Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason and Seeking Truth in the Field of Science René Descartes ************* Introduction The cultural turn that symbolically and philosophically separates Aristotle/Medieval views from the "modern" era can be found in Descartes' writings. Born just before 1600, he witnessed and participated in the beginnings of modern science, especially with its empirical [The method of philosophical inquiry that holds that the human mind can only understand the world by beginning with the experiences of the senses.], mechanistic [ The description of the motion of the universe in terms of the scientific notion of cause and effect alone. The image of the universe is that of a machine or mechanism that runs according to its construction and cannot deviate from it.] and mathematical under-girding. This Discourse on Method is, to some extent, an autobiography of an individual's evolution from the old system to the new. This text was formally the first of his publications, around mid-1637, however it shows indications of being written perhaps ten years earlier. He claims he is not intending to reveal the "method" but only to "reveal how I have tried to direct my own [mind]." Much of the method is applied in the Meditations. But, here it is more historically positioned. It is important to remember that this text contains elements that were highly controversial at the time-views which even contributed to Galileo's house arrest under the Inquisition in 1633. Commentary In Part One, Descartes humbly begins by asserting that reason is "naturally equal among all men." He follows Aristotle by asserting that the differences, which make some seem much brighter than others, is a matter of degree, which is not essential to being human. He recounts his formal education from one of the finer schools in Europe, and indicates how he finds each element