The Father of Western Philosophy: Rene Descartes

In years past, learning about the works of Rene Descartes would have been considered an integral part of any formal education. However, as higher educational institutions lean more towards moving away from philosophy as the base of the learning tree in recent years, less and less is learned about Descartes, and there is now a great deal of Rene Descartes trivia unknown by students. Learning just enough about this great thinker to perhaps pass a Rene Descartes quiz is a great way to gain a better familiarity with one of the most important minds in history.

Although Descartes is known greatly for his contributions to philosophy, he was also an important student of mathematics, geometry, and science. There are many different things that people attribute to Descartes, but by and large he is known mostly as being the father of western philosophy. Although it might not be part of every students education, his Meditations on First Philosophy is still certainly among the most important works that are taught in philosophy classes.

The most important piece of Rene Descartes trivia revolves around a saying that almost every person has heard someone speak at one time or another. “I think therefore I am” is a quote that most people have heard, but not everyone knows that this saying originated with Rene Descartes.  The original was written in French, Descartes native language, and was “Ja Pense, donc je suis” and some feel that it might be more accurately translated as, “I am thinking, therefore I exist”.  This might be his most famous statement, but many people need to know that he contributed strongly to other fields, such as by beginning the path in mathematics that would eventually lead to the development of calculus.

Since many people know more about his contributions to philosophy than to Mathematics, it is interesting to examine the questions that might arise on a Rene Descartes quiz that relate to his mathematic discoveries.  Simple things like the use of a raised number (or superscript) to denote an exponent or the squaring or cubing of a figure have their origins in Descartes, as do much more complicated theories such as that surrounding the tangent line problem, which would later provide the foundation for Newton to build upon in his own work.  

It is important to not forget his philosophical work though, which would found the future of science by building a philosophical basis from which to study those sciences.