René Descartes

also Renatus Cartesius

(1596 – 1650)

French philosopher and mathematician.

With his great rationalist system, he laid the foundations of modern thinking. His methodical scepsis gave rise to the self-assuredly thinking ‘I’, clearly and lucid resting on perception. He was brought closer to Comenius by his system-creating efforts at perceiving the whole world, and differed from him in his more emphatic leaning towards a modern, mechanistic natural science and the division of philosophy from theology. Comenius’ more traditionalistic anchoring in order and panharmony shows several priorities in opposition to Descartes mechanism, and blunt contraposition of subject and object.

Selected works:

Discours de la méthode, 1637

Meditationes de prima philosophia, 1641

Principia philosophiae, 1644