The beginning of modern philosophy was a phenomenal achievement brought on by Rene Descartes. He changed the history of philosophy and the new ideas he presented were revolutionary. It would be impossible to go back to pre-Cartesian philosophy after the changes he made and the introduction of modern philosophy. Descartes’ desire to start philosophy from scratch, from an undeniable foundation, was the beginning of foundationalism. The doubt Descartes had was the test that everything must survive to be real. The senses are easily deceived therefore something more reliable must be the determiner of what is real.
Rene Descartes was born in 1596, in La Haye, a town of Touraine, France. Descartes was born into a noble family with a Roman Catholic background. At age ten, Descartes started to attend classes at the Royal Jesuit college of La Fleche. A nine year course of studies in humanities, theology and philosophy included classes on morals, logic, mathematics, metaphysics and science. With an uneasiness about the contradictions in conclusions he was presented with, Descartes preferred mathematics over the other courses of study. What he was most impressed with was the certainty of mathematics. The truths of mathematics were universal and concrete. Descartes stated, regarding the contradiction he was being presented with, “I found myself embarrassed with so many doubts and errors that it seemed to me that the effort to instruct myself had no effect other than the increasing discovery of my own ignorance.” (From Plato to Derrida, 395) In 1616 he received a degree in law at Poitiers. Descartes then went on to serve as a gentleman volunteer in the army of Maurice in Nassau. While in the army, in 1619, Descartes had a series of dreams, thought to have been g ...