René Descartes: Methodological Rules and Cartesian Substance

The Cartesian Methodological Rules

• Analysis: The problem must be analyzed to find its simplest elements (simple natures), which can be intuited through clear and distinct ideas. We move from the complex to the simple.
• Synthesis: Once in possession of "simple natures," we proceed to reconstruct the issue by a procedure similar to that used in geometry. Synthesis is an orderly process of deduction that binds ideas together; it is a means of demonstration and a form of composition that moves from the simple to the complex.
• Enumeration: Descartes requires frequent checks and revisions of the analytical and synthetic processes so that the whole can be covered in a single glance, ensuring intuitive evidence. Enumeration is the quintessential Cartesian methodological procedure intended to support memory, remedy the slowness of the mind, and increase deductive ability.

The Cartesian Treatment of Reality

Descartes expands the scope of reality into three distinct substances: the thinking, the infinite, and the extensive. His analysis covers:

• The Man (Res Cogitans): The anthropological conception of reality.
• God (Infinite Substance): The theological conception of reality.
• The World (Res Extensa): The conception of physical reality.

Substance and Existence

The characteristic of a substance is its concrete existence; it needs nothing more than itself to exist. Descartes argues that God alone is truly substance, as creatures require God to exist. Consequently, the concept of substance does not apply equally to God and creatures; there are two classes: the infinite (God) and the finite (souls and bodies).

The Primacy of Thought

Descartes asserts that the primary order of knowledge is "what I think." Thinking is the very nature of the self and its essence; thus, "I think, therefore I am."

Classifications of Ideas

Material consists of thoughts and ideas, which have two aspects: formal reality (subjective, cannot be false) and objective reality (can be false). Ideas are classified as:

• Innate: Born within the mind.
• Adventitious: Derived from external experience.
• Artificial: Constructed by the mind.

Nativism remains the fundamental thesis of rationalism. Upon discovering the thinking self, Descartes felt the need to bridge the gap into reality by relying on the extra-subjective mediation of God.