DESCARTES - BACKGROUND

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT SIZE=5><B><FONT SIZE=6>DESCARTES</FONT><BR> THE RATIONALIST</B></FONT></CENTER><P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>Background</B></FONT><P> <TABLE BORDER=0 CELLSPACING=2 CELLPADDING=1> <TR> <TD><IMG SRC="1102a.jpg" WIDTH="93" HEIGHT="150" ALT="DESCARTES"></TD> <TD><BLOCKQUOTE>"Philosophy has been studied for many centuries by the most outstanding minds without having produced anything which is not in dispute".</BLOCKQUOTE></TD> </TR> </TABLE><P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>FATHER OF THE FATHER OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY</B></FONT><BR> When Descartes' father called him "my philosopher" because of his insatiable curiosity, this was not meant to be a term of endearment. He later describes as "ridiculous" his son's insistence on "being bound in calf" and clearly had little notion of how important the writings so bound would become. Strangely, Descartes, the father of modern philosophy, shared this contempt for philosophers.<P> <FONT SIZE=4><B>SEARCH FOR CERTAINTY</B></FONT><BR> Descartes left the Jesuit college where he was educated, disillusioned with the "world of books" and burdened with doubts. His desire is to "learn how to distinguish the true from the false" and "to travel with assurance through life". Travel he does, as a gentleman mercenary soldier. What Descartes wanted was certainty, indisputable knowledge in a time of political and religious uncertainty. He found the possibility for this in mathematics and in the new scientific revolution. <BR clear=left><BR> <HR width=100%> <A HREF="http://www.creatorix.com.au"><IMG SRC="../creatorix.gif" WIDTH="85" HEIGHT="40" BORDER="0" ALT="Creatorix" align=right></A> </BODY>