Who Was Alive

Were René Descartes and Isaac Newton alive at the same time?

Yes. René Descartes and Isaac Newton were alive at the same time for 7 years, from 1642 to 1650.

René Descartes was 46 when Isaac Newton was born.

Isaac Newton was 7 when René Descartes died, aged 53.

René Descartes

French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist

Born 31 March 1596 · died 11 February 1650, aged 53

Isaac Newton

English mathematician and physicist

Born 25 December 1642 (Julian calendar) · died 20 March 1727 (Julian calendar), aged 84

  1. Miguel de Cervantes
  2. Galileo Galilei
  3. William Shakespeare
  4. René Descartes
  5. Molière
  6. Isaac Newton
  7. Johann Sebastian Bach
  8. Voltaire
  9. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  10. Immanuel Kant
René Descartes and Isaac Newton in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.