Rene Descartes Research Paper

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“I think, therefore I am”

Rene Descartes was born on March 31st 1596 and died on February 11th 1650. (Biography) His parents were Joachim Descartes and Jeanne Brochard. A year after giving birth to Descartes, his mother died from tuberculosis. Descartes father was a lawyer, so he had very little time dedicated to his kids. Therefore, young Descartes, his full sister and brother, Jeanne and Pierre, were entrusted to their grandmother in order to be taken care of. (Thescienceclassroom) He caught a cold, which quickly turned into a serious respiratory infection, and he then died. The cause of death was pneumonia according to one doctor, but peripneumonia according to another doctor. He was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. He …show more content…

After graduation, he studied two years at the University of Poitiers, earning a Bachelors in Law, in accordance with his father's wishes that he should become a lawyer. He had an ambition to become a professional military officer, so he joined the Dutch States Army and undertook a formal study of military engineering. He then received much encouragement to advance his knowledge of mathematics, becoming acquainted with Isaac Beeckman. (Group) He was born in the Kingdom of France and died in Sweden. From the time period 1569-1650 Sweden won wars against Denmark, Russia, and Poland. Sweden emerged as a great power by taking direct control of the Baltic region. Sweden's role in the Thirty Years' War determined the political as well as the religious balance of power in Europe. (Wikipedia) Before he was alive some of the mathematicians that were alive before him were; Isaac Beeckman, Plato, Aristotle, Archimedes, Alhazen, Al-Ghazali, Averroes, Avicenna, Anselm, Augustine, Stoics, Aquinas, Ockham, Suarez, Mersenne, Sextus Empiricus, Montaigne, Golius, Duns Scotus. All these mathematicians helped him become/develop his theories. Current opinion is that Descartes had the most influence of anyone on the young Newton, and this is arguably one of Descartes' …show more content…

He connected missing links and answered questionable methods in mathematics. He also played a vital role in the invention of calculus. Therefore, mathematicians, with the aid of Descartes, cleared another roadblock in order for someday to finally comprehend the mysteries of algebra, geometry, and mathematics as a whole. Analytical Geometry, created by Descartes, is the link, which connected algebra and geometry. In the world of philosophy, Descartes set a high standard in the eyes of philosophers today. He is considered as one of the most influential thinkers of his time. He believed in order to find "truth"; one would have to become unbiased in situation. Descartes' inspiration, Isaac Beeckman, was the missing key to unlock Descartes' interest in math and science. Beeckman and Descartes challenged each other’s ideas and beliefs. Together they worked on free fall, catenary, conic section and fluid statics. Both believed that it was necessary to create a method that linked mathematics and physics. He is known for Cogito ergo sum, method of doubt, method of normals, Cartesian coordinate system, Cartesian dualism, foundationalism, ontological argument for the existence of God, mathesis universalis, folium of Descartes. While also questioning each other’s theories,

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