Attributes Quote by Rene Descartes
“It is to the body alone that we should attribute everything that can be observed in us to oppose our reason.”
About This Quote
Source Philosophical Treatise: Discourse on the Method, 1637
Physical observations should be credited to the body, not to reason, emphasizing the limits of rational explanation.
In simple terms: Body causes observable effects, not reason.
Key Takeaway
Distinguish between physical causes and mental interpretation.
Themes
philosophy
mindbody
epistemology
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- medical diagnosis
- scientific research
- personal decision‑making
Key Concepts
rationalism
empiricism
duality
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you separate physical facts from mental judgments?
- When should reason guide bodily concerns?
A Different Perspective
Reason can still influence perception of bodily events.
![“By 'God', I understand, a substance which is infinite, independent, supremely intelligent, supremely powerful, and which created both myself and everything else [...] that exists. All these attributes are such that, the more carefully I concentrate on them, the less possible it seems that they…” quote by Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/340/ren-descartes-1376_attributes_by-god-i-understand-a-substance-which-is_462333.jpg)
![“[About Pierre de Fermat] It cannot be denied that he has had many exceptional ideas, and that he is a highly intelligent man. For my part, however, I have always been taught to take a broad overview of things, in order to be able to deduce from them general rules, which might be applicable…” quote by Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/588/ren-descartes-1376_able_about-pierre-de-fermat-it-cannot-be-deni_89929.jpg)
![“And what more am I? I look for aid to the imagination. [But how mistakenly!] I am not that assemblage of limbs we call the human body; I am not a subtle penetrating air distributed throughout all these members; I am not a wind, a fire, a vapor, a breath or anything at all that I can image. I am…” quote by René Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/207/ren-descartes-1376_human-body_and-what-more-am-i-i-look-for-aid-to-the_115493.jpg)
