AskEssays.com - Discover essay samples

Rene Descartes

4.9 of 5.0 (85 reviews)

Contains
431 words
Category
People

Rene Descartes Page 1
Rene Descartes Page 2
The above thumbnails are of reduced quality. To view the work in full quality, click download.

Rene Descartes


Rene Descartes lived from 1596 to 1650. He was a French mathematician, philosopher, and anatomist. He contributed to modern ideas, mainly those associated with science, rational thought, and the scientific method.



He was born in La Haye, a city in central France. His father was a lawyer and left him an annual income for life. He attended the college of Henri IV at La Fleche when he was 10, ordered by his father. Descartes left La Fleche in 1614 to study civil and anon law at Poitiers and two years later he had received the baccalaureate and licentiate degrees in law. In 1918 he joined the army of Prince Maurice of Nassau as a volunteer. In his early life he wanted to accomplish something in life, something like a new and stable basis for all knowledge..



In 1637 he published Discourse on the Method for Conducting One's Reason Rightly and for Searching for Truth in the Sciences which he wrote in France. This book introduced three ideas, one on optics, one on geometry, and one on meteorology. Four yeas later he wrote Meditations on First Philosophy which is his version of a unified and certain body of the human knowledge. The Catholic and Protestant Church was angered by his book, claiming that Descartes' hope was to replace the teachings of Aristotle. In 1644 he publish Principles of Philosophy which he hoped would in-fact replace Aristotle's teachings. His last important work was called Passions of the Soul where he explored topics such as the relationship of the soul to the body, the nature of emotion, and the role of the will in controlling emotions. In 1649 Queen Christina of Sweden convinced Descartes that he should come to Stockholm to teach her philosophy. On his way home from one of the queen's lessons he caught pneumonia in February 1650 and after suffering for a week he died on February 11.



Descartes philosophical system of thought is called "Cartesian" which was based on the idea of his statement, "I think therefore I am." He also made the first systematic account of mind and body relationship, and soul's contact with the body. In the fields of mathematics and astronomy, he was one of the founders of coordinate geometry and a change in algebraic notation. Also, he said that external motion affects the nerve divers, and it is because of this that he is credited with the founding of the reflex theory. He claimed that the world is created by god, and that it is made up of two ...

You are currently seeing 50% of this paper.

You're seeing 431 words of 862.

Keywords: rene descartes philosophy, rene descartes quotes, rene descartes pronunciation, rene descartes math, rene descartes i think therefore i am, rene descartes philosophy about self, rene descartes theory, rene descartes accomplishments

Similar essays


Stephen crane

One of Stephen Crane's greatest short fiction stories is 'The Open Boat' by Stephen Crane views fate like it is inevitable, and sure it is. Who can get away from their destiny, their fate? No one can get away from it. This statement is true about the sailors in the boat also. First, their fate starts when their boat capsizes and they have to re...

128 reviews
Download
Ted Bundy

Murder is the most vindictive crime society can commit. As individuals in society, the belief of being born a murderer is false. No one is born a murderer; society gives birth to that murderer. In 's case the lack of parental guidance and constant rejection of women contributed to him evolving into a vicious serial killer. Bundy was a man who l...

150 reviews
Download
Harry S

. Truman Biography 1. Date of Birth & Birth Place . Truman was born on May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri. 2. Childhood John A. Truman sold and bought livestock form a lot adjacent to their house when Harry was first born. When Harry was ten months old the Trumans sold their house and stocklot to move to Harrisonville, Missouri....

11 reviews
Download
Nelson Mandela

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African resistance leader who received a life sentence on Robben Island for opposing apartheid. personified struggle throughout his life. He is still leading the fight against apartheid after spending nearly three decades of his life behind bars. He has sacrificed his private life and his youth for his peo...

29 reviews
Download
Benito Juarez

was one of the most prominent and resourceful leaders in Mexico's history. He raised the standard of living and championed the poor. However, it took Juarez half his life to become such a dominant political figure. He was born in San Paulo Guelatao in the Mexican State of Oaxaca. His parents were Indians, and he was raised a shepherd boy...

49 reviews
Download
Atsisiųsti šį darbą