From Cartesius, the Latin form of Descartes, referring to the philosophy of the early, modern French thinker René Descartes (1596 – 1650), whose works represent a conscious rebellion against medieval thought.
Cartesianism is often used in a broader sense to denote the position of someone who prefers subjectivity or the pursuit of absolute security, immediate (intuitive) knowledge, or any combination of these preferences.
Descartes is considered by many to be the father of modern philosophy. As Richard Bernstein points out, this title is best taken in a Freudian sense, as his “sons” have long tried to kill him.
The latter can be clearly seen in Charles S. Peirce. His philosophizing actually began with a critique of Descartes. In a series of articles published in the late 1860s, Peirce simultaneously attacked Cartesianism and laid the foundations of his general theory of signs. In particular, he denies the doctrine of immediate or intuitive knowledge, as well as the authority of the individual or consciousness (Cartesian cogito). All knowledge, according to Peirce, is mediated by signs, moreover, it is not acquired by solitude in the monastery of one’s consciousness, but by participation in the general struggle of the group inquiry.
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