Who Was Alive

Were René Descartes and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz alive at the same time?

Yes. René Descartes and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz were alive at the same time for 3 years, from 1646 to 1650.

René Descartes was 50 when Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was born.

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was 3 when René Descartes died, aged 53.

René Descartes

French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist

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

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

German mathematician and philosopher

Born 21 June 1646 (Julian calendar) · died 14 November 1716, aged 70

  1. Miguel de Cervantes
  2. Galileo Galilei
  3. William Shakespeare
  4. René Descartes
  5. Molière
  6. Isaac Newton
  7. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
  8. Johann Sebastian Bach
  9. Voltaire
  10. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
René Descartes and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz 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.