Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy

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Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy

3.56 of 5 stars 3.56 · rating details · 10,678 ratings · 192 reviews

Contained here are two of the most important philosophy works ever written, Descartes' "Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason and Seeking for Truth in the Sciences" and "Meditations on First Philosophy." Descartes, who is considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern philosophy, lays forth the basics of his philosophy and expounds upon such monu...more

Paperback, Fourth Edition, 103 pages

Published June 1st 1999 by Hackett Publishing Company (first published 1637)

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Feb 10, 2012 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, easton-press, philosophy, non-fiction, 1500-1799, classics-european

Very unfortunate hair notwithstanding,

Rene “I think, therefore I exist” Descartes was one of the most influential contemplators in the history of philosophy and was instrumental in fomenting the modern modes of intellectual exploration known as deductive reasoning and the scientific method. While he was certainly not alone in the wilderness championing the transformation of knowledge accumulation methods, he was definitely among the significant trail-blazers dropping bread crumbs for the partic...more

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Aug 11, 2008 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the Discourse Descartes is charming, down-to-earth, and his investigation of skepticism is exciting, fun and profound at the same time. That’s a rare combination in philosophy, at least in my experience - only Plato and Chuang Tzu come to mind as similar in this respect (maybe Nietzsche, but he’s such a ninny). Although Descartes’ skepticism is arguably a borrowing from ancient philosophy, his turning it into a method of investigation appears to be original, and it was enormously important in...more In the Discourse Descartes is charming, down-to-earth, and his investigation of skepticism is exciting, fun and profound at the same time. That’s a rare combination in philosophy, at least in my experience - only Plato and Chuang Tzu come to mind as similar in this respect (maybe Nietzsche, but he’s such a ninny). Although Descartes’ skepticism is arguably a borrowing from ancient philosophy, his turning it into a method of investigation appears to be original, and it was enormously important in the development of modern science as well as modern philosophy.

I think his famous cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am) is flawed – perception of thought proves the existence of operating consciousness, but not the existence of an individual, thinking being. Hair-splitting and navel-gazing to some, a big deal to others. But all good, clean fun. The Meditations, on the other hand, is not so charming, it’s often boring, and it’s sometimes profound and sometimes not very. It has a couple weak and fallacious arguments for the existence of God - you get the impression that, after the relentless skepticism of his Discourse and the first couple meditations, and in light of Galileo’s travails, he’s trying to keep himself in the good graces of the Church and neither his heart or head are completely in the proofs of God and the things leading up to them. At least that’s the impression I get. If I exist.

But I’m a bit hard on Rene, and he lived in hard times. The Discourse, written in French, was aimed at a more popular audience while the Meditations, written in Latin, was for scholars. And it is more substantial. Speaking of Chuang Tzu, Descartes could have lifted his dreaming argument from the old sage, but it’s highly unlikely he’d ever heard of him (and his recollection-like a priori knowledge of mathematical objects is straight out of Plato’s Meno). This dreaming together with the evil god concept puts us in pretty shaky epistemological territory. The search for anything knowable is a logical next step, but beyond that Descartes tends to build his house with quite a few cards. Still, it’s probably not unreasonable to say that what he accomplished was revolutionary, and that it engendered a remarkable quantity and quality of further developments for hundreds of years. To be fair, Descartes’ mind-body dualism is pretty much from Plato as well; apparently he wasn’t big on attribution, but so it goes.
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Jan 11, 2008 Ben rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, academic

Written after I read this as a junior in college:

René Descartes spent much of his life in travel, studying the great works of philosophers and scientists. After the majority of his formal learning was completed, Descartes began writing prolifically. The Discourse on Method, written in Holland, and finished in 1637, was written not long after his previous works of, Rules for the Direction of the Mind (1629), and Treatise on the World (1633) were completed. In accompaniment to Discourse on Method,...more Written after I read this as a junior in college:

René Descartes spent much of his life in travel, studying the great works of philosophers and scientists. After the majority of his formal learning was completed, Descartes began writing prolifically. The Discourse on Method, written in Holland, and finished in 1637, was written not long after his previous works of, Rules for the Direction of the Mind (1629), and Treatise on the World (1633) were completed. In accompaniment to Discourse on Method, were three essays entitled Dioptric, Meteors, and Geometry. Although his philosophy was accepted by some, the majority of Holland found his works controversial and radical.

