Galileo, Descartes, and the Subject of Modern Science

Features of Galileo and Descartes

Galileo presents science as a hypothetical, deductive, and experimental method. This is central to his approach to the scientific method, framing the investigation of nature as a dialogue. The only way forward is to propose hypotheses, which involve imagination and intuition, not certainty. Descartes' scientific method contrasts; its core is analysis and synthesis, not hypothesis and experiment. Galileo's method is compositional:

1. It encodes and reflects steps.
2. It seeks to extend this method to all knowledge, including metaphysics.

Descartes' approach combines two key aspects:

1. Defining the scientific method.
2. Extending the method to all knowledge.

Galileo differs by seeking to extend the scientific method to other areas of knowledge.

Modern Philosophy and Rationalism

Descartes' modern philosophy is characterized by the concept of the subject. This is epistemological and correlated with the object. When we speak of a subject, we refer to what it knows; when we speak of an object, we refer to what is known. Descartes provides a new formula, fundamentally altering modern science. The subject is characterized by certainty. This certainty allows the subject to engage with the sensory world and, through the mathematical method, arrive at truth. In Descartes, the mathematical method of composition and resolution involves analyzing elements to reach the simplest form of a problem.

The Subject in Modern Science

The subject in modern science is characterized by its lack of a shared essence with the object. The soul, as the subject of consciousness, lacks a shared essence with the object of knowledge. For Plato and Aristotle, ideas and substances shared an essence because the subject and object of knowledge had the same nature. For Descartes, the subject (thought) and the object (matter and space) have nothing in common. The only link is the subject's ability to represent matter and extension.

Subject of Certainty

The Truth in Descartes

Truth is what presents itself clearly and distinctly to consciousness. Descartes argues that we cannot think without knowing that we are thinking, leading to significant conclusions. The subject possesses certainty, which allows it to overcome appearances.