Born 31 march 1596 in central France,Rene Descartes lived to become not only a soldier,but also a brilliant mathematician and philosopher.
As a soldier, Descartes joined the catholic army in 1612 and was present at the battle of White Mountain in 1620 when the Holy Roman Emperor routed the protestants during the thirty year war.He was also present in 1627 at the infamous siege of La Rochelle by Cardinal Richelieu.
As a mathematician, he is best known for inventing the cartesian coordinate system in 1637.This introduced the idea of specifying the position of a point or object on a surface using two intersecting axes as measuring guides with the origin at the centre. this not only simplified many mathematical calculations, but also provided the first systematic link between geometry and algebra.
As a philosopher,Descartes is best known for the sentence "cogito ergo sum" which is translated as I think therefore I am, or I am thinking therefore I exist, or I do think therefore I do exist. Descartes proceeded on a system of acquiring knowledge based on deduction and perception with limited senses.
"And so something which I thought I was seeing with my eyes is in fact grasped solely by the faculty of judgment which is in my mind."
He died of pneumonia in 1650 in Stockholm where he was tutor to Queen Christina of Sweden.
Queen Christina with Descartes
As a soldier, Descartes joined the catholic army in 1612 and was present at the battle of White Mountain in 1620 when the Holy Roman Emperor routed the protestants during the thirty year war.He was also present in 1627 at the infamous siege of La Rochelle by Cardinal Richelieu.
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| Cardinal Richelieu at the siege of La Rochelle. |
As a philosopher,Descartes is best known for the sentence "cogito ergo sum" which is translated as I think therefore I am, or I am thinking therefore I exist, or I do think therefore I do exist. Descartes proceeded on a system of acquiring knowledge based on deduction and perception with limited senses.
"And so something which I thought I was seeing with my eyes is in fact grasped solely by the faculty of judgment which is in my mind."
Rene Descartes
Descartes, chasing the impossibility of original thought, left in his wake ideas that others developed into what is now modern philosophy and mathematics.he spent many years in the Dutch Republic, and it is there that he wrote most of his major works. He died of pneumonia in 1650 in Stockholm where he was tutor to Queen Christina of Sweden.
Queen Christina with Descartes
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