This work is a great representation of the thought that was evolving during this time period. The era of enlightenment was emerging, and the new approach was positivistic in scope–to verify everything with absolute fact. Descartes’ Discourse on Methods is a representative work of the important link between metaphysical thought and objective scientific discovery. Descartes believed that only things sensed can be defined as real, even more particular, only things that can be reasoned are legitimate. According to Descartes, even God is legitimized only to the degree that Descartes himself can sense and reason. The only way to know if something exists, argued Descartes, is that it can be measured. This is very significant because the emerging philosophy of all great minds of the time period, is that of scientific verification–of understanding the world through measuring, sensing, gathering, analyzing, and concluding. Through his study and thought, Descartes discovers that great advances may be made in the world as man discovers how to explain, and eventually control the things he can change; the physical things around him.

As with any other man who emerges with “enlightened” philosophy–new knowledge to the public, his work is not accepted by the majority at first. This method however, becomes the approach that many succeeding scientific minds adopt. As these scientists later implement these principles, they discover many scientific advances that greatly benefit society.

It was very interesting to read how Descartes went about finding truth in his own life. Although his singular use of reasoning led him to many important truths, it also resulted in a few false assumptions. His false interpretation about the mechanisms of the beating heart show us that even a man who’s life and thoughts were devoted to the power of reason, cannot always make an accurate deductive interpretation of all the facts that surround him. Science in all its forms requires constant testing and refining.

Descartes also admits that his knowledge came not from divine bestowal, as he believed it had come to many of the other philosophers and scientists. His knowledge, he claimed, came from the reading of many great books, his education, and his travels abroad. And yet with all of his knowledge and reasoning powers, he humbly admits that the more he learned, the more he found he didn’t know. This principle can be applied to all who don’t believe they have bestowed with intellectual treasures from God. Persistence and hunger for truth can lift any man to greatness.
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May 20, 2008 Jack Bates rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Philosophers

A great edition of one of the most significant philosophical works in modern times. This discussion of the method for which Frances Bacon was missing is one of the most enlightening reads an individual can embark upon. I would recommend this as required reading for any middles school child through high school and on in to college. This is also a book that should be revisited from time to time. Life experience will definitely influence how much a reader gets from this work as the more the reader...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Derek Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Descartes did much to lift philosophy and, especially mathematics, from the rigid yet scattershot approach of the middle ages. The "Discourse" is a sort of how-to guide to critical thinking, while the "Meditations" put the stress on what he has discovered through use of the method.

In a nutshell, the method is to remove all prejudices of inquiry from your mind, as much as is humanly possible, so that you start with a clean mental slate upon which you enter the most fundamental, unquestionable tru...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Sophy added it Recommends it for: anyone

Recommended to Sophy by: teacher

read and re read
though to be taken with caution
i haven't read it in years
i don't trust anything however can't say that is new
should probably read it again.
good conversation starter
not for the weak of heart or mind
spent the next year of my life (i exaggerate perhaps) attempting to ascend or descend platforms at the least justifying my ability to do so. once there finding purpose. oh philosophy.
for rizzeal.
neitzche comes in handy after the illusory world takes over and the otherwise truly screwed...more

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May 21, 2011 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy

Discourse on Method is sort of boring. Meditations on First Philosophy is more interesting yet more fallacious (those two qualities go together more often than they don't).

