The Legacy Left Behind

“Legacy, what is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see,” sings Lin Manuel Miranda in the hit musical Hamilton as the titular character is fatally shot. These lyrics beautifully describe the yearning of mankind for each individual to secure their own legacy. When their life is over, people want to know that they were important, they made an impact, and they lived life well. Descartes is no different in having this wish. In A Discourse on the Method, Descartes documents his life’s journey and pursuit of true knowledge. On this journey, Descartes seeks to understand both the subjective and objective truth in life, thus allowing him to leave a lasting legacy to be continued by future generations. 

The first step of Descartes’ journey occurs when he leaves behind the philosophical upbringing of his past, travels to experience other cultures, and tries to see life beyond himself. Even in developing his maxims to hold as a temporary code of morality, Descartes utilized this idea for judging information internally to better understand an objective truth from it. He discounts even his own thoughts in order to “subject them all to rigorous examination” and to allow him the freedom to discover the teachings of those considered wiser than he (21). Descartes’ noble pursuit of knowledge is what leads him to travel and see and learn more than the philosophical training he knows. Because he believes that it is from outside one’s own life experiences that ultimate knowledge can be found, it was necessary for him to travel and observe. In these travels, Descartes aims to become a “spectator rather than an actor” in the drama unfolding on the stage of life (25). On first look, Descartes’ purpose for doing this seems counterintuitive to his primary goal of finding truth by looking at that which is subjective and gradually discovering the objective; however, this activity fits neatly into his process of attaining knowledge. By removing himself from any given situation, he is able to reflect inwardly on his surroundings and examine them thoroughly, and he is able to “eradicate from [his] mind all the mistakes that might earlier have crept into it” (25). Descartes’ separation of himself from his own thoughts to pursue true knowledge reveals his understanding that he is a part of something bigger than himself and therefore what is true can not be found solely within oneself.

In his journey to determine the subjective, find the truth, and leave the world better for his efforts, Descartes then tells his story and acknowledges the higher source of objectivity and knowledge. After determining the means for sorting the subjective and the objective, Descartes says that he finds himself “forced” to share what he’s learned with others (28). He shared his notion that in order to find truth, one must renounce and hold as false all that has doubt. His reasoning for doing this is not to simply deny that which is uncertain, most knowledge comes with a measure of uncertainty, but rather to determine what would remain of an idea once all uncertainties were evaluated and removed. It was following this line of inquiry that Descartes reasons that there must indeed be a “truly more perfect” being, one who could possess all perfection- God (30). Descartes discovered this by following his system of renouncing what had doubt and imperfection in order to hold fast to that which is certain. Because Descartes saw within himself both doubt and imperfection, he could reason that the things which were left after the prior were removed had to have been placed there by a fully perfect source. In determining the certainty of God, Descartes determines a certainty in a purpose beyond oneself that allows individuals to not only pursue an objective truth but cultivate a life for the greater good. 

Another aspect of Descartes' journey comes when he acknowledges the necessity of a personal desire to make a difference in the world. Though his primary objective is to gain true knowledge, it is also made evident that he wants to live a moral life and one that will benefit the good of others. Descartes goes so far as to say we are “in the true meaning of the word, worthless, if we are of no use to anyone,” in saying this, he makes it clear that he desires to do good for others as well as grow in knowledge (54). In fact, these two things do not have to be separate goals. Perhaps, ceaselessly pursuing knowledge and truth, from Descartes’ perspective, is in itself helpful to others. Descartes goes on to mention that, while it is true that we must help those around us, it is just as important to “bring greater benefit to our grandchildren”(54). By saying that the greater good for others is to do good for the future generations, he really speaks of building a lasting legacy, and there can be no doubt that growing in knowledge is Descartes’ way of doing just that. Descartes says that he does not want to fall “below [his] own standards that [he] gives those who come after [him] cause to reproach [he] one day for not having left them many things in better order” than when he had originally found them; he reveals that he leaves things better by making a way evident for them to contribute to the great pursuit of knowledge (61). He makes it evident that his great project of pursuing what is true is one meant to be continued by those that will come after him.

In Descartes’ A Discourse on the Method, Descartes focuses on knowledge by looking within and by searching outwardly, but he also reveals a desire for more than that. While his main objective is to find the truth, Descartes shares that he is not immune to the human hope of leaving the world better than one found it. Because his goals can benefit one another, he is able to use his passion for knowledge to make his mark on the world and successfully leave a legacy that all truth seekers after him can partake in.