Descartes, René (About the EoE)
Descartes, René
René Descartes (1596-1650) was a French scientific philosopher who developed a theory known as mechanical philosophy. He also founded one of the first modern schools of mathematics. He attempted a treatise on universal science, to be called The World; this was never published, but essays thought to be taken from this work were published in 1637 as addenda to the Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa raison et chercher la vérité dans les sciences. Among the essays was Geometry, which included the invention of analytical geometry.
Descartes was the first to make a graph, allowing a geometric interpretation of a mathematical function. He gave his name to points on graphs, calling them Cartesian coordinates. Descartes also made important contributions to the physical sciences, including the first formal definitions and measurement of momentum. He intended momentum to be a quantifiable and measurable concept related to what he termed the "amount of motion". Descartes said that the fundamental force of motion was mass multiplied by velocity, today's definition of momentum.
Among his many contributions to philosophy, Descartes rejected the longstanding suspicion of the ability of the senses to deliver true information about the world and the religious influence on scientific and philosophical inquiry. Perhaps Descartes' most well-known philosophical ideas are his method of hyperbolic doubt, and the idea that though one may doubt, one may not doubt that one exists. The method of hyperbolic doubt is the refusal to accept either the authority of previous philosophers or information gleaned from one's own senses. He decided that in developing a foundation for philosophy, anything that might be doubted must be rejected. Only what is beyond doubt is acceptable and may lead to truth. He found that all that remains is the fact of doubting itself, and that something must exist to doubt, namely the philosopher himself.
Further Reading
Descartes Biography (University of St. Andrews, Scotland, School of Mathematics and Statistics)
Descartes' Life and Works (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
René Descartes - Biography (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
