Editing René Descartes (section)

===Early life===
[[File:Maison de René DESCARTES - Jean-Charles GUILLO.JPG|thumb|The house where Descartes was born in [[Descartes, Indre-et-Loire|La Haye en Touraine]]]]

René Descartes was born in [[Descartes, Indre-et-Loire|La Haye en Touraine]], [[Touraine|Province of Touraine]] (now [[Descartes, Indre-et-Loire|Descartes]], [[Indre-et-Loire]]), France, on 31 March 1596.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Math and Mathematicians: The History of Math Discoveries Around the World; Vol. 1|last=Bruno|first=Leonard C.|author-link=Leonard C. Bruno|date=2003|orig-year=1999|publisher=U X L|others=Baker, Lawrence W.|isbn=978-0-7876-3813-9|location=Detroit, Mich.|page=[https://archive.org/details/mathmathematicia00brun/page/99 99]|oclc=41497065|url=https://archive.org/details/mathmathematicia00brun|url-access=registration}}</ref>  In May 1597, his mother Jeanne Brochard, died a few days after giving birth to a still-born child.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cartesian-metaphysics/scepticism-scholasticism-and-the-origins-of-descartess-philosophy/8D76D0E0D4307ADA49F5AB6DF30BB060 |title=Scepticism, Scholasticism, and the origins of Descartes's philosophy (Chapter 2) |chapter=Scepticism, Scholasticism, and the origins of Descartes's philosophy |date=2000 |pages=27–54 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511487309.004 |isbn=978-0521452915 |access-date=22 August 2022 |archive-date=22 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822064758/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cartesian-metaphysics/scepticism-scholasticism-and-the-origins-of-descartess-philosophy/8D76D0E0D4307ADA49F5AB6DF30BB060 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2" /> Descartes's father, Joachim, was a member of the [[Parlement of Rennes]] at [[Rennes]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Rodis-Lewis |first=Geneviève |chapter=Descartes' Life and the Development of His Philosophy |editor-last=Cottingham |editor-first=John |editor-link=John Cottingham |title=The Cambridge Companion to Descartes |year=1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-36696-0 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Prhr9FBdQ_MC |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Prhr9FBdQ_MC&pg=PA22 22] |access-date=27 January 2016 |archive-date=1 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201123550/https://books.google.com/books?id=Prhr9FBdQ_MC |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|22}} René lived with his grandmother and with his great-uncle. Although the Descartes family was Roman Catholic, the [[Poitou]] region was controlled by the Protestant [[Huguenots]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://all-history.org/world_literature/descartes1.htm |title=All-history.org |access-date=23 December 2014 |archive-date=29 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129035839/http://all-history.org/world_literature/descartes1.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1607, late because of his fragile health, he entered the [[Jesuit]] [[Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand]] at [[La Flèche]],{{sfn|Clarke|2006|}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Descartes, Rene {{!}} Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy|url=https://iep.utm.edu/descarte/|access-date=27 July 2021|language=en-US|archive-date=28 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528030333/https://iep.utm.edu/descarte/|url-status=live}}</ref> where he was introduced to mathematics and physics, including [[Galileo]]'s work.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Bruno|first=Leonard C.|url=https://archive.org/details/mathmathematicia00brun|title=Math and Mathematicians: The History of Math Discoveries Around the World; Vol. 1|date=2003|publisher=U X L|others=Baker, Lawrence W.|isbn=978-0-7876-3813-9|location=Detroit, Mich.|page=[https://archive.org/details/mathmathematicia00brun/page/100 100]|oclc=41497065|orig-year=1999|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Porter|first1=Roy|title=The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity from Antiquity to the Present|publisher=Harper Collins|year=1999|isbn=978-0-00-637454-1|location=Great Britain|page=217|chapter=The New Science|author-link=Roy Porter|orig-year=1997}}</ref> While there, Descartes first encountered hermetic mysticism. After graduation in 1614, he studied for two years (1615–16) at the [[University of Poitiers]], earning a ''[[Baccalauréat]]'' and ''[[Licentiate (degree)|Licence]]'' in [[Canon law|canon]] and [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] in 1616,<ref name=":3" /> in accordance with his father's wishes that he should become a lawyer.<ref>{{cite book |last2=Kaufmann |first2=Walter |last1=Baird |first1=Forrest E. |title=From Plato to Derrida |publisher=Pearson Prentice Hall |year=2008 |location=Upper Saddle River, New Jersey |pages=373–77 |isbn=978-0-13-158591-1 }}</ref> From there, he moved to Paris.

[[File:DescartesGraduationRegistry.JPG|thumb|Graduation registry for Descartes at the [[University of Poitiers]], 1616]]
In ''[[Discourse on the Method]]'', Descartes recalls:<ref>Descartes. [1637] 2011. ''[[Discourse on the Method]]''. Zhubei: Hyweb Technology. [https://books.google.com/books?id=N04dAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT20 pp. 20–21] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816214234/https://books.google.com/books?id=N04dAwAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&hl=cs&pg=PT20 |date=16 August 2021 }}.</ref>{{rp|20–21}}
<blockquote>I entirely abandoned the study of letters. Resolving to seek no knowledge other than that of which could be found in myself or else in the great book of the world, I spent the rest of my youth traveling, visiting courts and armies, mixing with people of diverse temperaments and ranks, gathering various experiences, testing myself in the situations which fortune offered me, and at all times reflecting upon whatever came my way to derive some profit from it.</blockquote>