“Cogito, ergo sum” – “I think, therefore I am” – is probably the most famous line ever uttered by a philosopher, and likely the only Latin some Americans know. So today, on what would have been the ...

In 1644, the French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician René Descartes formulated several “laws of nature,” which helped lay the groundwork for classical physics and the Scientific Revolution.

Margaret C. Jacob is the author of numerous books, including "Scientific Culture and the Making of the Industrial West." She is a professor of history at UCLA and a member of the American ...

This paper explores the interaction between medicine and metaphysics in modern natural philosophy and especially in Descartes' philosophy. I argue that Descartes' hypothetical account of birthmarks in ...

As we know, Descartes died (1650), but his ideas haven't disappeared. Today we can argue that Descartes' brilliant thinking undergirds much of modernity's individualism, an approach to life that, ...

In 1644, the French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician René Descartes formulated several “laws of nature,” which helped lay the groundwork for classical physics and the Scientific Revolution.