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AbstractThe first installment of studies which will survey the thinking of ancient and contemporary philosophers for ideas on how to design the modern inquiring system is dedicated to René Descartes, in the year in which we are celebrating the 350th anniversary of the publication of his famous Discours de la Méthode.We begin our incursion into the design of inquiring systems by recalling that it is C. West Churchman who initiated this dialogue. We owe our inspiration to his pioneering work, The Design of Inquiring Systems [1]. In this book he sets the stage for our own study which consists of exploring the work of the great philosophers for clues on how to design the modern inquiring system. In his pioneering book, Churchman discussed the ideas of five philosophers, namely: Liebniz, Locke, Kant, Hegel and Singer. He proposed to incorporate the outstanding ideas of these thinkers in the design of modern inquiring systems. First, we will review the meaning of 'inquiring system' and will proceed, in future installments, to extend Churchman's work to other noteworthy philosophers and thinkers

Erdvės ir laiko sampratų istorijoje I. Newtonas yra neabejotinai viena svarbiausių figūrų. Absoliučios erdvės ir laiko idėjos ilgą laiką buvo plačiai pripažintos ir realiai paneigtos tik XX a. pradžioje, atsiradus specialiajai reliatyvumo teorijai. Tačiau niutoniškajai mechanikai įsitvirtinti reikėjo nukonkuruoti R. Descartes'o gamtamokslines pažiūras. Kita vertus, ar gali būti, kad abiejų filosofų pažiūros yra ne tiek prieštaraujančios, kiek panašios? Ar gali būti, kad I. Newtonas pasinaudojo R. Descartes'o idėjomis, konstruodamas savo garsiuosius judėjimo dėsnius, kuriais konstatavo laiko ir erdvės absoliutumą? Šie probleminiai klausimai yra nagrinėjami straipsnyje.Reikšminiai žodžiai: erdvė, laikas, judėjimo dėsniai, reliatyvumas.

R. DESCARTES AND I. NEWTON: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEIR SYSTEMS OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHYJonas Čiurlionis
Summary Throughout the history of undertanding space and time, I. Newton is undoubtedly one of the most important figures. His ideas of absolute space and time were widely accepted and refused only in the beginning of the 20th century with the rise of special theory of reliativity. However, in order to be recognized, Newtonian mechanics had to win the competition against Cartesian natural philosophy. On the other hand, can it be that views of both philosophers are more similar than contradictory? Can it be that I. Newton used the ideas of R. Descartes while constructing his famous laws of motion – the foundation for the absolute space and time? These and similar problematic questions are discussed in the article.Keywords: space, time, laws of motion, relativity.

The publication presents the first letter of the Cambridge School leader Henry More (1614–1687) to Rene Descartes (1596–1650), opening their short-term correspondence, which took place at the end of 1648–1649 and was interrupted due to the unexpected death of the French thinker in Sweden. The corres­pondence discusses the most important problems of physics and philosophy of the 17th century: the extension of substance, the main and secondary proper­ties of substances, the understanding of space, emptiness and atoms, the limits of the divisibility of matter, the infinity of God and the world, and, finally, the recognition of the animateness of animals and the immortality of the soul. In this discussion, H. More starts from the Neoplatonic theory of the origin and the de­velopment of the world, which is based on the principle of emanation. Starting from this theophysical idea, More tries to adapt Descartes' doctrine of two sub­stances. The translation was made from the Latin original of the classical edi­tions of C. Clerselier [Clerselier 1657] and C. Adam and P. Tannery [AT V]. H. More's letter is translated into Russian and published for the first time. All four letters of the English participant in the correspondence are planned for pub­lication.

The article is devoted to the consideration of historical and cultural prerequisites of modern ideas about the "improvement" of human beings. Analyzing the worldview and theoretical aspects of the transhumanist discourse, the authors note that the origins of the ideological platform of the project of improving human nature are contained in the depths of modern philosophy. The aspirations to remake nature by subjugating it gave rise to ideas about the fundamental possibility of extending rational creative activity to the human being himself, about turning him into an object of scientific design and transformation. The authors focus on the philosophical heritage of F. Bacon and R. Descartes. It is noted that, being expressors of advanced views of their epoch, the thinkers in many respects prepared a platform for the formation and development of ideas about the omnipotence of scientific and technological progress and to a certain extent anticipated the subject of scientific research and high-tech inventions of 20th – 21st centuries. The ideas of Bacon and Descartes about the progress of medical science, the possibility of improving human nature (increasing life expectancy, increasing mental abilities, treatment of diseases previously considered incurable), the problems of euthanasia, the creation of anthropomorphic mechanisms, etc. are considered. It is shown that the brilliant minds of that era, having the ability to look into the distant future of science and technology, were able to a certain extent to foresee some directions of their development related to the creation of the techno sphere and the potential for "technical" human improvement. F. Bacon and R. Descartes are spokesmen for the ideas that, several centuries later, influenced the formation of transhumanist concepts linking the prospects of man with the technogenic change of his natural-biological basis. Their projects of "realizing everything possible" (meaning the use of science to achieve human domination over nature) still serve as a source of inspiration for men of science and technocrats. In recent decades, these ideas have acquired a new sound, a new impetus of development due to the opportunities offered by technoscience.

El presente texto trata de analizar la crítica que Antonio Damasio realiza a René Descartes (el error de Descartes) desde el empleo de una racionalidad neurocientífica. Damasio cae en un neurorreduccionismo para combatir la filosofía cartesiana. La crítica de Damasio al dualismo cartesiano olvida el nivel ontológico y epistemológico para abordar exclusivamente la cuestión antropológica. Este texto propone una defensa de Descartes y un rechazo a un dualismo absoluto a partir de la lectura de Las pasiones del alma.The present text tries to analyze the criticism that Antonio Damasio does to René Descartes (the error of Descartes) from the use of a neuroscientific rationality. Damasio falls into a neuroreductionism to combat Cartesian philosophy. Damasio's critique of Cartesian dualism neglects the ontological and epistemological level to address exclusively the anthropological question. This text proposes a defense of Descartes and a rejection of an absolute dualism based on the reading of Passions of soul.

