“The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of past centuries.”  

Born: 31 March 1596 · La Haye en Touraine, Touraine, Kingdom of France (now Descartes, Indre-et-Loire)

Died: 11 February 1650 (aged 53) · Stockholm, Swedish Empire

Education: Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand (1607–1614) · University of Poitiers (LL.B., 1616) · University of Franeker (no degree) · Leiden University (no degree)

Children: Francine Descartes

Era: 17th Century · Age of Enlightenment

Region: Western philosophy · Dutch philosophy · French philosophy

School: Rationalism · Cartesianism · Mechanism · Innatism · Foundationalism · Conceptualism · Augustinianism · Indirect realism · Correspondence theory of truth · Corpuscularianism · Theological voluntarism

ThesisUntitled LL.B. thesis (1616)

Major contributions of René Descartes  include:

• Developing a philosophical system that includes a method of inquiry, metaphysics, mechanical physics and biology, and an account of human psychology.

• Inventing the Cartesian coordinate system and developing analytic geometry.

• Formulating laws of nature and a conservation principle of motion.

• Studying the reflection and refraction of light and the angular radius of a rainbow.

• Constructing a popular theory of planetary motion.

Problem/events that influence René Descartes' mathematical ideas:

René Descartes' mathematical ideas were influenced by a combination of personal experiences and the intellectual climate of his time. Living during the early stages of the scientific revolution, Descartes was deeply motivated by the need for more rigorous mathematical methods to explain the natural world. The age of exploration, with its demand for improved navigation techniques and precise calculations in astronomy and cartography, played a key role in shaping his work. Descartes also drew inspiration from the works of ancient Greek mathematicians like Euclid, but he sought to improve upon their methods by integrating algebra with geometry. This led to his development of the Cartesian coordinate system, which allowed geometric problems to be expressed and solved algebraically. His dissatisfaction with traditional scholastic philosophy, which he felt was too reliant on Aristotelian logic, also pushed him to create a new, more systematic approach to knowledge that emphasized deductive reasoning and mathematical precision. These challenges, combined with his interest in understanding the physical world, particularly in areas like optics and mechanics, motivated Descartes to apply mathematical reasoning to explain natural phenomena. This blend of philosophy and mathematics culminated in Descartes' groundbreaking contributions to analytic geometry, which transformed the way mathematics was applied in both theory and practice.

His Impact on the modern mathematics: 

René Descartes’ impact on modern mathematics is monumental, particularly through his development of analytic geometry, which revolutionized the way mathematics is used to describe the physical world. By combining algebra and geometry, Descartes introduced the Cartesian coordinate system, which allows geometric shapes to be represented as algebraic equations and vice versa. This laid the foundation for much of modern mathematics, including calculus, which relies heavily on the concepts of coordinates and functions. Descartes' use of coordinates in geometry also made it possible to model and solve complex problems in multiple dimensions, a concept crucial to fields such as physics, engineering, and computer science. His emphasis on deductive reasoning and the application of algebra to geometric problems further advanced the mathematical methods that are central to modern science and technology. Descartes' work also contributed to the development of calculus and the broader field of mathematical analysis, influencing later mathematicians like Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. His blending of algebra and geometry continues to shape the way mathematics is taught and applied in various disciplines today.