🕯️ René Descartes | Free Course
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🕯️ Welcome to the René Descartes Course for Everyday People
🎧 Read By Audio – Listen on the Go - (coming soon)
Underneath everything Descartes wrote ran a single, almost reckless question: is there anything at all that can be known with complete certainty, and if so, how would anyone ever find it? This course explores his answer from the ground up. Inside, you'll walk through his method of doubt, the famous cogito ("I think, therefore I am"), clear and distinct ideas, his arguments for the existence of God, the Cartesian circle, and his striking picture of mind and body as two different things. The course stays pure to Descartes, with no other thinkers or modern methods blended in, taught in plain English, made for beginners and easy for anyone to follow, whether you've spent years reading philosophy or this is your very first step into it.
Every lesson teaches you something you can actually use. You'll learn real Cartesian skills, techniques, and processes, taught with real-life examples so you can see the ideas in action, step-by-step instructions, and an exercise that walks you through what you just learned, so you can start using it in your daily life right away. As you practice, choose light, everyday material, the small stuff that's easy to handle. These practices are for learning, not for working through trauma or your heaviest, most painful things. Light material is the training ground, not the ceiling. These skills were built to meet many of life's harder challenges, and steady practice is what makes them strong enough to do it.
This course is completely self-paced, with no tests, exams, or homework, so binge it start to finish like a Netflix series or wander through slowly, go in order or jump straight to whatever lesson calls to you. Enjoy the course.
Below is the full course outline. Click any lesson to jump right in, or save this page and come back whenever you have more time.
Course Outline
Click any lesson below to begin.
The Basics
Rebuilding Certainty
Living It
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For those who would like more specifics, here is the six-step process behind every course:
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Disclaimer:
Everything IFS Academy is an independent educational platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the IFS Institute. While we strive for accuracy, errors can occur, and users are encouraged to cross-reference critical information. These courses present the ideas of historical philosophers for educational and self-reflection purposes only. They describe what these thinkers taught and argued and do not constitute an endorsement of any philosophical position, nor do they constitute religious instruction or professional advice of any kind. They do not constitute therapy, mental health treatment, clinical training, or crisis support, and they should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care.
Crisis Support: 🚨
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, feel unsafe, feel at risk of harming yourself or someone else, or feel too overwhelmed to safely use self-directed practices, please pause this material and reach out for immediate support. Contact a licensed mental health professional, call or text 988 in the U.S. or Canada, or use your local emergency or crisis resources.
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