How Things Work – A Brief History of Reality
Book I – Dualism (Descartes' Influence on the Modern World)
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Tuesday, February 8, 2022
“Surely something resides in this heart that is not perishable, and life is more than a dream.” – Mary Wollstonecraft
CONSIDERATION #17 – Descartes’ Influence on the Modern World
PREFACE
Welcome Everybody!
Descartes’ influence on the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries is monumental and ubiquitous. In the new science Descartes’ metaphysical “I” becomes the detached, doubting, objective observer using only direct evidence and pure reason in order to reach true conclusions. In religion and theology his nonphysical “I” becomes the rational objective proof of a soul that survives the body after death. In the social sciences Descartes’ Scientific Method is used to divide the “I” into further constituents that can be studied and investigated such as the Ego, Id, and Super Ego of classical psychology. Perhaps more than any other philosopher, Descartes transformed the reality of virtually every aspect of the human experience in the sacred world of theology, the secular world of practical living, and the scientific world of rational objectivity. However, it is his influence in philosophy that has had the greatest impact in the world.
“…both Rationalists and Empiricists agreed that reason was a critical aspect of human possibility and that objective evidence was crucial in evaluating the validity of a rational argument.”
The two competing philosophies of the time were in conflict over what we might consider today a very minor detail. Rationalists, like Descartes, believed that an “a priori” source of knowledge outside the physical realm was what made abstract reasoning possible. Empiricists believed that all knowledge was gained from the physical world as interpreted through the physical senses, which is essentially the view Descartes set out to disprove. However, both Rationalists and Empiricists agreed that reason was a critical aspect of human possibility and that objective evidence was crucial in evaluating the validity of a rational argument. Therefore, they eventually unified behind these two agreed upon components, setting aside nonphysical metaphysics such as a priori knowledge; shifting it, like previous metaphysics, into the realm of religion and theology.
“…in the beginning both science and religion represented reasonable choices for those seeking enlightenment.”
This unification of purpose allowed science and philosophy to join forces in the pursuit of pure reason supported by objective evidence in a declaration and commitment to a new Age of Reason in which Human Enlightenment would finally be achieved. However, this relegated religion and theology to the impractical world of faith, quickly becoming a dying vestige of an ancient superstition for those who were still superstitious. Eventually, Descartes’ mind-body dualism would lead to an epic battle between science and religion for the soul of every individual. However, in the beginning both science and religion represented reasonable choices for those seeking enlightenment. This would become one of the prime motivations for a group of colonists hoping to establish a new country with an Enlightened form of government in the new world of America.
CONSIDERATION #17: Descartes Influence on the Modern World
Descartes’ Influence on Metaphysics
“I know that I exist; the question is, What is this 'I' that 'I' know.”
– Rene Descartes
Descartes’ famous declaration “I think, therefore I am” raised esoteric questions regarding the nature of personality, identity, and the essential concept of self, changing philosophy, science, and metaphysics in transformational ways. What is the self? Who is the “I” that is rational, yet establishes free-will and choice? What is that “thinking thing” that formulates the foundation of all knowledge?
“These concepts did not fit well within the neat and tidy mechanistic view of the world that only needed mathematics and geometry to make sense.”
Descartes’ metaphysical dualism forever separated the world of science and religion into a new duality of what was “real” in terms of physicality, and what was an “imaginary” product of the mind. For Descartes, sensations, imagination, and contemplation could not be expressed mathematically. These concepts did not fit well within the neat and tidy mechanistic view of the world that only needed mathematics and geometry to make sense. Therefore, he promoted the metaphysics of mathematics, physics, and geometry to the “real” sciences, while abandoning the metaphysics of anything not measurable in terms of geometry and mathematics to the “imaginary” world of philosophy and religion. For several hundred years, this has been the essence of dualism in the modern world.
The Dualism of the senses had been replaced with the dualism of the mind-body problem.
