René Descartes, the 17th century French philosopher whose mind was at work at the height of the Scientific Revolution, was a cornerstone philosopher whose ideas have stood the test of time. Although he is best known for being the creator of the XYZ cartesian coordinate system, geometry as we know it, and the bedrock for calculus, Descartes was much more than just a mathematical genius. Descartes was obsessed with the nature of knowledge and how we come to both acquire it and confirm its truth. “How do we know anything is true?” is his most notable inquiry. This train of thought eventually leads Descartes to question and investigate the existence and nature of God. Ultimately he concludes “I think, therefore I am” : the quote at the top of my “Thoughts” page.
I like drilling too much into theory and overthinking cosmic and practically useless things too! And after discovering that we have the same Myers-Briggs personality type, I figured I’d look into this notable INTP alum. Let’s explore some of Descartes’ work.
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