Rene Descartes

René Descartes, born on March 31, 1596, in La Haye en Touraine, France, was a prominent French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, often dubbed the "father of modern philosophy." Descartes' early education was rooted in Jesuit learning at the Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand at La Flèche, where he developed a foundational interest in mathematics and philosophy. He later obtained a law degree from the University of Poitiers.

Descartes is best known for his philosophical statement, "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"), which became a cornerstone of Western philosophy. His work, "Meditations on First Philosophy," published in 1641, systematically deconstructed previous knowledge and sought to establish a new foundational certainty.

In mathematics, Descartes made significant contributions, including the Cartesian coordinate system, which bridged algebra and Euclidean geometry and is foundational to modern analytical geometry. His treatise "La Géométrie," published in 1637, introduced this system and influenced the development of calculus.

Throughout his life, Descartes lived and worked in various European countries, including the Netherlands and Sweden. He spent his final years in Stockholm as a tutor to Queen Christina of Sweden. René Descartes died on February 11, 1650, in Stockholm, leaving a lasting legacy in multiple fields of intellectual inquiry.