René Descartes

René Descartes was a highly influential French philosopher, mathematician, scientist, and writer. He has been dubbed the "Father of Modern Philosophy" and the "Father of Modern Mathematics," and much of subsequent Western philosophy is a reaction to his writings, which have been closely studied from his time through the present day. His influence in mathematics is also apparent; the Cartesian coordinate system that is used in plane geometry and algebra being named for him and he was one of the key figures in the Scientific Revolution.