Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
René Descartes
Table of Contents
Quotes References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
René Descartes
French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes
René Descartes logarithmic spiral The French mathematician René Descartes (1596–1650) demonstrated that the square root of any line segment could be constructed by the simple, but ingenious, addition of a line segment with unit length.
For Students
René Descartes
René Descartes summary
Quizzes
Agathon (centre) greeting guests in "Plato's Symposium" oil on canvas by Anselm Feuerbach, 1869; in the Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Philosophy 101
Related Questions
Read Next
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), German philosopher. Print published in London, 1812. Profile portrait surrounded by Ouroboros ancient Egyptian-Greek symbolic serpent with tail in mouth devouring itself representing unity of material and spiritual in eternal...
Philosophers to Know, Part II
Spiral Galaxy type Sa-Sb or Sa/Sb in the constellation Virgo. The majestic Sombrero Galaxy Messier 104 (M104) or NGC 4594. The team took six pictures of the galaxy, stitched them together to create the final composite image. Photo from May-June 2003
9 Britannica Articles That Explain the Meaning of Life
Aristotle (384-322 BC), Ancient Greek philosopher and scientist. One of the most influential philosophers in the history of Western thought, Aristotle established the foundations for the modern scientific method of enquiry. Statue
Philosophers to Know, Part I
Battle of Fleurus (June 16, 1794), the most significant battle in the First Coalition phase of the French Revolutionary Wars; by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse, 19th century.
What Led to France’s Reign of Terror?
Discover
King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)
9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes
Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan
6 Animals That Eat Their Mates
Ethel Rosenberg arrested in August 1950. Photograph dated Aug. 8, 1950. American civilians executed for espionage. Spies, communists, Julius Rosenberg
Spies Like Us: 10 Famous Names in the Espionage Game
Hemp (Cannabis sativa).
9 Mind-Altering Plants
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) standing on rock, side view, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
The Fastest Animals on Earth
The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.
26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History
US Marines firing at Fallujah, Iraq, during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004. Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq War.
Timeline of the 2000s

René Descartes: Media

French mathematician and philosopher

Videos

French mathematician and philosopher René Descartes
Questions and answers about French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher René...
Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Images

René Descartes
René Descartes.
National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland
René Descartes
René Descartes, oil on oak by Frans Hals, c. 1649; in the National Gallery of Denmark.
Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark); www.smk.dk (Public domain)
logarithmic spiral
The logarithmic, or equiangular, spiral was first studied by René Descartes in 1638....
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The French mathematician René Descartes (1596–1650) demonstrated that the square...
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
VIEW MORE in these related Britannica articles: