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René Descartes

French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist (1596-1650) · France · Academics · Died at 53

René Descartes is read about 5,908 times a day, in 185 languages.

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He connected geometry and algebra into a single field, gave the coordinate system his name, and opened modern philosophy with five words: "I think, therefore I am."

AcademicsAcademicPhilosophyMathematicsPhysicsAstronomyLiteratureFrance

A life in dates

1701Rules for the Direction of the MindBook published after his death, essay by René Descartes1664The WorldBook published after his death, book by René Descartes1662Treatise on ManBook published after his death, 1630 unfinished treatise by René Descartes1650Died11 February 16501646“Mr. Clerselier has written me that you are expecting from him my Meditations... in order to present them to the queen of the land.”In their words1 November 1646Letter to (Nov. 1, 1646) as quoted by , Descartes' Secret Notebook (2005) citing René Descartes: Correspondance avec Elizabeth et autres

1644“In order to seek truth, it is necessary once in the course of our life, to doubt, as far as possible, of all things.”In their wordscite book

1634“No doubt you know that Galileo had been convicted not long ago by the Inquisition, and that his opinion on the movement of the Earth had been condemned as heresy.”In their wordsFebruary 1634Letter to Marin Mersenne (end of Feb., 1634) as quoted by , Pendulum: Leon Foucault and the Triumph of Science (2003)

1596Born31 March 1596

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Frans Hals - Portret van René DescartesFrans Hals - Portret van René Descartes2019 Vrijheid van Amsterdam (3) Descartes2019 Vrijheid van Amsterdam (3) Descartes2019 Vrijheid van Amsterdam (7) Descartes2019 Vrijheid van Amsterdam (7) DescartesAllegorisch portret van René Descartes, RP-P-1910-5888Allegorisch portret van René Descartes, RP-P-1910-5888An archangel revealing the physical nature of the universe t Wellcome L0022460An archangel revealing the physical nature of the universe t Wellcome L0022460Anonyme - Portrait de René Descartes (1596-1650), philosophe et savant - P150 - Musée CarnavaletAnonyme - Portrait de René Descartes (1596-1650), philosophe et savant - P150 - Musée CarnavaletAusschnitt des menschlichen Nervensystems (Dioptrique)Ausschnitt des menschlichen Nervensystems (Dioptrique)

In their own words 6

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René Descartes
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6 statements, newest first

  1. Mr. Clerselier has written me that you are expecting from him my Meditations... in order to present them to the queen of the land.

    Nov 1, 1646, Letter to (Nov. 1, 1646) as quoted by , Descartes' Secret Notebook (2005) citing René Descartes: Correspondance avec Elizabeth et autres, Own words

  2. In order to seek truth, it is necessary once in the course of our life, to doubt, as far as possible, of all things.

    1644, cite book, Own words

  3. No doubt you know that Galileo had been convicted not long ago by the Inquisition, and that his opinion on the movement of the Earth had been condemned as heresy.

    Feb 1634, Letter to Marin Mersenne (end of Feb., 1634) as quoted by , Pendulum: Leon Foucault and the Triumph of Science (2003), Own words

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About this person

Born in France on 31 March 1596, Descartes refused to accept the authority of previous philosophers and set out to build knowledge from the ground up. Mathematics was paramount to his method - he merged geometry and algebra into analytic geometry, a fusion that later enabled infinitesimal calculus. In the opening of Passions of the Soul, his treatise on emotions, he declared he would write "as if no one had written on these matters before." His Meditations on First Philosophy anchored epistemology at the center of 17th-century thought and made him a key figure in the Scientific Revolution. He died on 11 February 1650, leaving behind the Cartesian coordinate system and a method of inquiry built on doubt.

Country
France
Category
Academics
Type
Academic
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1596 to 1650 · aged 53

Academics from France 6

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