Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes was born March 31, 1596 in La Haye, Touraine. Descartes was the
son of a minor nobleman and belonged to a family that had produced a number of
learned men. At the age of eight, he was enrolled in the Jesuit school of La
Fleche in Anjou, where he remained for eight years. Besides the usual classical
studies, he received instruction in math and in Scholastic philosophy. Roman
Catholicism exerted a strong influence on Descartes throughout his life. Upon
graduation from school, he studied law at the University of Poitiers, graduating
in 1616. He never practiced law, however--in 1618 he entered the service of
Prince Maurice of Nassau at Breda, Netherlands, with the intention of following
a military career. In succeeding years Descartes served in other armies, but
his attention had already been attracted to the problems of mathematics and
philosophy to which he was to devote the rest of his life. He made a pilgrimage
to Italy in 1623-24, and......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 863
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |