Descartes: A Biography

c CUNYB/Clarke     December, :

 Descartes: A Biography

selling properties that he had inherited from his maternal grandmother,

Jeanne Sain, from his mother, and from his aunt, Jeanne Brochard. Two-

thirds of this bequest had earlier been divided between his brother and

his sister, Pierre and Jeanne, and the remaining third was now due to the

youngest child of the family, Ren ́e. Descartes’ share was the fief of Perron,

which included a house at Poitiers, and three farms near Chˆatellerault

(one called La Bobiniere, a second called la Grand-Maison, and a third`

called le Mordais).He sold the last two for,livres, and the fief of

Perronand La Bobini`ere for,livres. The house at Poitiers was sold

subsequently for–,livres. The revenues from these sales were not

enough to support him indefinitely, but they were sufficient in the medium

term to fund his life as a gentleman; he continued to use the title “Sieur

du Perron” that derived from a property that he no longer owned.

Having visited Poitou, he was now ready to return to Paris, without any

specific plans for study but apparently with a vague ambition to contribute

to the intellectual discussions of the day. He described this interlude in

theDiscourse on Methodin general terms, although there is enough detail

to offer some insight into how it seemed to him in retrospect, eight years

later.

Icontinued to practise the method that I had prescribed for myself. For, besides taking

care generally to guide all my thoughts in keeping with its rules, I set aside some hours

from time to time that I used specifically to apply this method to mathematical prob-

lems, or even to some others that I could almost convert into mathematical problems

bydetaching them from all the principles of the other sciences which I found were less

secure....Thus, apparently without living differently from those who are concerned

only to lead an agreeable and innocent life[,]...Icontinued to follow my plan and to

progress in knowledge of the truth, perhaps more than if I had merely read books or

spent my time in the company of the learned. (vi.–)

Twoofthe features that were to characterize Descartes’ work during the

following three decades are mentioned almost in passing here. Throughout

his life he read few books, and he consistently avoided as much as possible

the company of those who were regarded as learned. There was a sense in

which his intellectual project was uniquely personal and solitary. However,

it certainly was not an attempt to discover truths simply by looking into

his own mind. He would set the questions he wished to answer, he would

make observations and conduct experiments when required, and he would

almost obsessively refuse to be convinced by arguments or evidence from

others.