Fleche (the Jesuit school he entered at age 10) important in his philosophical development? In what ways did Descartes influence subsequent rationalists such as Spinoza, Leibniz, and Kant? Has Descartes’ thought been an important factor in the development of contemporary philosophy? These are all questions that the historian of philosophy tries to answer. Philosophy of History While “philosophy of history” sounds like “history of philosophy,” the two are quite different. Philosophy of history is critical
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