The Birth and Early Life of Descartes on Superphysics

Descartes Family

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Philosophers are like the saints of God’s Church.

The Early Life of Descartes

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If one had delayed longer in carefully gathering the circumstances of the life of M. Descartes, it would surely have happened to him, concerning the place of his birth, as has been published regarding Homer, whose birthplace was claimed by seven different cities, owing to the uncertainty caused by the negligence with which his life had been written. In the course of time, various towns of Touraine, of Poitou, and of Brittany would have attributed to themselves the glory of having seen our philosopher born within their walls. Already, Sieur Borel had written that he was born in the town of Châtellerault in Poitou. Sieur Crasso had already asserted that it was in the château of Perron—he calls it Perri, and places it, wrongly, on the borders of Brittany and Poitou. And many, following an opinion quite commonly spread throughout the world, believed him to be a native of Rennes in Brittany.

Rene Descartes' Siblings

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Descartes was baptised on April 3 or the 4th day of his life.

He was held at the font by his maternal uncle René Brochard, Sieur des Fontaines, magistrate-judge at Poitiers, together with Michel Ferrand, lieutenant general at Châtellerault.

Early Studies

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The weakness of his constitution and the instability of his health obliged him to leave the child for a long time under the care of women.

The Close Friends of Descartes

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Among the advantages of life in colleges, one finds the opportunities they offer for forming connections and habits with those who share the same community of studies and daily life.

Physics and Metaphysics

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Descartes was even less satisfied with the Physics and Metaphysics taught him the following year than he had been with Logic and Morality.

Descartes Goes to Holland

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Descartes spent 9 years uprooting all the errors that had crept into his mind.

During this time, he did not take sides on the opinions that divided scholars and philosophers.

He claims that if he contributed anything to this opinion by his remarks, it was only by more candidly admitting his ignorance than those who have studied a little are accustomed to doing, and by showing the reasons he had for doubting many things that others consider certain. But the goodness of his heart did not allow him to tolerate being taken for someone he was not, and he believed he had to make every effort to become worthy of the reputation he was being given. –>

How Descartes completes his course of Philosophy and learns Mathematics

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How Descartes completes his course of Philosophy and learns Mathematics

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The kingdom was then divided by the parties formed between the princes and some lords on the one hand, and those who had the administration of affairs on the other; and public peace was troubled by a civil war which was considered the third of its kind since the death of King Henry IV.

Descartes at Breda

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Descartes was among troops who seemed to be employed only against the Spanish.

He did not have much part in the movements that were made in the interior of Holland during that time, regarding the religious controversies that arose between the Arminians and the Gomarists.

Descartes' Lost Works

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While Descartes was dividing his time between military and philosophical exercises in Breda, the Prince of Orange was using all of his on the movements given to him by the Arminians in several cities of the United Provinces.

Descartes in Frankfurt

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Descartes left Breda in July of the year 1619 to go to Maastricht, and from there to Aachen, where he learned the state of affairs in Germany and the preparations that this city was accustomed to making for the coronation of emperors.

The Death of Emperor Matthias

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The troubles stirred up in Bohemia came from the vain hope that the Hussites and other Protestants of the kingdom had of being able to shake off the yoke of the House of Austria.

Descartes in Ulm

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After the conclusion of the Treaty of Ulm, the French ambassadors went to the Danube on July 6 and arrived in Vienna on July 20.

The Duke of Bavaria withdrew his troops from Swabia to lead them into Upper Austria to serve the Emperor.