CARTES DEB,) in biography. Few persons have a higher claim to dis tinction than this philosopher ; we shall, therefore, in the pre..ont article, inter weave an account of his system with that of his life.
Des Cartes was a native of 'Fontaine, in France, and born in 1596. While a child, he discovered an eager curiosity to inquire into the nature and causes of things, which procured him the appella tion of the young philosopher. At eight years of age he was committed to the care of a Jesuit, under, whom he made very uncommon proficiency. He soon began to discover defects in existing sys tems, and hoped to be the means of giving to science a new and more pleas ing aspect. After spending five years in the study of the languages and polite literature in general, he entered upon a course of mathematics, logic, and morals, according to the methods by which they were then taught. With these he was so much disgusted, that he determined to frame for himself a brief system of rules or canons of reasoning, in which he fol lowed the strict method of the geome tricians. He pursued the same plan with respect to morals. After all, how ever, he was so little satisfied with his own attainments, that he left college, la menting that the fruits of eight years' study were only the full conviction, that as yet he knew nothing with perfect clear ness and certainty. He even threw aside his books, with a resolution to pursue no other knowledge, than that which he could find within himself and in the great volume of nature. At the age of seven teen he was sent to Faris, where the love of pleasure, for a moment, seemed to overcome all desire of philosophical dis tinction, but an introduction to some learned men recalled his attention to ma thematical studies : these he again prose cuted in solitude and silence for the space of two years, after which he enter ed as a volunteer in the Dutch army, in order that he might study the living world as well as read books. In this situation he wrote a dissertation to prove that brutes are automata. From the Dutch army Des
Cartes passed over to the Bavarian service, but wherever he went he conversed with learned men, and rather appeared in the character of a philosopher than that of a soldier. In 1622 he quitted the army, returned to his own country, with no other profit, he said, than that he had freed himself from many prejudices, and rendered his mind more fit for the recep tion.of truth. He fixed his residence at Paris, and began to study the mathema tics, in hopes of discovering general prin ciples of relations, measures, and propor tions, applicable to all subjects, by means of which truth might with certainty be investigated, and the limits of knowledge enlarged. From mathematics he turned 3iis attention to ethical inquiries, and at tempted to raise a superstructure of mo rals upon the foundation of natural sci ence, conceiving that there could be no better means of discovering the true prin ciples and rules of action, than by con templating our own nature,and the nature of the world around us. As the result of these inquiries, he wrote a treatise on the passions. After some time spent in Italy, he went in pursuit of knowledge, he returned again to Paris, and from thence he went to Holland, with a view of raising a new system of philosophy. Here he chose retirement, as the best means of forwarding the plans which he hoped to execute. He employed himself in investigating a proof from reason, inde pendently of revelation, of the fundamen tal principles of religion, and published " Philosophical Meditations on the First Philosophy." At the same time he pur sued his physical inquiries, and published a treatise " On Meteors." He paid con siderable attention to medicine, anatomy, and chemistry ; and wrote also an astro nomical treatise on the system of the world, which he suppressed, upon hear ing of the vile and infamous treatment that Galileo had met with for his dis cussions on the same subject. See GA LILEO.