DISCOURSE ON METHOD:

There's too much to say about Descartes for a GR review. I'll just say that (1) Descartes caused me a great deal of anxiety and skepticism as a teenager; (2) I don't completely agree or disagree with him on the soul; (3) he gets the straw man treatment from every pop sci writer and I find that infuriating;...more

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Dec 08, 2009 Chris added it

Descaretes's, Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, is a very thought provoking book on Descartes's method of applying reason in thought. There are many things that he talks about that I agree with and a few things that I disagree with. He starts out saying that evry person has equal reasoning and the reason for different oppinions is surroundings and interpretation. He mentions to listen to ones self because perfection comes from individuals, not groups of people. According t...more

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Aug 19, 2009 Lewis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy

'I think therefore I am' Probably the most quoted philosophical reference around today. But people generally don't know what it means!
Descartes is reputed as the Father of Modern Philosophy, the bringer of new ways of thinking, of revising our beliefs. Though a blatant sexist, speciesist and bigot he was a man of his time. His philosophy however was not.
Imagine an evil genius, he has your brain in a jar somewhere and is manipulating it to make you believe all that you perceive around you. You ca...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Lacey Louwagie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, essays, non-fiction, religion, theology

It was sheer stubbornness that pushed me to finish Descartes' fourth, fifth, and sixth meditations, after which point my mind had turned a little mushy and I didn't even try to slow down and comprehend what I was reading. But I'd added the book to my Goodreads list, so I must finish it!

This is not easy stuff, and I would have never attempted it outside of some sort of formal education context to guide me through it (I read it for my Coursera class, "Know Thyself"). I read the Meditations before...more

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Feb 14, 2013 David rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy

This book combines Descartes' Discourse on Method with Meditations and a preface he wrote to one of his later works on The Principles of Philosophy. So, minus the first portion of Discourse on Method, this should be thought of as geared toward his philosophical ideas on the existence of god and the nature of the soul, not so much toward metaphysics, problem-solving logic and the foundations of the scientific method for which he is well known. Unfortunately the preface is placed at the end of the...more This book combines Descartes' Discourse on Method with Meditations and a preface he wrote to one of his later works on The Principles of Philosophy. So, minus the first portion of Discourse on Method, this should be thought of as geared toward his philosophical ideas on the existence of god and the nature of the soul, not so much toward metaphysics, problem-solving logic and the foundations of the scientific method for which he is well known. Unfortunately the preface is placed at the end of the book, in which he explains the reason for writing Meditations, as a means of greatly simplifying and paraphrasing into layman's terms the more difficult metaphysical concepts he detailed in his earlier works.

In Meditations he puts a lot of effort toward proving the nature and existence of god and understanding sin/errors, and I confess got a little lost in his rhetoric. Maybe someday I'll re-read that part and gain a better understanding of it, but it seemed to me that there were several ethical assumptions he operated on which should have been better discussed or defined. But again, he wanted to simplify the often complicated metaphysical and deeper philosophical concepts that frustrated readers of his earlier works, so I get the point of what he did. Like Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, it was written over a the span of roughly a week, so it seems less concise and powerful than it could have been if it had seen a longer incubation period.

There were a couple important points in the preface to The Principles of Philosophy that is useful for readers of Descartes to be mindful of and for general students of science and philosophy. For readers of Descartes (specifically for the book he's prefacing, but I think applicable to others of his works too), he advises readers to go through an initial reading at a relaxed pace and the same fairly quick sitting that one approaches reading a novel. The intention is to get a broad view of the concepts and see which in particular pique one's interest or challenge one to dig deeper, and return to those later for a more in-depth study. He expresses a desire to minimize reader frustration and the pitfall of thinking philosophy is too difficult for the average person to study. The other jewel in this preface is the recommendation he makes to students of science and philosophy to follow a certain order to the subjects they study. He suggests starting with studies that challenge basic rational and logical thinking, such as mathematics, and from there moving onto philosophy. Philosophy he defines as a three-part entity, beginning with metaphysics (Aristotle, and others), then physics, and then other sciences (studies of plants, animals, and man). He views the process like a tree whose roots are metaphysics, trunk is physics, and multitude of branches are the numerous sciences (of whose most useful products are medicine, mechanics and ethics).

