingomittednothing.•*TheoryofKnowledge——Doubtingisthinking,thinkingistheessenceofthemind.•InnateIdeas——Someideasareexistnaturallyinoursouls.•*Dualism——Thoughtwasthefoundationofallknowledge.&Theexternalworldexisted,whichwasindependentofthehumanmind.b.Physics•PrincipleofconservationofmomentumAsystemfromexternalforceortheexternalforceandthezero,thetotalmomentumofthesystemremainsunchanged,thisconclusioniscalledthelawofconservationofmomentum.•DeveloptheLawofrefraction;Intheformofthefirstandsecondlawsofnature,DescartesformulatedtheLawofinertiaforthefirsttimeinitsentirety.c.Astronomy•EvolutionoftheUniverse——Descartesappliedhismechanisticviewstocelestialbodies,developedcosmogony,andformedthetheoryoftheoccurrenceandstructureoftheuniverse.TheCartesiansun-originatedEthernetvortexmodelwasthefirsttorelyonmechanics(力学)ratherthantheology(神学),themostauthoritativecosmologyoftheseventeenthcentury.d.Mathematics•Descarteswascommittedtothestudyofalgebraandgeometry.Hefoundedthecoordinatesystem,andalsosuccessfullycreatedanalyticgeometrywhichlaidthefoundationfortheestablishmentofcalculus(微积分).•Inaddition,manyofthemathematicalnotationnowusedarethefirsttobeusedbyDescartes.(theknownnumbera,b,candtheunknownsx,y,z,etc.;theindexoftherepresentation.4.Influence•①DescarteswasphilosophicallydualistandregardedGodastheCreator.However,Descarteswasamechanisticinthenaturalsciences,whichwasprogressiveatthetime.Hisdualismhashadaprofoundimpactonthehistoryofphilosophy.•②Descartes'methodologyhasasignificantinfluenceonthesubsequentdevelopmentofphysics.•Onthebasisofancientdeductivemethods,hefoundedamathematical-baseddeductivemethod.ThismethodwascombinedwithBacon'sexperimentalinductionmethod,hadbecameanimportantmethodofphysics,especiallytheoreticalphysics,throughthecomprehensiveapplicationofHuygensandNewton.•③Inaddition,heputforwardthegeneralsuspicionprinciple.ThisprincipleplayedasignificantroleintheoppositiontotheChurchunderthehistoricalconditionsofthetime.Descartesisconsideredthe17thcenturyandlatertheEuropeanphilosophicalcirclesandthescientificcommunityoneofthemostinfluentialmasters,knownastheancestorofmodernscience.“Idoubt,thereforeIthink:Ithink,thereforeIam.”——RenéDescartes