Thinking Bridge

This is a collection of instalments of the series "Thinking Bridge", which in the fullness of time will grow to 32 members.

In 1596 a man was born who revolutionized scientific thought: the Frenchman René Descartes.

Up to then it was customary to prove a point by getting as many support as you could from the ancients, other scolars, learned works and last but not least the church. Descartes proposed to do away with all that and use only pure reason. That is, you essentially doubt any statement that is made by whatever authority unless you can reason why that statement must be true.

This will in essence be our state of mind in the series "Thinking Bridge". Unless we can come up with a rational explanation, we shall have our doubts about any hard and fast rule.

Descartes even doubted his own existence, but not unreasonably argued, that if he didn't exist he couldn't have these thoughts. ("I think; therefore I am.") Let's prove our existence as a bridge player!

A zipfile with all lessons can be downloaded here.

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e-mail: J.vanKan@math.tudelft.nl