Who Was Alive

Were René Descartes and Robert Boyle alive at the same time?

Yes. René Descartes and Robert Boyle were alive at the same time for 23 years, from 1627 to 1650.

René Descartes was 30 when Robert Boyle was born.

Robert Boyle was 23 when René Descartes died, aged 53.

René Descartes

French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist

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

Robert Boyle

Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor

Born 25 January 1627 · died 31 December 1691, aged 64

  1. Miguel de Cervantes
  2. Galileo Galilei
  3. William Shakespeare
  4. René Descartes
  5. Molière
  6. Robert Boyle
  7. Isaac Newton
  8. Johann Sebastian Bach
René Descartes and Robert Boyle 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.