Document Type : Promotional

Author

• Mohammadreza Hedayati

PhD Student in Philosophy (Modern Era), Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

René Descartes is generally considered the first modern philosopher. In Descartes' time, a profound and pervasive skepticism was prevalent, and the newly emerging science lacked a philosophical foundation. What places Descartes in the position of founding modern philosophy is his attention to the fundamental crisis of knowledge for humankind: If humans are finite beings and the universe is infinite, how can humans attain knowledge of anything and be certain of its truth (correspondence)? Descartes' confrontation with this fundamental crisis and his determination to find a firm and stable basis for knowledge led to the formation of a new conception of truth and a new foundation for science. Descartes attempts, through an introspective journey within his own thoughts, by doubting everything possible, even the most self-evident matters, to reach an indubitable foundation for knowledge. Descartes completes this endeavor by narrating his introspective journey in the first person in his *Meditations* .

Keywords

• Modern philosophy
• philosophical doubt
• certainty
• human finitude
• foundation of science
• reasonableness of the universe

Main Subjects

• Philosophy