Each work is good in its own way, but I'm just not a fan of placing these three together and in this order; it seems out of order and can give the first-time Descartes reader the impression that he operates on several undefined (or lightly defined) assumptions (a fact that could be slightly dispelled if the preface perhaps was placed at the beginning of the book).(less)

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Jan 26, 2013 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

…there is less perfection in works made of several pieces and in works made by the hands of several masters than in those works on which but one master has worked. Thus one sees that buildings undertaken and completed by a single architect are commonly more beautiful and better ordered than those that several architects have tried to patch up, using old walls that had been built for other purposes. pg. 7, Discourse on Method, Part Two

Upon that premise, Descartes casts aside the philosophy that...more

…there is less perfection in works made of several pieces and in works made by the hands of several masters than in those works on which but one master has worked. Thus one sees that buildings undertaken and completed by a single architect are commonly more beautiful and better ordered than those that several architects have tried to patch up, using old walls that had been built for other purposes. pg. 7, Discourse on Method, Part Two

Upon that premise, Descartes casts aside the philosophy that had evolved for almost a millennia prior and starts over. He accepts nothing as true unless it proves to be firm and certain so that there is no occasion to put it in doubt. In this void, he describes how he comes upon his foundational premise. That one that’s on all the bumper stickers and punned for coffee mugs. From there he builds his argument for the existence of God.

Discourse briefly summarizes his process and Meditations walks through the thinking. Descartes seems to be simultaneously revered and dismissed today. And I can see why. He writes plainly and in a genuine effort to communicate his process. His willingness and discipline to reconstruct his world based on self-reflection is an admirable example of the” unexamined life is not worth living” call. And, though it is become so ubiquitous that it has lost a lot of resonance, the “I think therefore I am” premise is one of the soundest conclusions there is in all the philosophy leading up to his time. Probably after, too, but I’ve got some more reading to do before I can be comfortable with that claim.

The downside? After coming to his brilliant premise, his argument for the existence of God falls on a whole set of presuppositions. Presuppositions which he had been so diligent in discarding in the first place. From there, the foundation begins to shift and his logic bunker becomes more of a temple. But take this comment cautiously. Prior to publishing Mediations on First Philosophy, he sent out the work to others eliciting there comments. Those objections and replies were published separately. In the “Preface to the Reader” in Meditations, he “earnestly entreat the readers not to form a judgment regarding the Meditations until they have deigned to read all these objections and the replies I have made to them.”

That’s fair enough. I think Descartes was probably a pretty awesome guy.

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Apr 09, 2012 David S. T. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy, own-kindle, read-in-2012

This is the second time I've read these works. The first time I read Discourse on Method was a public domain edition and this, the Cress version, is far more readable and superior. On the other hand, the first time I read Meditations on First Philosophy was with the Cambridge Cottingham edition which had a far superior introduction, notes and perhaps translation (since I can't read Latin, I can't confirm the accuracy of this).

Discourse is pretty interesting, Descartes decides to throw way everyt...more This is the second time I've read these works. The first time I read Discourse on Method was a public domain edition and this, the Cress version, is far more readable and superior. On the other hand, the first time I read Meditations on First Philosophy was with the Cambridge Cottingham edition which had a far superior introduction, notes and perhaps translation (since I can't read Latin, I can't confirm the accuracy of this).

Discourse is pretty interesting, Descartes decides to throw way everything he's learned and approach everything as geometric proofs where he builds on top of what he can completely infer. At first he rejects all senses and perceptions because they could be an illusion, the only thing he knows is, “I think therefore I am” (or if you read the Cottingham version, 'I am thinking therefore I exist'). From this he bases everything. He later goes to present his own modified version of the ontological argument, basically he thinks of something more perfect than himself, since he knows there is something more perfect then this, then eventually the most perfect thing is God. I'm sure many theists will agree with him that perhaps God is the only other thing they know is true, but I'm not sure how the thought of a most perfect being is more apparent than everything he experiences around him. I realize that his could be in illusion, but the thought of a most perfect being is more concrete? If someone doesn't perceive of this most perfect being instead assumes that everything is partially flawed does god cease to exist?

