In this thesis one of the central themes of Descartes' philosophy – his anthropological thought – is critically presented. First, we present an explanation of Descartes’ understanding of a man composed of two different substances, res cogitans and res extensa, and a critique of this understanding of the relation between soul and body. We then move on to his epistemological settings and acquaint ourselves with cognition as a human activity, followed by talk of will and passions. In the final chapter we come to the topic of Descartes’ broad influence on the further development of philosophical thought. We conclude with an overview of Descartes’ anthropology and a conclusion on the importance of understanding such a philosophy, for which Descartes was given the title ‘Father of Modern Philosophy’. In writing this thesis, a philosophical analysis of Descartes’ basic texts was used: Metaphysical Meditations, Discourse on Method, Principles of Philosophy, and Passions of the Soul. Secondary literature, textbooks on the history of philosophy and encyclopaedia of philosophy were used to help analyse these texts.