Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Cartesian

 
Dictionary: Car·te·sian   (kär-tē'zhən) pronunciation
adj.
Of or relating to the philosophy or methods of Descartes.

[French cartésien (from René DESCARTES) and New Latin Cartesiānus (from Cartesius, Latin form of Descartes).]

Cartesianism Car·te'sian·ism n.

Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
Wordsmith Words: Cartesian
Top

(kar-TEE-zhuhn)

adjective
Of or relating to Descartes, his theories, methods, or philosophy, especially its emphasis on mechanistic interpretation.

Etymology
From Cartesius, Latin form of Descartes, after philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650)

Usage
"To visit a modern CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) is to enter a world that, for all its technological sophistication, is still designed according to Cartesian principles: animals are machines incapable of feeling pain. Since no thinking person can possibly believe this any more, industrial animal agriculture depends on a suspension of belief on the part of the people who operate it and a willingness to avert your eyes on the part of everyone else." — Michael Pollan; An Animal's Place; The New York Times; Nov 10, 2002.


Philosophy Dictionary: Cartesian
Top

Adjective derived from the Latin name of René Descartes: Renatus Cartesius.

Devil's Dictionary: cartesian
Top
A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce


adj.

Relating to Descartes, a famous philosopher, author of the celebrated dictum, Cogito ergo sum -- whereby he was pleased to suppose he demonstrated the reality of human existence. The dictum might be improved, however, thus: Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum -- "I think that I think, therefore I think that I am;" as close an approach to certainty as any philosopher has yet made.


Best of the Web: Cartesian
Top

Some good "Cartesian" pages on the web:


Math
mathworld.wolfram.com
 
 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wordsmith Words. © 2009 Wordsmith.org. All rights reserved.  Read more
Philosophy Dictionary. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Copyright © 1994, 1996, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Devil's Dictionary. Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce, 1911  Read more