Meditations further explains his ideas. He rejects everything he was taught and arrives at the fact that he exists, god exists, finally that other things exist and that the body is separate from the soul. It seems his god argument in this one slightly expands to a slightly different argument, namely that something can not come out of nothing and since imperfect things can only come from something more perfect than themselves, if you go up the line of perfection the most perfect thing or God. I guess to me all of these years later, I don't see how this proves god. Secondly I'm curious if the idea of god is natural, meaning if someone was born and never hear the idea of god mentioned would he arrive at the same conclusions of a perfect being or was Descartes influenced by his opinions found from a lifetime of learning from “the great book of the world”. For the material things he realizes that for god to be perfect he wouldn't deceive him by making everything around him an illusion, therefore since God is not a deceiver, matter is real. My initial thought is that if an insane person perceives things as existing which do not, then they're not real and therefore would god then become a deceiver using this reasoning? Anyways regardless of one agrees with Descartes, these works are pretty interesting and for their importance to philosophy alone they are essential reads. (less)

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Sep 01, 2010 Anita rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, philosophy

Descartes starts out in his Discourse questioning if we have have good sense, how we reason, if schooling helps us learn,and what the written word does for the mind. He doesn't answer all of these but seems to believe that knowledge leads to knowledge and that we will always question everything. He says that we need to know world history and customs in order to respect that whch is different from ourselves while being careful not to forget our own customs when removed from them.

The most importan...more

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Mar 23, 2013 abdulrahman rated it 2 of 5 stars

"e pense donc je suis. I think, therefore I am"

ديكارت صاحب الخلفية الرياضية والمتأثر بكل ما هو هندسي وصاحب مبدأ الشك، يتحدث في كتابه هذا عن منهجه في تحصيل العلم، ألا وهو منهج الشك واﻹثبات المبني على قواعد رياضية. "أفكّر، إذاً أنا موجود" قمّة الكتاب هنا، عندما يبدأ في الحديث عن كيفية وصوله لهذا اﻹستنتاج. في المقابل هناك أجزاء مملة جداً، أعني بحق السماء! الرجل أخذ يفصّل في تفسير حركة القلب والشرايين كجزء من محاولته لإثبات الفرق بين الحيوان واﻹنسان! (البغبغاء الناطق ليس إنسان، هو فقط لديه من العقل...more

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Jun 14, 2012 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Do I agree with everything said ? No. Are some ideas obsolete? Yes. Nonetheless it is a fascinating and illuminating experience to follow the thought process of this man. I can't ignore the possibility that I made myself appreciate it more given how tedious it was for me to go through this book, but it was time well spent. Reading Descartes I believe would be indispensable for someone seeking to understand phenomenology.

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Oct 24, 2009 Lanny added it

Shelves: school-books

"Thus the diversity of our views does not result from the fact that some people are more reasonable than others, but simply from the fact that we guide our thoughts along different paths and do not think about the same things. For it is not enough to have a good mind; it is more important to use it well." P.5

"The first [maxim:] was to obey the laws and customs of my own country, holding firmly to the religion in which, by the grace of God, I had been instructed from my infancy, and guiding mysel...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Bola Shokry rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy

مقال عن المنهج كُتِب عام 1637 بواسطة رينيه ديكارت أبو الفلسفة الحديثة وباعثها والفيلسوف الأشهر على الإطلاق بعد المعلم الأول أرسطو والأباء المؤسسين للفلسفة الإغريقية القديمة.

هدف ديكارت الوصول للـ"يقين" وأخذ من "الشك" طريقا للوصول لليقين المنشود.

تأمل ديكارت فوجد أن للمعرفة سببين وهما البداهة والقياس, وفي تأمله في العلوم وجد أن الرياضيات هي العلم الأقوى يقينا لأنه مؤسس على بديهيات, والبديهيات وهي المعارف البسيطة التي لا يراود العقل فيها شك مثل ان مجموع زوايا المثلث يساوي قائمتين.

