> Which philosopher declared, "I think, therefore I am?"And the answer: René Descartes.Illustration of French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist René DescartesBorn in 1596, Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist,and considered one of the founders of modern philosophy. He thought that, if hedoubted his own existence, then something must be doing the doubting. Heconcluded that the very fact that he doubted proved his existence.Descartes was born into a modest rank of nobility that ultimately allowed him tomove freely throughout social class and across space. He grew to be a pensive,withdrawn man, and after completing studies in France took to travel acrossEurope and the Netherlands, residing wherever he could find solitude. Throughouthis teenage years and deep into adulthood, Descartes wrote prolifically.Personal pages, meditations, theories and theses (many of which have been lostto time) were all common creations of this young philosopher and mathematician.By the age of 25, Descartes had already devised a universal method of deductivereasoning. Descartes' influence comes in many ways from his dependence on rational thoughtas a means of truth. As a rationalist, Descartes believed reason was the bestguide for belief and action, and reason could be derived out of innate, humanlogic. This was largely disparate belief for other philosophers of Descartes'time. Most others (especially in France's then-homogenous religious state)relied upon God to find truth, often appealing their own logic to religiousvirtues. While Descartes was raised with religion, his philosophy of rationalthought accepted God as omnipotent and argued that if he could picture Him asperfect, He was. The convergence of theology and rational thought is a primaryreason that his meditations continue to be studied by philosophers andhistorians alike. By viewing the world's problems as the misuse of human thoughtin the existence of a perfect God, he surmised that such problems could bedissected and dealt with accordingly. Descartes was monumentally influential to the world of modern philosophy andmathematics. Check out the video below to learn more about Descartes' life andteachings.