Cartesian Philosophy and The Modern World
Descartes’ influence was so cogent it not only transformed the traditional studies related to science (physics) and religion (metaphysics) but also inspired an entirely new form of inquiry that would become known as the social sciences. Social sciences attempted to apply Descartes’ scientific method to non-mathematical challenges facing human beings in an attempt to overcome them by understanding the “machine” called society.
Essentially, the social sciences attempted to use Descartes’ understanding of self-evident truths, in combination with his understanding of the scientific method, to create an entirely new secular branch of knowledge designed to improve the life of both society and its citizens. These new social sciences included Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, Politics, Law, and Economics.
“The influence of these two competing philosophical camps is responsible for what we now call the modern world.”
Descartes’ mind-body problem led to a new split in philosophy resulting in a new dualism known as Rationalism and Empiricism. The influence of these two competing philosophical camps is responsible for what we now call the modern world. Empiricists did not believe in the concept of innate, or a priori, knowledge that existed in some other dimension that was directly available to the human mind. They believed that all knowledge was derived from direct experience; either of the five senses or from reasoning through the brain or “physical” mind. Rationalists believed in the concept of a priori knowledge, and that it was a key principle in making abstract reasoning possible for human beings. For example, many rationalists would argue that the ability to use language is innate in human beings. Descartes believed the concepts of “God” and “color” were innate knowledge. Plato was also a rationalist, because he believed our ability to understand reality came directly from the Realm of Forms; where eternal truths resided and were accessible to our mind, making abstract reasoning and understanding possible.
“These radical ideas became the language of the rationalists, empiricists, and social scientists, who led one of the most powerful transformations in human history known as the Age of Reason, or The Enlightenment.”
The idea that each individual human being had the divine spark of reason within them was a key component of Descartes’ belief; it is the foundation for the possibility of his scientific method. That each individual should find the truth for themselves, as opposed to accepting knowledge from any “authority,” was also paramount. These radical ideas became the language of the rationalists, empiricists, and social scientists, who led one of the most powerful transformations in human history known as the Age of Reason, or The Enlightenment. It would also initiate the birth of a new nation that would become the dominant influence in the new world: The United States of America.
The Promise of this new nation rested on the principle of individualism based on the “I” that Descartes had established as certain and eternal, which the founders also recognized as self-evident. An opportunity for each individual to pursue their own truth free from the authority or interference of the monarch or the Pope. The world’s first attempt at creating a new Social Contract in which the very purpose of the government was to protect the natural rights of their individual citizens. A chance to build a system based on the perfection of reason, as opposed to the weak and corrupted nature of human desire and will. However, human nature continued to be a major obstacle in reaching the Enlightenment they hoped would usher in a new Age of Reason.
POSTSCRIPT
This is what Britannica says about Rene Descartes:
“Because he was one of the first to abandon Scholastic Aristotelianism, because he formulated the first modern version of mind-body dualism, from which stems the mind-body problem, and because he promoted the development of a new science grounded in observation and experiment, he is generally regarded as the founder of modern philosophy.”
Richard A. Watson – Britannica (René Descartes: French mathematician and philosopher)
Descartes set into motion a metaphysical dualism; his metaphysics being based on rationalism and his physics being based on empiricism. This allowed the Rationalists and Empiricists to focus on their consensus and join forces with the new science in an attempt to transform their reality into a completely new one; what we call the modern world. Descartes represents the “first cause” of this new reality.
Next week is a Special Edition Newsletter “Connecting the Dots of Our Current Dilemma” summarizing what we have learned so far, defining the reason for writing this book, connecting the dots of our past realities to our current reality, and explaining the next step in our journey. If you have had any questions about where all this is going Next Week’s Newsletter has the answers you’ve been looking for!
All Three Books Including “Book-3 The Enigmatic Mystery” are Now Available in One Volume: “How Things Work – Volume I Science & Religion” for Only $9.95! Exclusively through BooksNotOnAmazon.com
