René Descartes

Hello! My name is René Descartes. I was born on March 31st, 1596, in a small town in France. Even as a little boy, my mind was always buzzing with questions about the world. I would ask 'Why?' about everything! I was not a very strong child and often stayed in bed, which gave me lots of quiet time to read, dream, and think.

When I was old enough, around the year 1607, I went to a wonderful school called La Flèche. I loved learning, especially math, because the answers were always clear and true, like a perfect puzzle. But with other subjects, I felt like I couldn't be one hundred percent sure about what I was being taught. It made me wonder how anyone could know if something was really true. After I finished school, I decided to travel and learn from the 'great book of the world' instead. I wanted to find a way to know things for certain, all by myself.

One day, while I was thinking, I had a big thought. What if everything I thought I knew was just a dream? How could I be sure of anything at all? I decided to doubt everything I could. But then, I realized something amazing! Even if I was doubting, I had to exist to do the doubting. I was thinking! This led to my most famous idea: 'I think, therefore I am.' This one sure thing was my starting point for understanding the world. In 1637, I shared this idea in my book, 'Discourse on the Method.' I also invented a new way to use numbers to describe shapes and find places on a map, which we now call the Cartesian coordinate system.

Later in my life, I traveled to Sweden to teach a queen about my ideas. I lived to be 53 years old. Today, people call me the 'Father of Modern Philosophy' because I encouraged everyone to ask big questions and use their own minds to find the answers. The coordinate system I invented is still used in math, in creating maps, and even in making your favorite video games!