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All the ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'The Scientific Revolution 1500-1800' and 'Letters to Mersenne'

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5 ideas

1. Philosophy / G. Scientific Philosophy / 3. Scientism
My Meditations are the complete foundation of my physics [Descartes]
     Full Idea: My six Meditations contain all the foundations of my physics, …and their principles destroy those of Aristotle.
     From: René Descartes (Letters to Mersenne [1640], 1641.01.28)
3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 2. Defining Truth
Truth is such a transcendentally clear notion that it cannot be further defined [Descartes]
     Full Idea: Truth is such a transcendentally clear notion that it cannot be further defined.
     From: René Descartes (Letters to Mersenne [1640], 1642), quoted by Pascal Engel - Truth Intro
     A reaction: This is the view endorsed by Davidson. It is tempting to take basic concepts as axiomatic, but philosophers can't make that move every time they are in trouble. I have to say, though, that truth is a good candidate.
13. Knowledge Criteria / E. Relativism / 2. Knowledge as Convention
By nature people are close to one another, but culture drives them apart [Hippias]
     Full Idea: I regard you all as relatives - by nature, not by convention. By nature like is akin to like, but convention is a tyrant over humankind and often constrains people to act contrary to nature.
     From: Hippias (fragments/reports [c.430 BCE]), quoted by Plato - Protagoras 337c8
26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 11. Against Laws of Nature
The idea of laws of nature arose in the Middle Ages [Hall,AR, by Ellis]
     Full Idea: According to A.R. Hall, the idea that nature is governed by laws does not appear to have existed in the ancient Greek, Roman or Far Eastern traditions of science, but arose from religious, philosophical and legal ideas in medieval Europe.
     From: report of A.R. Hall (The Scientific Revolution 1500-1800 [1954]) by Brian Ellis - The Philosophy of Nature: new essentialism Ch.5
     A reaction: This is a very illuminating point, which gives good circumstantial support for questioning the existence of external laws which are imposed on a passive nature. Modern essentialism suggest the 'laws' are the intrinsic results of properties.
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / b. Soul
I can't prove the soul is indestructible, only that it is separate from the mortal body [Descartes]
     Full Idea: I don't know how to demonstrate that God cannot annihilate the soul, but only that it is entirely distinct from the body, and consequently that it is not naturally subject to die with it, which is all that is required to establish religion.
     From: René Descartes (Letters to Mersenne [1640], 1640.02.24)