V02-13, V02-14, V02-15, V02-16

Rene Descartes, a 16th century Frenchman often regarded as one of the founders of modern philosophy, penned one of its most famous slogans: “I think, therefore I am.” This statement was the conclusion to an approach of systematic doubt, the goal of which was to arrive at a new foundation for knowledge. He might have been able to doubt all the evidence of his senses, Descartes reasoned, but he could not doubt the proposition that he himself existed to do the doubting. His statement might almost be rephrased as: “I doubt, therefore I am.” Yet despite the fact that philosophers since the early 19th century have made heavy use of this conclusion, Descartes in his own day was most influential as a scientist, not a philosopher.

Throughout 16th century Europe, for example, Descartes was well known for his work in physics, geometry, and physiology, and modern scholars still consider him one of the precursors of the scientific revolution. His attempts to use algebra to solve problems of space and motion essentially created the field of analytic geometry, upon which modern applied mathematics is still largely based. Descartes discovered the law of refraction, which explains why straight objects appear bent when immersed partly in water, and was one of the first to theorize that the workings of human bodies can be studied in similar fashion to the workings of machines. Even his “Discourse on Method,” which contained the famous philosophical statement, was intended merely as the framework within which a collection of essays on optics, meteorology, and geometry was to be understood.

1. Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

(a) The career of a well-known historical figure is traced chronologically
(b) Two opposing perspectives on a well-known historical figure are presented
(c) Two fields of study are compared and contrasted
(d) A common misconception in introduced, then put in wider context
(e) A common misconception is introduced, then refuted


2. Information from the passage suggests that the author would most likely regard which of the following statements as INCORRECT?

(a) Descartes’ contributions to the field of mathematics have largely been superseded.
(b) Descartes’ work has greatly influenced philosophers since the early 19th century.
(c) Descartes was not as famous for his quote as for his scientific works when he lived.
(d) Descartes took a rational approach to the search for a new foundation of knowledge.
(e) Descartes intended his scientific work and his philosophical work to be closely interrelated.


3. Which of the following most accurately states the purpose of the passage?

(a) To inform readers about the context in which Descartes’ famous statement was written
(b) To review Descartes’ contributions to modern scientific fields
(c) To offer an explanation for why Descartes’ philosophical works are more popular than his scientific ones
(d) To argue that Descartes should be considered more a scientist than a philosopher
(e) To explain the relationship of analytic geometry to metaphysics


4. It can be inferred from the passage that Descartes came to be known as a philosopher rather than a scientist for which of the following reasons?

(a) Because doubt is a very common problem for the modern individual
(b) Because more of his philosophical than scientific writings have been preserved
(c) Because of his popularity with philosophers since the early19th century
(d) Because he himself considered philosophy to be more important than science
(e) Because optics is no longer a significant scientific field