NAME René Descartes
WHAT FAMOUS FOR René Descartes is renowned as a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, often called the "Father of Modern Philosophy." He developed the Cartesian coordinate system, which bridged geometry and algebra, and famously coined the phrase "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am").
BIRTH René Descartes was born on March 31, 1596, at the farmhouse of his great-grandmother in La Haye en Touraine, a small town in the Indre-et-Loire region of France. This town is now named "Descartes" in his honor.
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| The house where he was born in La Haye en Touraine |
FAMILY BACKGROUND Descartes' father, Joachim Descartes, was a prominent councillor in the parliament of Rennes. The Descartes family was known for producing learned men and belonged to the provincial nobility. René's mother passed away when he was very young, and his father remarried soon after.
He had an older brother Pierre and an older sister Jeanne. Descartes' relationship with his father and brother was distant. When his father died, his brother Pierre didn't even bother to inform him - Descartes learned of it from a letter from Mersenne
CHILDHOOD Following his mother’s early death, René was raised by his grandmother. His early years were marked by a delicate constitution, leading to a relatively sheltered and contemplative upbringing.
EDUCATION At the age of eight, Descartes was sent to the Jesuit College Royal Henry-Le-Grand at La Flèche, one of the most prestigious schools of the time. There, he studied scholastic philosophy, the humanities, science, and mathematics. Notably, the school encouraged the practice of reflecting while lying in bed after waking up, provided students recorded their thoughts for essays and debates—failure to do so could result in punishment. After completing his education at La Flèche, Descartes attended the University of Poitiers, where he earned a Baccalauréat and Licence in law in 1616.
CAREER RECORD 1618 Entered the service of Prince Maurice of Nassau at Berda, Netherlands, with the intention of following a military career. Served for several years as a volunteer in the Dutch and Bavarian armies.
1624-28 Retired from the army and devoted himself to the study of philosophy and experimented in the science of optics.
1628 Cardinal de Berville urged Descartes that it his duty to devote himself to developing his mathematical philosophy and he retired to Holland to do so.
1649 Persuaded to be tutor to the 19 year old Queen Christina of Sweden. He died within five months of arrival.
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| Descartes Portrait by Frans Hals |
FASHION Descartes wore a wig of natural color, to which he always gave fastidious attention. This care for his appearance extended to his clothing as well. He was known to dress invariably in black cloth and was always well-dressed
CHARACTER He was known for his curiosity, logical mindset, and a reserved personality. Though contemplative and methodical in his thinking, he could be sociable and engaging in intellectual circles.
SENSE OF HUMOUR Descartes, offered a nuanced perspective on humor and laughter, deeply intertwined with his broader philosophical ideas. While best known for his "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"), his 1649 work, The Passions of the Soul, provides valuable insights into his understanding of humor.
Descartes subscribed to the superiority theory of humor, which suggests that laughter often arises from a perceived superiority over others or past selves. However, his interpretation was more nuanced than a simple assertion of dominance.
He identified three key emotions: wonder, joy, and hatred. Descartes argued that while joy is essential, it alone is insufficient for laughter. It must be accompanied by either wonder (surprise or amazement) or hatred (a sense of superiority or disdain).
Interestingly, Descartes acknowledged the potential positive aspects of humor. He believed that gentle ridicule could serve a social function by highlighting undesirable behaviors and encouraging self-improvement. Jesting among friends, in his view, could expose vices and foster personal growth.
Descartes also explored the physical manifestations of laughter, describing it as an "inarticulate and explosive utterance" resulting from air expelled from the lungs. This emphasis on the physicality of laughter aligned with his view of humor as potentially aggressive or hostile.
Finally, consistent with his philosophy of mind-body dualism, Descartes recognized the interplay between mind and body in the experience of humor. He proposed that joyful wonder or surprise could stimulate the heart and lungs, triggering the physical act of laughter.
RELATIONSHIPS Descartes had a daughter, Francine, with his housekeeper, Helena Jans, in 1635. He lived with Helena and Francine, but their happiness was short-lived. Francine tragically passed away of scarlet fever at the age of five on September 7, 1640, deeply affecting Descartes. He wept over her loss and later contributed to Helena's marriage dowry in 1644.
