Cartesian

American  

[kahr-tee-zhuhn] / kɑrˈti ʒən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Descartes, his mathematical methods, or his philosophy, especially with regard to its emphasis on logical analysis and its mechanistic interpretation of physical nature.

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noun

1. a follower of Cartesian thought.

Cartesian British  

/ kɑːˈtiːzɪən, -ʒjən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the works of René Descartes

2. of, relating to, or used in Descartes' mathematical system

   Cartesian coordinates

3. of, relating to, or derived from Descartes' philosophy, esp his contentions that personal identity consists in the continued existence of a unique mind and that the mind and body are connected causally See also dualism

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noun

1. a follower of the teachings and methods of Descartes

Other Word Forms

• Cartesianism noun
• post-Cartesian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Cartesian

1650–60; < New Latin Cartesiānus, equivalent to Cartesi ( us ) (Latinization of Descartes ) + -ānus -an

Example Sentences

Conscious feelings are one of its techniques, emerging “deep in the subcortical regions” where the brain’s interoceptive neurons receive messages from the body and Cartesian duality dissolves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

Even if crabs can't mastery Cartesian metaphysics, "the evidence for pain, anxiety, and other feelings in decapods is much more compelling."

From Salon • Jul. 3, 2023

A sense of French Cartesian order thrums through the house.

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2022

The technical term for each cherry red form is an orthotope, defined as “the Cartesian product of orthogonal intervals known as a hyperrectangle, sometimes called a parallelotope.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2022

He used it to turn figures and shapes into equations and. numbers; with Cartesian coordinates every geometric object—squares, triangles, wavy lines—could be represented by an equation, a mathematical relationship.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife