It's been a while since I have been on xanga but things are going well for me. I haven't really been up to much just trying to get back into school. Things have been slow anyway before I get off of here I will impart some knowledge on you by Rene Descartes specifically on the directions of the mind.
Philosophical Essay & Correspondence.
- Preliminaries and observations.
o The human mind cannot achieve anything more w/ respect to these difficulties or barriers of the mind if you will.
§ All minds have limits.
§ People who can’t make wise of principles in discovery, because of some defect of the mind can still recognize the true value of the sciences. In turn will suffice them to the arrival at correct judgments of the value of things.
§ Vices of the soul or diseases are less easy to diagnose than that of the body. For we’ve experienced true health of the body but never of the soul.
§ “Quod Vitae Sectabor Iter?” Which means “What course of life should I follow?”
- Rules for the Direction of the Mind.
- “The end of all studies should be to direct the mind toward the enunciation of solid and true judgments on all things presented to it.”
o All sciences are human intelligence which remains one and the same no matter how the subjects to which it is applied is different it still receives no more alteration from those subjects. Like light of the sun from the variety of things it illuminates. There is no need to impose any boundaries upon the mind nor does knowledge of one truth keep us from the discovery of another but assists us.
o People study w/ great diligence the customs of humans, plant properties, motion of the stars, and transformations of metals, etc. but no one thinks of good sense and universal intelligence. Everything is to be valued not for themselves but for universal intelligence and the properties they contribute.
o 1st Rule- Nothing takes more afield from the right road for seeking truth than the direction of our studies to particular ends than to one general one.
o All sciences are related to one another so it is easier to learn them all at once than to separate one from the others.
o Anyone who wishes to investigate the truth of things shouldn’t choose one science for they are all interconnected and reciprocally dependant, he should think of only increasing the natural light of reason, not to solve problems of the school but so in every situation of his life his intellect may show his will of what choice he made. You will find this type of man has made greater progress than those who study particular things, and that he has attained not only what others desire but higher things they couldn’t expect to reach.
- “ We should only concern ourselves only w/ those objects of which our minds appear to be adequate in gaining their certain and indubitable knowledge.”
o It is better not to study at all than to occupy oneself w/ difficult matters we can’t comprehend from true and false b/c we are forced to admit doubtful things for certain. Here in lies the problem there’s not much hope of increasing knowledge but diminishing it.
o If we observe this rule there will be very few things we may suitably undertake to learn.
o There is rarely a question in the sciences clever people haven’t often disagreed on b/c when they diverge on a single point it is almost always certain that one of them is wrong and supplied no scientific knowledge of the sort.
More to come sorry. | 
