René Descartes was a French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher born in 1596 in France and died in 1650 in Sweden. He is considered the father of modern philosophy for abandoning Aristotelianism and formulating mind-body dualism. He also promoted new science based on observation and experimentation. One of Descartes' most important legacies was developing Cartesian geometry which uses algebra to describe geometry. He invented representing unknowns with variables like x, y, z and knowns with letters like a, b, c. He also pioneered using exponents to show powers like x4. Descartes believed algebra was a method to automate reasoning, particularly about unknown quantities.
2. René Descartes
René Descartes (born on the 31 March 1596 in
France, died on the 11 February 1650 in Sweden) was
a French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher. He
was one of the first to abandon scholastic
Aristotelianism, because he formulated the first modern
version of mind-body dualism, from which stems the
mind-body problem, and because he promoted the
development of a new science grounded in observation
and experiment, he has been called the father of modern
philosophy.
4. René Descartes
One of Descartes' most enduring
legacies was his development of
Cartesian or analytic geometry, which
uses algebra to describe geometry.
Descartes invented the convention
of representing unknowns in
equations by x, y, and z, and knowns
by a, b, and c. He also pioneered the
standard notation that uses
superscripts to show the powers or
exponents; for example, the 4 used in
x4
to indicate squaring of squaring.
He was first to assign a fundamental
place for algebra in our system
of knowledge, and believed that
algebra was a method to automate or
mechanize reasoning, particularly
about abstract, unknown quantities.
5. Vocabulary
abandon -porzucić
Aristotelianism – teoria Arystotelesa
mind-body dualism/problem – związek
pomiędzy duchowością (mentalnością
/umysłem) a fizycznością
stem – rdzeń
development – rozwój
enduring – stały
legacies – spuścizna,dziedzictwo
the convention of representing unknows –
konwencja o przedstwieniu
niewiadomych
equations – równanie
notation – zapis, symbol
exponent – wykładnik potęgowy
indicate - oznacza
superscript – (dosł) – zapisany u góry,
indeks
assign – przydzielać
reasoning – rozumowanie
particularly – szczególnie
quantities – ilości, wielkości