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Rene Descartes
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Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes was one of the most influential thinkers in the history of the
philosophy. Born in 1596, he lived to become a great mathematician, scientist, and
philosopher. In fact, he became one of the central intellectual figures of the sixteen
hundreds. He is believed by some to be the father of modern philosophy; although he was
hampered by living in a time when other prominent scientists, such as Galileo, were
persecuted for their discoveries and beliefs.
He was born in La Haye, Tourine, France in 1596. While his family was not exactly
the wealthiest people, they had produced a number of educated men. At the age of eight,
he was enrolled in the Jesuit school of La Fleche in Anjou, where he continued for eight
years. Besides the usual studies, he practiced mathematics and philosophy. When he
graduated from school, he studied law at the University of Poitiers, graduating in 1616.
However, he never practiced law; he enrolled in the service of Prince Maurice of Nassau,
leader of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Descartes aspired to live a military life.
Nonetheless, he found himself engrossed with the world of mathematics and philosophy.
Because of his intense fascination with these two studies, he decided to devote the rest of
his life to them.
Descartes first major work was Essais philosophoqies (Philosophical Essays),
published in 1637. It consisted of four parts: an essay on geometry, another on optics, a
third of meteors, and Discours de la methode (Discourse on Method.) He wrote
numerous other works, including Principia Philosophiae (The Principles of Philosophy)
and The Passions of the Soul. Sadly, Descartes died on February 11, 1650 of
pneumonia.
Descartes made an effort to apply the rational inductive methods of mathematics to
philosophy. Before his time, the method of “Scholasticism” ruled philosophy.