How Did Rene Descartes Influence Critical Thinking

Rene Descartes’ Influence on Critical Thinking
In today’s society we are constantly presented with situations in which we have to make decisions for almost every aspect of our daily lives. Some situations require us to think critically, to solve or evaluate a particular dilemma. Critical thinking has been shaped throughout time, notably by 17th century philosopher, Rene Descartes and his meditational writings which are set to promote experiences which can improve the way readers think as reported by Alex Gillespie (2006).
Defining Critical Thinking
The definition of critical thinking is depicted within Dictionary.com as, disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence. However, defining critical thinking

This can be easily examined when you put it into context, like a soldier who fears for his life and has to make a critical decision whether to retreat or fight. Depending on the level of fear and how the soldier perceives the threat he may subdue to retreat and or overcome that fear and make a courageous stand to fight. While sometimes we hear lines like “keep emotion out of your decision”, it is almost impossible to not use emotion to still deduce an answer. Therefore, Descartes’s philosophy of almost deceiving one’s self can cause a particular egocentric outcome as Elder suggests.
Descartes on Critical Thinking
Rene Descartes has been quoted to say, “Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.” This is a backbone of a philosophy that preaches the ability to critically break down all facets of a problem to be able to properly triage, assess, compile, and resonate the best solution. An interesting note as reported by Hall (2002) is that Descartes encourages learning through dreams, but is quoted as “…whether I am awake or asleep, two and three added together are five, and a square has four sides.” A clear distinction of intellect and the metaphysics of a dream.