In the field of philosophy, science and mathematics there was one influential person who became prevalent on his time. He was known to be one of the geniuses in the 17th century. He was eminent for his contribution to the methodization of “Analytical Geometry”. He was also recognized as the “Father of Modern Philosophy.” His name was Rene Descartes (1596-1650). He was a French philosopher, mathematician and scientist.
In his early life, Descartes was born in Indre-et-Loire, France. He was the son of a minor nobleman and belonged to an erudite family. By the age of eight he was enrolled in the Jesuit school of La Fleche in Anjou, where he lingered for eight years. Aside the traditional lessons, Descartes obtain training in mathematics and in
However, he never practiced law but in 1618 he was drafted in the Army of Prince Maurice of Nassau, front-runner of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. In the subsequent eons Descartes assisted in other defense force but his sole mind and heart was already been pull towards to the predicament of mathematics and philosophy to which he severely dedicate the remaining of his existence. Dutch mathematician Isaac Beeckman was the one to persuade Descartes to pursue his education. In 1623 to 1624 from Italy, Descartes made a pilgrimage and disbursed the years 1624 to 1628 in France. Upon his stay at France, he dedicated himself to the study of philosophy and also carry out trials in the science of optics. In his first year of deferment in Netherlands, Descartes wrote his first major work, Essais philosophiques (Philosophical Essays), published in 1637. The composition enclosed with four parts: an essay on geometry, another on optics, a third on meteors and Discours de la method (Discourse on Method) which expressed and illustrated his philosophical conjecture. This was trailed by other philosophical works, amidst them Meditationes de Prima Philosophia
He accentuated the significance of skepticism in thought and suggested the idea that existence has a dual nature: one physical, the other one is mental. He endeavored to exploit the rational inductive methods of science and particularly of mathematics to philosophy. In the previous years, philosophy had been subjugated by Scholasticism, combining religious dogma with the mystical and intuitional tradition of patristic philosophy, by comparing and contrasting the opinions of the experts. Declining this scheme Descartes specified “In our search for the direct road to truth, we should busy ourselves with no object about which we cannot attain a certitude equal to that of the demonstration of arithmetic and geometry.” He consequently concluded to hold nothing true until he had found grounds for believing it true. The sole sure fact from which his inquiry began was expressed by him in the renowned words Cogito, ergo sum, “I think therefore I Am.” According to Descartes, ethics was a science, the ultimate and most perfect of them. Just like the remaining of science, ethics had its derivation in metaphysics. Prior to his supposition, he contended for the existence of God, he scrutinized the place of man in nature, articulated the theory of mind-body dualism and defended free