Rene Descartes

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Rene Descartes is one of the most influential philosophers of modern times, whose most famous saying is “I think, therefore I am”.  He was a philosopher, a scientist, and a mathematician, and is known as the “Father of Modern Mathematics” and the “Founder of Modern Philosophy”.

Descartes was born in 1596 in France.  He began his college career at the age of ten and entered the University of Poitiers after his graduation, and earned his law degree in 1616 at the age of twenty.  Descartes never pursued a career in law, opting instead to embark on a search for wisdom that would have international overtones.

In 1619, while in Germany, Descartes envisioned a new foundations of a marvelous science, and from this vision was born the concept of analytical geometry.  At this point, he decided to devote his life to the investigation between mathematics and nature.

Descartes died in 1650 in Sweden, and his cause of death is thought to have been pneumonia.

Throughout his life and after his death, Descartes was a subject of much suspicion as far as the Roman Catholic Church was concerned.  His teachings were barred from the University of Utrecht, and in 1667 his books were placed on the Church’s list of prohibited books.  Fortunately, his works were again introduced to the public with the French Revolution and the new worldwide emphasis on logical thought.