RenÉ Descartes’ lifeMs. Berolini

December 11, 2014

Objectives• 1) Students will be able to identify the major

personal events that shaped Descartes’ Life by completing the handout that accompanies the PowerPoint.

• 2) Students will be able to recall key facts about the Scientific Revolution by participating in the group work and carousel activities.

Guiding Question• What were the major personal and historical

events and ideas that shaped Descartes’ life?

RenÉ Descartes

1596-1650

Early Life• Born in France in 1596

to middle class parents

• His mother died soon after his birth and he and his siblings went to live with their maternal grandmother

• He was prone to sickness as a child

Schooling• Began attending Jesuit

college at La Fleche when he was around eight years old • Received a liberal arts

education and took classes in: rhetoric, grammar, mathematics, and philosophy

• Obtained a degree from the University of Poiters

Jesuit College at La Fleche

Travels• 1618 Descartes volunteered to join the army of

Maurice of Nassau and traveled to the Netherlands • Meets Isaac Beekman revives Descartes’ interest in

math and science

• 1620 during his travels Descartes’ had a series of dreams that motivated him to find a new method for scientific discovery

• 1629 began writing various scientific, mathematical, and philosophical works in Sweden

• Corresponded with notable figures including Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia and Queen Christina of Sweden

Meditations on first Philosophy

• The first edition was published in 1641 and a second edition was published in 1642

• Some Christian thinkers accused his writings of unorthodoxy • Descartes published

letters to counter these accusations

The Scientific Revolution

• Descartes was greatly influenced by the thought associated with the Scientific Revolution and contributed to the movement himself

• Major Figures and Developments: • 1550-1700• Depart from Aristotelian Thought and the Geocentric

Model • Copernicus

• Heliocentric Model • Galileo • Kepler • Newton

Questions?

Group-Work InstructionsStudents will engage in group-work to research the Scientific-Revolution that occurred during Descartes’ time and to which he contributed. The teacher will divide the class into groups of four students assigning each student to a specific group. Students will use their textbooks and other handouts provided by the teacher to work together to outline the Scientific Revolution considering the questions 1. What were the main facts that characterized the Scientific Revolution? 2. Why was the Scientific Revolution important? Groups will write their responses on a large piece of paper provided by the teacher and all students should contribute to the outline. Groups are expected to work quietly and productively. After creating the outlines, the groups will rotate in a clockwise fashion to view other groups’ outlines. While reading the other groups’ outlines, students will write feedback on the other groups’ outlines and note facts they found to be important or interesting. The teacher will instruct the students as to when they should rotate and each group will spend 2 minutes looking at the outline of another group. Students are expected to leave respectful and appropriate responses on other groups’ papers. Questions?