Why is René Descartes considered the father of modern philosophy?
French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes (1596–1650) is considered the father of modern philosophy because he introduced the idea that all knowledge is the product of reasoning based on self-evident assumptions. Descartes was living in Holland when he published his first major work, Discourse on Method, in 1637. In this treatise (official discussion) he applied mathematical methods to science and philosophy. His concept of reasoning provided the foundation for modern philosophy, which dates from the 1600s to the present. Descartes may be best known for the familiar phrase, “I think, therefore I am” (Cogito ergo sum, in Latin). This assertion is based on his theory that only one thing cannot be doubted, and that is doubt itself. According to Descartes, the next logical conclusion is that the doubter (thinker)…
