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René Descartes (pronounced "day-KART") was born in the small farming village of La Haye in the province of Touraine, France. His mother died a few days after his birth. Descartes inherited a feeble constitution, and so he remained at home until he was eight years of age. He then attended a Jesuit school, the Collège de La Flêche. At school, Descartes's talents were immediately recognized. Because of his poor health, he was allowed to remain in bed in the mornings until he felt well enough to attend class. Descartes's formal schooling ended at the age of sixteen, at which point he returned home for a year. His father, a successful councillor to the Parlement of Rennes, Brittany, decided that Descartes should complete his education in Paris. Descartes obtained a law degree from the University of Poitiers at the age of twenty in order to please his father, but he never practiced law. Instead, since his family was well-to-do, he traveled freely throughout Europe from 1616 to 1628, serving part of that time as a gentleman soldier in the armies of the Netherlands, Bavaria, Hungary, and France although never in combat. His health improved when he entered the army and remained good for the rest of his life. This change had no effect, however, on his habit of staying in bed throughout the morning, which he continued to the last year of his life. Descartes, who is often considered the founder of modern philosophy, discarded the traditional theological worldview. During the years that he traveled throughout Europe, he became convinced that there was very little knowledge which should not be questioned (except for mathematics). He then formulated a method for discovering truth. He claimed that all knowledge should be accepted only after it has been submitted to rational criticism. This view is now the basis of modern mathematics and physics. INSET: René Descartes. |
