René Descartes explained to kids

René Descartes was a French philosopher who is considered one of the fathers of modern philosophy. He is known for his famous philosophical statement, "Cogito, ergo sum" or "I think, therefore I am." He is also known for his work in mathematics, where he developed the field of analytical geometry. Descartes was born in 1596 in France. He was educated at a Jesuit school, where he learned about the works of Aristotle and other ancient philosophers. He also studied mathematics and physics. After finishing his education, he joined the Dutch army and fought in the Thirty Years' War. In 1628, Descartes began work on his most famous work, "Meditations on First Philosophy." In this work, he argues that the only thing that we can be certain of is our own existence. He argues that we cannot trust our senses, because they can deceive us. For example, he says that we might think that a stick is straight, when in fact it is bent. Descartes died in 1650. His ideas were very influential, and his work is still studied today.