It can be traced back to Plato, Aristotle and the Nyaya, Samkhya and Yoga schools of Hindu philosophy, but it was most precisely formulated by René Descartes in the 17th century.
Den kan spåras tillbaka till Platon och Aristoteles samt sankhya- och yoga-skolorna inom hinduisk filosofi, men den formulerades mest precist av René Descartes under 1600-talet.