Rene Descartes (1596-1650)

"I think, therefore I am."

Who was Rene Descartes?

Rene Descartes was a French philosopher, as well as a mathematician and scientist. Known as the "Father of Modern Philosophy," Descartes learned to connect geometry and algebra, leading to the creation of Cartesian coordinate system, also known as analytic geometry. It was his belief that science and math could be used to explain everything in nature. As well, Descartes was famous for his search for truth. He embarked on this through a method of doubting; the fact that he could not doubt that he existed led him to coin the famous phrase, "I think, therefore I am." From this, Descartes argued for the existence of God, and believed him to be infinite and lacking any physical appearance. Another one of Descartes' most lasting concepts is that of mind-body dualism. He believed that the mind and the body were two different things and independent of each other.

Character-Throughout his life, Descartes proved himself to be a courageous person. For one, in 1617, he volunteered himself to serve in the Dutch Army. Second, despite the fact that he was heavily religious, he continuously rejected Aristotelian traditions of philosophy (for instance, Descartes believed the galaxy was heliocentric), leading him to be condemned and having his works barred by the Catholic Church. In 1637, he published Discourse on Method, despite knowing of the risk that his work might be censured by the Church.

Rating: 9.5

Success-The fact that so much of Descartes work is still relevant in the present attests to his success, though I feel few actually know who Descartes is. We all know of his famous quote, his analytic geometry is what we learn in school today, and he discovered many physics topics that we are also taught, such as reflection and refraction.

Rating: 9

Positive Contributions-I've already written a lot about some of the important things that Descartes has brought to society, but there are many who view him as villainous due to his thoughts on animals. Descartes believed that animals were like machine, who were incapable of feeling pain, and were basically physical beings without any mental capacities. This view towards animal, one could argue, is what has led to animal mistreatment and testing throughout history.

Rating: 5

Impact-Descartes probably had the most far-reaching impact of all those we've talked of so far. He was born in France, served and spent much of his life in the Dutch Republic, and died in Sweden where he was tutoring the Queen Christina. His works are around the world in our present day.

Rating: 9

TOTAL RATING: 8.5 (1st of 5)