Without philosophy, the study of human existence and reality, the world would be a dark and confusing place. We use philosophy to try and answer the seemingly unanswerable questions about life. Unlike science, which seeks to discover how the universe works, philosophy studies why the universe works. Because philosophy is subjective, there are many different theories about how people should conduct their lives. Countless philosophers have written down their philosophies over hundreds of years, but this essay focuses on the works of René Descartes and Michel de Montaigne. Although there are many differing opinions throughout the philosophical world, both Descartes and Montaigne share similar ideas. They are both skeptics that believe it is of
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Like Montaigne, Descartes was given a good education due to his family’s wealthy political background. Descartes was intent on learning as much as he could about life, whether that meant being educated in a classroom or experiencing the outside world. He took a liking to mathematics, because he found it could accurately and precisely explain things. He attempted to explain the world and the basis for all knowledge on the same level of certainty as math. At one point Descartes, like Montaigne, found himself completely isolated from the world. He states: “the onset of winter detained me in quarters where, finding no conversation to divert me and fortunately having no worries or passions to trouble me, I remained for an entire day shut up by myself in a stove-heated room, where I was completely free to converse with myself about my thoughts” (Descartes, 7). Being left alone with his mind allowed Descartes to reflect on his beliefs. He is seen as the father of modern …show more content…
Two of their main beliefs are that they don’t accept knowledge without determining the truth behind it, and they ensure that what they write holds as much truth and as little error as possible. They lead nearly identical lives, as both philosophers were born in France to wealthy nobles and were given great educations. This may have attributed to the likeness in their philosophies; because they both grew up in the same environments and circumstances, they may have formed their ideas based on the lives they
Like Montaigne, Descartes was given a good education due to his family’s wealthy political background. Descartes was intent on learning as much as he could about life, whether that meant being educated in a classroom or experiencing the outside world. He took a liking to mathematics, because he found it could accurately and precisely explain things. He attempted to explain the world and the basis for all knowledge on the same level of certainty as math. At one point Descartes, like Montaigne, found himself completely isolated from the world. He states: “the onset of winter detained me in quarters where, finding no conversation to divert me and fortunately having no worries or passions to trouble me, I remained for an entire day shut up by myself in a stove-heated room, where I was completely free to converse with myself about my thoughts” (Descartes, 7). Being left alone with his mind allowed Descartes to reflect on his beliefs. He is seen as the father of modern …show more content…
Two of their main beliefs are that they don’t accept knowledge without determining the truth behind it, and they ensure that what they write holds as much truth and as little error as possible. They lead nearly identical lives, as both philosophers were born in France to wealthy nobles and were given great educations. This may have attributed to the likeness in their philosophies; because they both grew up in the same environments and circumstances, they may have formed their ideas based on the lives they