René Descartes (1596–1650)

Even though he purports to sweep the slate clean and start from scratch it doesn't feel like it. He starts with "I think therefore i am" and i am quite content with that but then out of nowhere he produces perfection, imperfection, dependency, composition and other concepts which without first analysing and defining he uses to construct God and other things. That really baffled me for it didn't feel at all like a rigorous approach. Though when i think about it it doesn't seem possible to define things without having some things already defined so the whole clean slate approach is not possible in the absolute. He had to start somewhere, with some precepts but i just don't like the precepts he chose for start. Too much was presupposed for my liking.
Still the book was delightful especially for the glimpses into Rene's life and his struggles around philosophising and publication.… (mehr)

Era casi una relectura, pues al menos en parte lo leí en el colegio y me ha gustado mucho refrescarlo. Lo tengo lleno de anotaciones pues es un texto cortito, que parece anodino, pero está bastante cargado de reflexiones que me marcaron mucho en su época y de alguna forma se han incorporado a mi manera de pensar, aunque no recordase de dónde venían. Por ejemplo, que la única forma de salir de un bosque cuando te has perdido, que es caminar en línea recta sin desviarse ni preocuparse de más hasta salir.

Ahora que he encontrado el camino, creo que es un libro que siempre tendré a mano.… (mehr)