In his extensive introduction, a summary of Durkheim's impact, René König discusses the significance of the rules of sociological method: "We are convinced that in this book, Durkheim presents a creation of similar importance for sociology as Descartes' Discours de la méthode from 1637 does for general philosophy, without claiming that philosophy as a whole is merely an elaboration of Cartesianism. Certainly, one cannot enter modern philosophy without Descartes; his methodological doubt opens up that dimension of thought which distinguishes modern philosophy from medieval interpretation. Yet, with this, the definitive and irrevocable turn away from the Old World also begins; increasingly, new thinking discovers its autonomous dialect.".