René Descartes
French philosopher and mathematician
René Descartes was a French thinker of the 1600s who worked in philosophy, mathematics and science. His philosophical works, including Meditations on First Philosophy, are still studied.
2 summaries 32 min of listening
French Born 1596 in Descartes Died 1650
About René Descartes
René Descartes was born on 31 March 1596 in La Haye, Touraine, France, and died on 11 February 1650. He was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution. In mathematics he joined geometry and algebra into analytic geometry, and the Cartesian coordinate system carries his name. In philosophy he contributed to epistemology, metaphysics and the philosophy of mind. His best-known line is "I think, therefore I am" (cogito, ergo sum). Our catalog includes Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy.