René Descartes, mainly known for his book Discourse on the Method, a philosophical treatise, influenced many scientific fields, despite the religious censorship of his time. In his publications, he replaced the syllogism inherited from the Aristotelian period, which had prevailed throughout the Middle Ages through mathematical methods. He proposed applying the certainty of mathematical reasoning to all knowledge, asserting that it should be possible to explain all phenomena using mathematical reasoning, that is, using figures and motion in accordance with "laws". Hence the expression "to have a Cartesian mind".