Descartes cultivated several significant intellectual relationships. He befriended Isaac Beeckman in 1618, who became a crucial intellectual influence. Father Marin Mersenne served as his primary link to the wider intellectual world, facilitating the dissemination of his work. He also engaged in extensive correspondence with Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia on philosophical and personal matters. Furthermore, he enjoyed a close friendship with Corneille van Hogelande, a Rosicrucian physician.
Despite his intellectual connections, Descartes often preferred solitude. He lived alone and in seclusion, frequently changing residences. His independence, supported by an inheritance, allowed him to dedicate himself to his studies without the need for employment. This inclination towards solitude was reflected in his frequent moves, residing in 18 different places during his 22 years in the Netherlands.
However, Descartes was not entirely antisocial. He maintained a network of correspondence with numerous scholars and thinkers. During his time in Paris, he actively participated in social activities such as gambling, fencing, and attending concerts and theatrical performances. Later in life, he seemed to seek greater social engagement, even considering becoming a courtier to secure a royal pension.
MONEY AND FAME Descartes came from a well-off family and inherited properties, granting him financial independence. This inheritance allowed him to pursue his intellectual interests without the need for employment. He managed his finances prudently, being described as "neither extravagant nor parsimonious." Despite his wealth, Descartes maintained a relatively modest lifestyle. He could afford to travel extensively across Europe in his youth and regularly entertained guests and engaged in social activities. He was always well-dressed and carried a sword, befitting his status as a gentleman.
Descartes gained significant fame and recognition during his lifetime. He acquired a considerable reputation as a thinker even before publishing any of his works. His ideas were widely discussed and debated in intellectual circles across Europe. He corresponded with many prominent figures, including Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia, Queen Christina of Sweden, and leading scientists and philosophers of his time.
Descartes' fame grew substantially following the publication of his works. The Discourse on the Method (1637) and subsequent essays brought him widespread attention. His Meditations on First Philosophy (1641) became a standard philosophical text. His international renown was further solidified by his invitation to the court of Queen Christina of Sweden.
FOOD AND DRINK René Descartes had a keen interest in food and diet, and was fascinated by the potential effects of diet on health and longevity. He experimented with vegetarianism at times, possibly believing it could prolong life or even achieve immortality.
MUSIC AND ARTS While not an artist himself, Descartes appreciated the harmony of music and its mathematical underpinnings, aligning it with his philosophical beliefs. In 1618 he composed a short treatise on music entitled Compendium Musicae.
LITERATURE Though not an avid reader, Descartes kept a small collection of books, including the Bible and works by Thomas Aquinas.
Descartes wrote in French rather than Latin to reach a broader audience, which was unusual for philosophical works at the time. His works aimed to make complex ideas accessible to many.
Descartes famously declared, "The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest persons of past centuries," reflecting his deep respect for intellectual discourse.
In 1637, he published Discourse on the Method for Rightly Conducting Reason and Seeking Truth in the Sciences, a groundbreaking collection of mathematical and metaphysical speculations. It famously includes the foundational principle "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am").
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| Title page of "Principia philosophiae" (Principles of Philosophy), 1656 |
The same year also saw the publication of Dioptrics, laying the groundwork for modern optics, and La Géométrie, marking the birth of analytical geometry. In 1641, Descartes published Meditations on First Philosophy, where he systematically rejects all received knowledge and introduces the "cogito" as the sole certainty.
Principles of Philosophy (1644), dedicated to Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia, aimed to explain physical phenomena scientifically, moving away from spiritual interpretations.
Later in his life, Descartes corresponded with Catherine the Great, further solidifying his position as a leading intellectual figure of his time.
NATURE Descartes admired the natural world, studying it methodically to uncover its mathematical principles. His dissections and anatomical studies reflected this fascination.
He had the idea of developing the mathematical system of co-ordinates when during his military service, lying on his bed, he was watching a fly hover in the air.
