Rene Descartes was a French scientist, mathematician and philosopher known as the father of modern philosophy. He was born to a politician father and became interested in science, philosophy and mathematics when he was in school. After earning a law degree, Rene spent most of his time travelling around Europe, studying the scientific, philosophical and mathematical works of the greats. He also got in touch with some of the greatest intellectuals of his time and kept spreading his canvas of knowledge. In the world of mathematics, he is best known for inventing analytic geometry, where he established that algebra and geometry can be studied together. He has written a number of books on his philosophical ideas, which played a big role in replacing Aristotlist methods with more modern ones. He is known as the father of modern philosophy as his theories on rationalism, mechanism and conceptualism shaped the philosophical landscape of the western world. Some of the best books written by Rene are Rules for the Direction of the Mind, Discourse on the Method, Meditations on Philosophy and Principles of Philosophy.