Cartesian
# Cartesian

Cartesian means of or relating to the French philosopher René Descartes—from his Latinized name Cartesius. It may refer to:

## Mathematics

* Cartesian closed category, a closed category in category theory
* Cartesian coordinate system, modern rectangular coordinate system
* Cartesian diagram, a construction in category theory
* Cartesian geometry, now more commonly called analytic geometry
* Cartesian morphism, formalisation of pull-back operation in category theory
* Cartesian oval, a curve
* Cartesian product, a direct product of two sets
* Cartesian product of graphs, a binary operation on graphs
* Cartesian tree, a binary tree in computer science

## Philosophy

* Cartesian anxiety, a hope that studying the world will give us unchangeable knowledge of ourselves and the world
* Cartesian circle, a potential mistake in reasoning
* Cartesian doubt, a form of methodical skepticism as a basis for philosophical rigor
* Cartesian dualism, the philosophy of the distinction between mind and body
   * Cartesianism, the philosophy of René Descartes
   * Cartesianists, followers of Cartesianism
* Cartesian Meditations, a work by Edmund Husserl
* Cartesian linguistics, a work by Noam Chomsky
* Cartesian theatre, a derisive view of Cartesian dualism coined by Daniel Dennett

## Science

* Cartesian diver, a science experiment demonstrating buoyancy and the ideal gas law
* Cartesian physics, attempts to explain gravity without a need for action at distance
