|
|
|
|
|
|
Reguiem for Rene Descartes
by Curtis-Martin
Here lies one named Rene Descartes
Who knew he was right from the start.
With that much known, he then conceived
Of certainties which he believed.
The world was made of mind and matter.
(Of no importance was the latter
Except that in its roots and paws
Each life performed math'matical laws.)
The mind was formed of the eternal.
(Rene himself was in this Journal
Begun in 4004 B.C.
The birth of Homo's history.)
Eternity (a higher math)
Lay on a geometric path.
(He found this through arithmetic
Though he was Roman Catholic.)
The means to reach this celestial pole
Required something called a soul;
(Rene had one, each Homo did
Including his patron Saint Euclid.)
The soul was made from refracted light
(This known through algebra's insight -
The god of math would not deceive him
Had brought him forth just to retrieve him.)
The light from this Cartesian wave
Would emerge somewhere beyond the grave,
And there be met with heavenly cymbals
Then be converted into symbols,
Equations for some - x's and y's;
And others to circles - with their own pi's
And some into points or angles or lines
And many reverting to dollar-bill signs.
"I think, therefore I am," he said
(Irrational numbers in his head
Those transcendentals on which he fed)
Were one day found to be totally dead.
So Rene Descartes came down the chute
Fingered his nose and played his flute,
Then planted on Earth a negative root
For which he was called Homo Astute.
copyright Curtis-Martin
Rene Descartes (1596-1650), for anyone who doesn't already know, considered that animals had no more feelings than a machine. Their cries of pain when being cut up in experiments were nought but a mechanistic reflex. This mathematician, scientist, philosopher, sometimes called the "father of modern philosophy" (Cogito, ergo sum - I think, therefore I am) was so obsessed with his "scientific methodology" that he seems to have lost both his ability to feel and his common sense. In the opinion of many, this detracts from his worthwhile contributions to mathematics, science and music. "Negative roots" was one of his many contributions to algebra.
Civitas home page / The Civil Abolitionist index / Autumn 1997 issue
Addenda C-paper Winter 97-98 Two important new books
|
|
|
|
|
