René Descartes was a French 17th century philosopher, famous above all for saying “I think therefore I am,” but worthy of our attention for many reasons beyond this. What makes him stand out is that he was a fierce rationalist. In an age when many philosophers still backed up their arguments with appeals to God, Descartes trusted in nothing more than the human power of logic.

Trust in Reason

This is how he defiantly kicked off his book Rules for the Direction of the Mind:

“I shall bring to light the true riches of our souls, opening up to each of us the means whereby we, confined within ourselves, without any help from anyone else, all the knowledge that we may need for the conduct of life.”

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