Mathematician rene descartes biography philosopher
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By Ashley Langham
René Descartes was best known for creating a mathematical foundation for philosophy. He thought that philosophy could essentially be “mathematicized” because math was created out of certainty and absoluteness. Math was based on universal truths and philosophy could be based on truths that were already determined to be true or accepted to be true.
He spent the majority of his life isolated, because he had a weakened physique due to illness; and received the benefit of the doubt from others to not expect him out of bed until 11am. While he was lying there, he spent his time in philosophical and mathematical study and deep thought. His fascinating pursuit of truth and the understanding of nature led him to writing one of the most important books of his life: Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa raison et chercher la vérité dans les sciences (Discourse on method for rightly conducting the reason and searching for the truth in the sciences). Discou • • Descartes was born in La Haye on March 31, of Joachim Descartes and Jeanne Brochard. He was one of a number of surviving children (two siblings and two half-siblings). His father was a lawyer and magistrate, which apparently left little time for family. Descartes’ mother died in May of the year following his birth, and he, his full brother and sister, Pierre and Jeanne, were left to be raised by their grandmother in La Haye. At around ten years of age, in , he was sent to the Jesuit college of La Flèche. He studied there until , and in entered the University of Poitiers, where a year later he received his Baccalaureate and License in Canon & Civil Law. For the history and the text of his thesis, see the following supplementary document: Descartes’ Law Thesis In , at the age of twenty-two, he enlisted in the army of Prince Maurice of Nassau. It is not known what his duties were exactly, though Baillet suggest René Descartes
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La Haye (now Descartes),Touraine, France
huvudstaden, Sweden Biography
René Descartes was a philosopher whose work, La GéométrieⓉ, includes his application of algebra to geometry from which we now have Cartesian geometry.
René Descartes' parents were Joachim Descartes () and Jeanne Brochard (). Joachim, the son of the medical doctor Pierre Descartes (), studied law and was a counsellor in the Parliament of Brittany which sat at Rennes. Jeanne was the daughter of the military man René Brochard who formed part of the garrison stationed at Poitiers. One of Jeanne's brothers, also named René Brochard, became one of René Descartes' two godfathers; René Descartes was na Descartes’ Life and Works
1. Early Years