Descartes: From Philosophy to Biology - Unveiling the Hidden Dimensions of Influence

René Descartes, renowned primarily for his contributions to philosophy and mathematics, also exerted a significant influence on the realm of biological thought. As a trailblazer in modern philosophy, he challenged the Church's authority, famously declaring, "I think, therefore I am." Although he was groomed for a legal career, a fervent passion for mathematics ignited within him during his early years. Descartes conceived the Cartesian coordinate system, a groundbreaking concept that represented points in space using numerical coordinates. Moreover, he pioneered analytical geometry, a fusion of algebra and geometry that laid the groundwork for calculus, eventually developed by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz in the 1660s.

In 1628, William Harvey employed mechanical analogies to elucidate the circulation of blood, an endeavor that reportedly inspired Descartes to formulate his mechanical philosophy. This mechanistic, mathematical approach profoundly shaped Descartes' perspective on biology and held sway over physiological research throughout the subsequent centuries. In his 1637 work, "Discourse on the Method," Descartes sought to explain all natural phenomena, except for the human mind, using principles of mechanics, mathematics, matter, and motion. According to his viewpoint, the only true realities were quantifiable aspects like size, shape, position, duration, and length. Everything else, including sensory experiences, was deemed subjective and devoid of physical existence, existing only outside an individual's mind. In this framework, much like the universe, the human body operated as a machine, composed of interconnected parts, configurations, and movements necessary for functions such as walking, eating, breathing, and all other bodily processes.

Descartes recognized a distinction between living and non-living entities but regarded animals as mere automatons. Unlike humans, they lacked a soul responsible for intellect, volition, and conscious experiences; animals were seen as incapable of language use and reasoning. Descartes identified the pineal gland, situated in the brain's center, as the "seat of the soul," governing the body through nerve connections.

Apart from the human mind, Descartes aimed to elucidate all natural phenomena, encompassing animals, by employing mechanical explanations, likening them to robots or intricate machinery.