Rene Descartes Ideas on Education 2022

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Rene Descartes Ideas on Education
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Rene Descartes Ideas on Education
Descartes is known as the “Father of modern philosophy” as he spent his life engrossed
in the arduous research of all things mathematical and metaphysical. According to him, for
anyone to acquire skills and knowledge, he or she must be willing to learn the material to learn it.
He further supports this belief by stating that a novice is his or her own educator. In addition to
what he includes in his “Methods of Discourse” Descartes believed that people should distrust
theoretical truths. As a result, if one can distinguish whether a view is unpretentious or not, then
he or she can precisely learn what is essential. Therefore, according to Descartes’ philosophy, the
objective of education would be for a person not to accept what he read or heard without
comprehensively questioning everything. Notably, he does not suggest that everyone desires to
learn this way, but instead, it is the right path that will assist them in gaining the knowledge they
require. With this in mind, Descartes puts more stress on the sciences than compared to arts
because both learning and arts are pointless, unless something tangible can be achieved.
Rene Descartes’ Impact on Education at His Time
The catastrophe of the 17th century in scholastic institutes was due to the neurosis of
higher learning institutes to its logical setting. Besides, the “New Science” and the catastrophe
witnessed lead to the spuriousness of Scholasticism, mainly because of the lack of applied
repercussions that it exhibited. In reply to this challenge, at least various distinct feedbacks
emerged as they tried to reform educational institutions. Unfortunately, the new methodical
academies struggled with institutes in their cerebral pre-prominence, countenancing broader free
will in the area of research.

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In this context, Descartes shared the necessity of reformation in the academic institutes
stating that the ordinary ideas taught in schools and higher learning institutions are by contrast a
set of sentiments that are mostly doubtful as demonstrated by the incessant debates. He further
suggests that they are quite useless because most people do not derive any benefits from
substantial forms, or occult qualities. Thus, he suggests that it is illogical for those who have
learned such ideas, which they question, to denounce others who are exasperating to uncover
more certain ones.
Descartes’ efforts for a rectification concealed a broad continuum of stuffing taught in
institutions. These included philosophical books, textbooks, and scientific treatises. Importantly,
he understood that the possession of a better scientific and philosophical structure was not
sufficient to assure its success. Hence, the scholastic institutes were not instructed to obtain truth,
but to safeguard Christianity. Due to this fact, Descartes had to create some rhetorical tactics,
such as using a conventional writing style, or the reiterated abjuration of the novelty of his idea
to replace furtive Scholasticism. Therefore, he tried to introduce a new approach that would
make the renovation of academic institutions possible.
To understand Descartes’ interest in the renovation of these institutes, one must
acknowledge that the practical dimension was significant to him. Thus, the axis of the Descartes
project is centered on the intercession around the globe. Just like his purpose was with the
Dioptrics, the reformation of academic institutions was to demonstration that anyone can make
ample progress in thinking, such that he or she can get acquainted to the arts that are
advantageous for life (Sergio, 2017). Therefore, Descartes’ efforts for restitution of schooling
were not a sheer innovation, but instead exemplified the last stage for institutionalizing a
Cartesian invention that assured the renovation of realism. Although he failed to substitute