Descartes 1) The Method of Rationalism

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Rationalism: Truth—and thus, Knowledge—is a product of Reason

'Reason' is defined as 'the innate intuition of clear and distinct ideas'

The truth of clear and distinct ideas is—by nature—self-evident

Some self-evident truths are present in the Soul at birth, and are thus called Innate Ideas

Innate Ideas serve as the Axioms for Descartes' philosophical system, and from these "self-evident" axioms Descartes deduces the rational necessity of all other Truths of Philosophy. In so doing, Descartes clearly relies upon a form of natural Deduction—a form known as Semantic Analysis. To this deductive method Descartes adds his methodolgy for determining Truth, the four primary rules of which are listed below.

The Four Principles of the Cartesian Method:

1) Organize Ideas from the simpler to the more complex, with due regard for the natural sequence of events.

2) Divide complex problems into as many simpler parts as necessary in order to obtain a solution.

3) Include the most minute details in the analysis, and—as far as possible—omit nothing.

4) Use only the "Clarity and Distinctness" of an Idea as the criteria of its Truth.

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