Grace and Grandpa’s Paris Visit 5 – Descartes
Grandpa’s Thoughts
Why do French debaters and writers exasperate you so much? Because they were stuffed full of philosophy (including techniques of arguing) in high school.
The chief culprit was 17th-century polymath (fancy word for know-it-all) René Descartes, who stripped down problems to their core, then reassembled the pieces in an irresistible, coherent sequence. So, at least, claim the “philo” profs who, to Anglo ears, often sound as though they are putting, well, Descartes before the horse…
Gracie’s Impressions
‘I think, therefore I am’.
Yes, we visited M. René Descartes, the famous philosopher and mathematician who invented the Cartesian coordinate system. His house, nestled near Place de la Contrescarpe in the 5e, is near Ernest Hemingway’s apartment.Passing by, you can see a plaque saying the dates of the philosopher and what he is famous for!
And for the French, he is famous for
‘Je pense, donc je suis’.
But is he wrong? Is life just a dream?