HOBBIES AND SPORTS Descartes enjoyed fencing in his youth, reflecting both his physical and intellectual precision.
Despite his reputation for solitude, Descartes enjoyed some social pursuits. In Paris, he engaged in gambling, fencing, and horseback riding and attended concerts and theater performances.
Letter-writing was a significant part of Descartes' routine: He corresponded with numerous scholars, scientists, and philosophers
SCIENCE AND MATHS Descartes' Dioptrics laid the foundation for modern optics, and his passion for anatomy and dissection led him to study vision and design machinery for grinding optical lenses.
His work merged mathematics, philosophy, and science into a cohesive framework for understanding the universe.
In 1618, a meeting with the Dutch physicist Isaac Beeckman reignited Descartes' fascination with mathematics. While stationed in Breda, Holland, he demonstrated his scientific genius by solving a challenging mathematical problem posed in a competition.
Descartes revolutionized mathematics by developing a system of coordinates that used numbers to pinpoint locations on a surface. This innovation allowed for the elegant solution of geometrical problems using algebraic methods.
In 1637, he introduced the use of superscripts (numbers written above and to the right of a number) to represent powers, a notation that remains fundamental in mathematics today.
Descartes pioneered the use of the last letters of the alphabet (e.g., x, y, z) to represent unknown quantities and the first letters (e.g., a, b, c) to represent known quantities in algebraic equations, a convention still widely used today.
Descartes believed the universe was filled with whirlpools of ether. However, in 1619, he reached the profound conclusion that the universe possesses a fundamentally mathematical structure and that a single, universal method of reasoning could be applied to all natural sciences.
In 1633, while working on Treatise on The World, a book exploring the universe through a Copernican lens (accepting the Sun as the center), he learned of Galileo's condemnation for supporting this view. This event deeply impacted Descartes, leading him to abandon the work out of fear of similar repercussions. . Nevertheless, in 1637, he published parts of this work in three essays.
PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Descartes, a devout Catholic, rejected the traditional philosophical approach within the Church. He believed that geometry provided the ideal framework for all sciences and that the universe could be explained through mathematical principles. This "Cartesian" philosophy challenged the Aristotelian worldview that had dominated European thought for centuries, bringing renewed attention to the ideas of Plato.
Descartes' vision of a mechanical world filled with inanimate matter moving in determined patterns began to take shape in the late 1620s and early 1630s. This mechanistic worldview was most fully developed in his work Treatise on The World, which he wrote between 1629 and 1633.
Descartes famously declared, "On 10/11/1619, a young Descartes was lying on the banks of the Danube when he had a vision of a mechanic world filled with inanimate matter revolved in determined patterns." This experience solidified his belief in a universe governed by precise, mathematical laws.
For Descartes, God's existence was axiomatic. He argued that the human mind, being finite and imperfect, could not conceive of the idea of an infinite God unless that idea had been placed there by God Himself. He saw the universe as a mechanical system, set in motion by God, the ultimate cause.
Descartes' philosophy, however, did not escape criticism. Pascal famously remarked in his Pensées, "I cannot forgive Descartes; in all his philosophy he did his best to dispense with God, but he could not avoid making him set the world in motion with a flip of his thumb; after that he had no use for God."
This highlights a perceived tension in Descartes' thought, where God is invoked as the initial cause but then seemingly removed from the ongoing workings of the universe.
Descartes controversially located the human soul within the pineal gland, a small structure in the brain. This theory, while intriguing, met with skepticism when later scientists discovered that the pineal gland often calcifies in adults.
POLITICS Though primarily focused on philosophy and science, Descartes' ideas influenced the political sphere indirectly. His emphasis on reason and systematic doubt contributed to Enlightenment thinking, which later shaped revolutionary political ideologies.
SCANDAL Meditations argues that though we may be deceived into believing in false things at least we know that we ourselves exist. The church didn't like this and accused him of atheism.
