The notion docta by Nicolaus Cusanus and Cartesian project of New Science

The author of the article compares the notions docta by Nicolaus Cusanus and scientia by Descartes. A series of essential coincidences were established and it was pointed out that both the scientific projects are founded on the same difference: deference between infinitim and interminatum. But if for Cusanus docta does not suppose any progress, for Descartes the essence of the project of new science is development and enrichment of knowledge. For Descartes, if the foundation of science is set up well, then various scholars can develop it. Our hypothesis is that the indicated distinction succeeds different relations between infinitum and interminatum. There are no means to verify this hypothesis directly, but we can consider a set of procedures, which create this difference. It is established that for Descartes to demonstrate the existence of God is not simply a tribute to the tradition, but key elements of all of his metaphysical construction. It is stated that the Cartesian demonstration of infinite perfection is not perfect. Then an attempt is taken to examine how the position of the cognizing subject will change if we withdraw God from the Cartesian doctrine. The status of res cogitans is essentially undetermined: either it is a finite entity, as Descartes himself explicitly mentions, or it is the infinite one, since it has an infinite attribute, the will, the same as God, and the God's good will is the order of the universe, which is perceived by rational knowledge. It is noted that if to demonstrate the stability of our virtual structure, one can show what cogito is in relation to its attributes (finite ones, like memory, and infinite ones, like will), and what duration is, as duration is the the foundation for the Cartesian claim to the distributed character of new science

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