Within Reason #121 John Cottingham - The Father of Modern Philosophy: René Descartes
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Sep 16, 2025 
John Cottingham, a renowned English philosopher and Professor Emeritus at the University of Reading, dives deep into the world of René Descartes. The conversation uncovers Descartes' radical skepticism and the famous 'Cogito ergo sum.' Cottingham discusses the intricate relationship between perfection, knowledge, and God, exploring how our understanding of existence informs our beliefs. They also address the duality of mind and body, the historical significance of the pineal gland, and Descartes' controversial views on animal thought, all while reflecting on the enduring impact of his ideas.
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Descartes As Systematic Thinker
- René Descartes combined metaphysics, science, mathematics, and psychology into a unified philosophical system.
- John Cottingham emphasizes Descartes' role as both a philosopher and scientist who wrote the Meditations and Principia Philosophiae.
Knowledge As First Philosophy
- Descartes made questions about knowledge central by pushing doubt to its limits to find indubitable truths.
- His method leads quickly from the cogito to issues about God and the mind-body relation.
Three Waves Of Radical Doubt
- Descartes uses three waves of doubt: senses, dreaming, and a malicious demon to find what remains certain.
- From that method he derives the cogito: while thinking, one cannot doubt one's existence.