MILITARY RECORD In 1617, Descartes enlisted in the Dutch and Bavarian armies, intending to pursue a military career. and served as a volunteer for several years. During his service, he encountered mathematician Isaac Beeckman, reigniting his fascination with mathematics.
René Descartes was present at the siege of La Rochelle in 1627, but he did not actively participate in the military operations. Instead, he attended as an observer1. During the siege, Descartes was interested in the physical properties of the great dike that Cardinal Richelieu was building and studied mathematically everything he saw.
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Descartes was a late riser who enjoyed meditating in a warm bed until 11:00 AM. However, this habit proved ill-suited to his time in Sweden, where Queen Christina insisted on early morning lessons. The cold, combined with his disrupted routine, led to pneumonia, which ultimately claimed his life.
HOMES In 1628, Descartes sold his properties in France and moved to the Netherlands to find a more studious atmosphere. He lived in a number of different cities including Amsterdam, Leiden and Utrecht for the next 20 years.
His correspondence reveals a preference for urban conveniences over rural isolation. "However perfect a country house may be, it will always lack an infinity of commodities which can only be found in the cities." Descartes letter to Guex de Balzac 1631
TRAVEL Descartes was an avid traveler, spending considerable time exploring different parts of Europe between 1620 and 1628.His travels included stays in Bohemia, Hungary, Germany, Holland, France, and Italy. Descartes particularly enjoyed his time in Venice, where he spent two years.
Descartes' travels included military campaigns, scientific exploration, and intellectual engagements. Notably, he visited Neuburg an der Donau in 1619, where a series of profound dreams inspired him to pursue a universal method of knowledge.
His final journey was to Sweden in 1649, where he became Queen Christina’s tutor.
DEATH Descartes passed away on February 11, 1650, in Stockholm, Sweden. He had been invited to tutor Queen Christina but succumbed to illness just a few months after his arrival. The harsh Swedish climate and the disruption to his usual routine caused by early morning lessons likely contributed to his demise. His last words were :
"My soul, though has long been held captive. The hour has now come for thee to quit thy prison, to leave the trammels of this body. Then to this separation with joy and courage!"
Officially, pneumonia was listed as the cause of death. Initially, he suffered from what seemed like pleurisy, but his condition deteriorated rapidly. Despite undergoing a bloodletting procedure three times in a single day, his fever worsened. Some believe he may have contracted pneumonia while caring for a sick French ambassador. However, the exact cause of death remains a subject of debate.
As a Catholic buried in Protestant Sweden, Descartes' initial resting place was far from ideal. He was laid to rest in a cemetery at Adolf Fredriks kyrka (church) primarily used for unbaptized infants.
Sixteen years later, in 1666, efforts were made to bring Descartes back to France. The French ambassador oversaw the exhumation and transportation of his remains. During this process, the ambassador kept Descartes' right index finger – the very finger believed to have penned his groundbreaking works – as a personal memento.
Descartes finally received a more befitting burial with great ceremony at the Church of Sainte-Geneviève-du-Mont in Paris in 1667. However, his journey wasn't over. During the French Revolution, plans were made to move him to the Panthéon, but they never came to fruition. Finally, in 1819, he found his permanent resting place at the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, where his tomb stands today.
APPEARANCES IN MEDIA His life and work have been referenced in numerous philosophical texts, documentaries, and artistic interpretations, solidifying his legacy as a thinker.
Descartes' famous quote "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am") is often parodied or referenced in pop culture, including comedy sketches, memes, and cartoons. The quote's simplicity makes it a frequent target for humorous reinterpretations.
The Cartesian Diver, a scientific toy named after Descartes, continues to appear in classrooms and science exhibits, indirectly perpetuating his legacy in educational settings.
Descartes is a common subject in memes that humorously reinterpret his philosophical statements, particularly his meditations on doubt and existence.
ACHIEVEMENTS Invented analytic geometry
Developed the philosophical method of systematic doubt
Authored influential works such as Meditations on First Philosophy and Discourse on the Method
Laid the groundwork for modern science and philosophy
Source (1) A Short Account of the History of Mathematics' (4th edition, 1908) by W. W. Rouse Ball
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