Straipsnyje analizuojamos R. Descartes'o mąstančiojo žmogaus (homo cogitans), mokslo, pažinimo sampratos, aptariama R. Descartes'o idėjų raida Lietuvoje. Teigiama, kad R. Descartes manifestavo naujoviškai įprasmintą asmens vertę – žmogus yra pažįstamas iš jo sukurtos civilizacijos, siekiantis įsitikrinti savo buvimu pasaulyje ir paties pasaulio buvimu, suformuluodamas dėl šio buvimo aiškius ir neabejotinus teiginius. R. Descartes'o mąstantis žmogus yra scientistinis, mokslą laikantis aukščiausia vertybe ir universalia aiškinimo bei veiklos priemone. R. Descartes'ui būdingas pažintinis optimizmas: proto įžvalga teikia aiškius ir tikslius teiginius, kai vadovaujamasi deramu metodu. Jo pažintinė nuostata buvo individualistinė: aiškios ir neabejotinos tiesos prieinamos kiekvienam asmeniui dėl natūralios proto šviesos ir vadovavimosi deramu metodu. Autorius teigia, jog paaiškėjo, kad tai, ką R. Descartes laikė visiškai aiškiu ir neabejotinu žinojimu, tėra tikimybinis žinojimas.

Straipsnyje apžvelgiamos R. Descartes'o spręstos matematinės ir gamtamokslinės problemos, aptariami jo gauti rezultatai ir jų poveikis mokslų raidai. Jis pasižymėjo matematikoje, daugelyje fizikos sričių, meteorologijoje, fiziologijoje. R. Descartes sugalvojo algebrinę lygtį atvaizduoti stačiakampėje koordinačių sistemoje. Į geometriją įsiveržus algebrai, jos problemos pradėtos spręsti analitiškai. Tai lėmė tolesnę matematinės analizės raidą. Optikoje R. Descartes'ui pavyko išaiškinti vaivorykštės prigimtį ir įrodyti, kad optikos prietaisams tinkamiausi ne sferiniai, bet hiperboliniai lęšiai. Siekdamas universaliais principais paaiškinti gamtos reiškinius, R. Descartes įvedė į mokslinę vartoseną gamtos dėsnio sampratą. Jis buvo racionalistinio – deduktyvaus arba aksiominio – fizikos teorijų konstravimo pradininkas. Tokiu metodu gautus dėsnius R. Descartes reikalavo patikrinti eksperimentu.

In 1630, Descartes declared that his studies were focused on the establishment of the foundations of knowledge. Several issues discussed in the letters are significant, but one in particular is of great importance for the understanding of his philosophy, namely, the affirmation of the metaphysical foundation of eternal truths.

Preliminary Material /R. Ariew -- Introduction /R. Ariew -- 1. Descartes And The Last Scholastics: Objections And Replies /R. Ariew -- 2. Descartes And The Scotists /R. Ariew -- 3. Ideas, Before And After Descartes /R. Ariew -- 4. The Cartesian Destiny Of Form And Matter And Its Critics /R. Ariew -- 5. Descartes, Basso, And Toletus: Three Kinds Of Corpuscularians /R. Ariew -- 6. Scholastics And The New Astronomy On The Substance Of The Heavens /R. Ariew -- 7. Descartes And The Jesuits Of La Flèche: The Eucharist /R. Ariew -- 8. Condemnations Of Cartesianism: The Extension And Unity Of The Universe /R. Ariew -- 9. Cartesians, Gassendists, And Censorship /R. Ariew -- 10. The Cogito In The Seventeenth Century /R. Ariew -- Bibliography /R. Ariew -- Index /R. Ariew.

Rene Descartes is arguably the most important seventeenth-century thinker and the father of modern philosophy. His seminal works are widely studied by students of philosophy. Yet his unique method and its divergence from the method of his scholastic predecessors and contemporaries raises complex and often challenging issues. Descartes: A Guide for the Perplexed is a clear and thorough account of Descartes' philosophy, his major works and ideas, providing an ideal guide to the important and complex thought of this key philosopher. The book covers the whole range of Descartes' philosophical work

"René Descartes (1596-1650) is well-known for his introspective turn away from sensible bodies and toward non-sensory ideas of mind, body, and God. Such a turn is appropriate, Descartes supposes, but only once in the course of life, and only to arrive at a more accurate picture of reality that we then incorporate in everyday embodied life. In this clear and engaging book David Cunning introduces and examines the full range of Descartes' philosophy. A central focus of the book is Descartes' view that embodied human beings become more perfect to the degree that they move in the direction of finite approximations of independence, activity, immutability, and increased knowledge. Beginning with an introduction and a chapter on Descartes' life and works, Cunning also addresses the following key topics: Descartes on the wonders of the material universe skepticism as epistemic garbage, and the easy dissolution of hyperbolic doubt Descartes' three arguments for the existence of God the ontology of possibility and necessity freedom and embodiment arguments for the immateriality of mind sensible bodies and the pragmatic certainty by which to navigate them Descartes' stoic view on how best to live. Descartes is an outstanding introduction to one of the greatest of Western philosophers. Including a chronology, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary of key terms, it is essential reading for anyone studying Descartes and the history of modern philosophy"--

Prologue -- Life and writings -- Distrust and deception -- Me and others -- Me and my maker -- Deception and rights -- Idealization -- Really distinct -- Self-esteem