Cogito Ergo Sum

Although it is debated whether or not Rene’ Descartes was an atheist, or as he claimed, a Roman Catholic (quite important in his seventeenth century Europe), by dissecting his views on metaphysics, it becomes quite clear that much of his doctrine is based upon faith, and that he merely tries to approach all subjects through a purely sectarian, logical view.   This stance did not sit well with the all-powerful Catholic church in the early-to-mid 1600’s, and Descartes claimed to be a follower of the faith, although by all accounts not a highly devout follower, and even suppressed publication of a four year work in order to avoid falling into bad favor with the church.   Regardless of what his theological viewpoint may or may not have been, his ideas on the principles of metaphysics are based solidly upon the notion of there being a god, and he was uniquely able to connect his metaphysical concepts with those of logic.
Rene’ Descartes was a seventeenth century philosopher, mathematician, and physicist.   He was born in 1596 in the town of La Haye en Touraine, located in southern France, to a wealthy aristocratic family.   Descartes’ father was a member of parliament, his modern equivalent being a state senator, who understood the value of education.   Rene’ Descartes was therefore enrolled in the finest schools of the day; in 1616 he received a degree in law and license to practice from the University of Poitiers.   However, he subsequently seemed to have little interest in the subject, and like many contemporary philosophers, claimed that other than in the area of mathematics, all formal schooling was a waste.   In Discourse on the Method, Descartes states, "I entirely abandoned the study of letters.   Resolving to seek no knowledge other than that of which could be found in myself or else in the great book of the world, I spent the rest of my youth traveling, visiting courts and armies, mixing with people of diverse temperaments and ranks, gathering various experiences,...