“It is not enough to have a good mind; the important thing is to use it well”. – René Descartes The famous 17th century French philosopher René Descartes is now widely regarded as “the father of modern philosophy” (Stokes, 2012: 124). Descartes had a profound impact on philosophical thought. He presented a unique and distinctive vision of knowledge that remains highly significant to this day. His radical new philosophy greatly altered humanity's perception of knowledge and permanently cemented his status as one of history's most important philosophers. Descartes' most famous work, Meditations on Early Philosophy, “set the agenda for speculation in philosophy of mind and epistemology for the next three hundred years” (Stokes, 2012:124). Descartes raised serious questions about our knowledge of the world. According to him, the only thing one can be absolutely sure of is the fact of one's existence, an insight beautifully summed up in his most famous statement: Cogito ergo sum, “I think, therefore I am.” (Stokes, 2012). In stark contrast to empiricists like David Hume, Descartes places very little conviction on the senses. He argues that because our senses have deceived us in the past and therefore consequently, they are unable to provide us with true, infallible knowledge. Descartes even goes so far as to proclaim that there is no clear and distinct way to distinguish waking reality from dreams (Stokes, 2012: 126). So, rejecting all perceptual knowledge, Descartes began his search for indubitable knowledge. “The purpose of Descartes' life was to direct his reason towards the systematic discovery of truth and the elimination of error” (Scruton, 1995). Although Descartes distrusted information received through the senses, he created... middle of paper... a new science, based on observation and experiment. (Rene Descartes, 2002). An interesting testimony to Descartes' lasting influence are the numerous contemporary criticisms directed at his work (Rene Descartes, 2002). The fact that so many leading contemporary thinkers continue to rigorously analyze and scrutinize Descartes actually serves to demonstrate what an important role he established in the foundations of our modern belief systems. What René Descartes contributes to modernity is a solution to humanity's endless search for indubitable knowledge. . It presents a model of reasoning and the guarantee that certainty is a reality that can be logically achieved. From his famous cogito, Descartes offers us a unique and original perception of knowledge. Thanks to Descartes, we have a method for establishing certainty that will continue to remain highly influential and relevant.