Daemon wrote:There is nothing so strange and so unbelievable that it has not been said by one philosopher or another.
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
The quotation originates from Descartes' "Le Discourse de la Methode".
In Part 2 of his Method, Descartes elaborates on his intent to examine diversity and maintain an open mind. Here is the larger context:
"But I had been taught, even in my college days, that there is nothing imaginable
so strange or so little credible that it has not been maintained by one philosopher or other, and I further recognized in the course of my travels that all those whose sentiments are very contrary to ours are yet not necessarily barbarians or savages, but
may be possessed of reason in as great or even a greater degree than ourselves." A little different than the subject quote, and I have seen at least another (translation).
At any rate, Descartes had meant the emphasis on "so strange and so little credible". Some students of Descartes think that he was critical of the strange views of his contemporaries -- many of whom were non-believers.
However, he was
not conveying the idea that there had been nothing new to be found in science and philosophy, as he set out to define his Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason.
Quite the contrary, as can be seen from the excerpt I found in "Key Philosophical Writings", Descartes, Wordsworth Editions, 1997.
Interestingly, in Part 1, Descartes wasted no time but said this within his first few paragraphs: "For to be possessed of good mental powers is not sufficient; the principal matter is to apply them well". Thus the Method was required, and he delivered it brilliantly.