A Short Discourse on the Method

R. Descartes recommends a method of cautious skepticism

when building private awareness, a judgment about the world.
In his view, it is worth moving the pile of opinions
from the process of upbringing aside
and creating purely theoretical models of truths
that are being pursued.

According to his theory, there are several rules to help in this:

traditionalism, stubbornness, distance -
secured with a buckle of progress. This research method
is being supposed to bring intellectual successes,
thinking is a sure thing.

***

The first half of the treatise1 is written in fluent language,

in heroic, sometimes narcissistic manner,
the second - added after years - is a series of gallant verbiage
once again justifying the previous rules.

MMXVIII

1 Discourse on the Method - a philosophical treatise published by René Descartes in 1637. The well-known
maxim I think, therefore I am (in the Latin version cogito ergo sum) comes from this work