René Descartes
French philosopher and mathematician who founded modern Western philosophy with his method of radical doubt and the famous cogito ('I think, therefore I am'). He separated mind and body in a dualism that defined subsequent philosophical debate. His Meditations remains the most read work of early modern philosophy.
Works
- Meditations on First PhilosophyFoundational philosophical work establishing methodical doubt and thinking substance
- Discourse on the MethodExposition of Descartes' philosophical method and mechanical worldview
- Principles of PhilosophySystematic exposition of Cartesian physics and metaphysical principles
- Rules for the Direction of the MindEarly methodological treatise on right reasoning and intellectual self-discipline
- The WorldDescartes' mechanistic account of physical universe and natural phenomena