Descartes and the Inverted Ladder: Dialogues between Descarte's Philosophy and the Renaissance Humanism

Without doubt, Rene Descartes, French philosopher and mathematician, is one of the main characters influencing not only on the process of the Western philosophy development but also on the modern civilization in the west. As a result, to attain a worthwhile understanding of the western philosophy and civilization, one should gain a proper knowledge of such a prominent thinker. In the Renaissance, whose essence is humanism, the ladder which previously in the Middle Ages had been put towards the heaven, inverted towards the earth. The assumption of this writing is that although Descartes didn’t consider himself as a humanist but there are in his philosophy certain humanistic aspects which are rooted in the Renaissance humanism. Among these aspects are such opinions as Cartesian subjectivity, his doubt in authority of the ancients, rationalism, and mathematical, mechanical interpretation of the world. The present article first refers to the concept and significance of the Renaissance and humanism; then, it enumerates the indicators of the Renaissance; finally, it investigates into the harmonies and dialogues between Descartes’ viewpoints and the Renaissance humanism.