In his Lectures on the History of Philosophy, Hegel declared that:

Descartes recognized that the mind innately possesses the rudiments of truth, and that these rudiments form the foundation of an edifice of knowledge that promises to render human beings “the masters and possessors of nature” (Descartes 1985: 141–2). In pursuing this programme, Descartes established a rigorous distinction between articles of faith and systematic insights of reason, thereby unwittingly setting up an opposition between reason and faith that was inconceivable to the likes of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. That Descartes did not intend to establish such an opposition is evident from his efforts to argue for an inner compatibility between faith and reason, as well as from a reflection on the Christian roots of his programme for the mastery of nature. Descartes sought to correct the mistakes and misconceptions of a tradition of medieval philosophy that had commingled faith and reason in a manner that prevented genuine progress in the sciences.