Rene Descartes

Rene Descartes
René Descarteswas a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Dubbed the father of modern western philosophy, much of subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day. He spent about 20 years of his life in the Dutch Republic...
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth31 March 1596
CityIndre-et-Loire, France
humorous men common-sense
Common sense is the most widely shared commodity in the world, for every man is convinced that he is well supplied with it.
math science discovery
I hope that posterity will judge me kindly, not only as to the things which I have explained, but also to those which I have intentionally omitted so as to leave to others the pleasure of discovery.
hate care seduction
It's the familiar love-hate syndrome of seduction: "I don't really care what it is I say, I care only that you like it."
men animal thorough-knowledge
If we possessed a thorough knowledge of all the parts of the seed of any animal (e.g. man), we could from that alone, be reasons entirely mathematical and certain, deduce the whole conformation and figure of each of its members, and, conversely if we knew several peculiarities of this conformation, we would from those deduce the nature of its seed.
chance free-will
If I go for the alternative which is false, then obviously I shall be in error; if I take the other side, then it is by... chance that I arrive at the truth, and I shall still be at fault.... In this incorrect use of free will may be found the privation which constitutes the essence of error.
trust deceived-us hype
The senses deceive from time to time, and it is prudent never to trust wholly those who have deceived us even once.
encouragement hard-work intellectual
For each of us there is a set limit to our intellectual powers which we cannot pass.
passion love-is two
A person has two passions for love and abhorrence. A big disposition to excessiveness has just a love, because it is more ardent and stronger.
body reason attributes
It is to the body alone that we should attribute everything that can be observed in us to oppose our reason.
life world might
And I shall always hold myself more obliged to those by whose favour I enjoy uninterrupted leisure than to any who might offer me the most honourable positions in the world.
dream ideas mind
Even if I were to suppose that I was dreaming and whatever I saw or imagined was false, yet I could not deny that ideas were truly in my mind.
learning caring order
In order to improve the mind, we ought less to learn, than to contemplate.
philosophical probability probable-cause
Variant: When it is not in our power to follow what is true, we ought to follow what is most probable.
running mind progress
The greatest minds, as they are capable of the highest excellencies, are open likewise to the greatest aberrations; and those who travel very slowly may yet make far greater progress, provided they keep always to the straight road, than those who, while they run, forsake it.