René Descartes: Quick Facts

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Born	March 31, 1596 • France
Died	February 11, 1650 (aged 53) • Stockholm • Sweden
Notable Works	“La Géométrie” • “Letter to Voetius” • “Meditations on First Philosophy” • “Principles of Philosophy” • “Rules for the Direction of the Mind” • “The Discourse on Method” • “The Passions of the Soul” • “The World”
Subjects Of Study	Descartes’s rule of signs • a priori knowledge • certainty • cogito, ergo sum • extension • innate idea • interactionism • methodic doubt • mind-body dualism • ontological argument • philosophy
Role In	Battle of White Mountain • Scientific Revolution

In 1635 Descartes fathered a child, Francine, with a Dutch servant woman, Helena Jans van der Strom. Of Francine's death of scarlet fever at the age of five, Descartes wrote, "I am not one of those philosophers who think a man should not cry."
Descartes's mother died shortly after his first birthday.
Descartes's Meditations on First Philosophy, his best known work, included critical responses by eminent contemporaries, along with Descartes's replies.