# Rene Descartes

## Biography

René Descartes, born in La Haye en Touraine, France, in 1596, was a pivotal figure in the Scientific Revolution, renowned as a philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Educated at the Jesuit College of La Flèche, he later earned a law degree before dedicating himself to a systematic pursuit of knowledge. His influential works, including "Discourse on the Method" and "Meditations on First Philosophy," laid foundational principles for modern Western philosophy. Descartes is celebrated for his philosophical statement, "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"), which served as a starting point for his method of doubt and rational inquiry. He also made significant contributions to mathematics, notably developing analytic geometry and the Cartesian coordinate system. Descartes spent much of his productive life writing in the Netherlands, initiating revolutions in both philosophy and mathematics. He died in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1650.

## Books

- [Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences](https://samolit.com/books/95993)