René Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist whose work was foundational to mathematics and modern philosophy. He connected the previously separate fields of geometry and algebra into analytic geometry and introduced a systematic method of inquiry that became influential in early modern philosophy. He made major contributions to epistemology and philosophy of mind as well as metaphysics, and influenced the development of modern science. March 31, 1596 – February 11, 1650; died at 53. Alive at the same time as William Shakespeare, Rembrandt, Blaise Pascal, Louis XIV of France, and Miguel de Cervantes. Wiki link