فعزم ديكارت أن يؤسس...more مقال عن المنهج كُتِب عام 1637 بواسطة رينيه ديكارت أبو الفلسفة الحديثة وباعثها والفيلسوف الأشهر على الإطلاق بعد المعلم الأول أرسطو والأباء المؤسسين للفلسفة الإغريقية القديمة.

هدف ديكارت الوصول للـ"يقين" وأخذ من "الشك" طريقا للوصول لليقين المنشود.

تأمل ديكارت فوجد أن للمعرفة سببين وهما البداهة والقياس, وفي تأمله في العلوم وجد أن الرياضيات هي العلم الأقوى يقينا لأنه مؤسس على بديهيات, والبديهيات وهي المعارف البسيطة التي لا يراود العقل فيها شك مثل ان مجموع زوايا المثلث يساوي قائمتين.

فعزم ديكارت أن يؤسس منهج معرفي جديد قائم على البديهات, فيكون له متانة الرياضيات. وفي هذا, وضع ديكارت قواعده الأربعة للمعرفة وهي:ـ
1- قاعدة اليقين: وهو ألا يقبل شيئا على أنه حق, ما لم يعرف يقينا أنه كذلك.
2- قاعدة التحليل: أن المعضلة ينبغي أن تقسم إلى أجزاء بسيطة بقدر ما تدعو الحاجة لحلها.
3- قاعدة التركيب: أي أن يسير أفكاره بانتظام بادئا بأبسط الأمور واسلسها معرفة ثم يتدرج إلى المعارف الأكثر تركيبا.
4- قاعدة الاستقراء التام: أي ان يعمل من الاحصاءات الكاملة والمراجعات الشاملة بما يجعله على ثقة انه لم يغفل شيئا.

ولم يغفل ديكارت سعادته, فهو يرى ان السعادة والنجاح لا يجتمعان مع الشك, وحيث أن مبدأ ديكارت المعرفي قائم على الشك فهو يضع لنفسه ثلاثة قواعد مؤقتة للأخلاق, يلتزم بها في رحلة شكه حتى وصوله لليقين وهي:
1- أن يطيع قوانين بلاده ويحترم عاداتها مع الثبات في الديانة التي نشأ عليها.
2- أن يكون أكثر ثباتا في أعماله وأن يتجنب الشك والتردد في سياسته.
3- أن يجتهد في مغالبة نفسه, لا في مغالبة الحظ.

وبعد أن أعد العُدة, يمضي ديكارت في منهجه الشكي, ويصل للبديهة الأولى "أنا أفكر إذا أنا موجود" ـ
ومنها يثبت منطقيا تمايز النفس والبدن, ثم يضع 4 إثباتات منطقية يثبت بها وجود الله.

في رأيي شهرة ديكارت لا ترجع فقط لمنهجه أو كونه فذا, لكن بلاغة اسلوبه السلس والسهل ساعد كثيرا في انتشار كتاباته وتوصيل أفكاره للعوام دون تعقيد, حتى في قرائتك تشعر وكأنك تقرأ عمل أدبي وليس فلسفي.

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Jun 10, 2007 Colleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: work-related, philosophy

Not exactly pleasure reading, but it is interesting that in an attempt to prove the existence of a god, he only managed to prove that he exists. Oh yeah, and thanks for the mind-body problem D, thanks a lot.

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Aug 06, 2012 Dave B. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Descartes’ determination to identify reality is the central point of his argument. He breaks down his interpretation of reality through a series of logical introspective questions. These questions lead to his famously quoted line: “I Think therefore I am” from his essay, “A discourse on methods” my interpretation of this argument, there is only one true reality and that is our thinking. Everything else is filtered through our thinking. This is a concept that we know is true through modern psycho...more

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Feb 17, 2009 Janet rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: coz-they-made-me-read-it, hey-i-m-learning-here

I think, therefore I am. Can I just say something here? This Descartes guy was crazy! I'm sure people with more expansive minds than mine really get into this stuff but honestly, I have no use for it. Dude wrote three pages on what happens when wax melts and how he knows or doesn't know if it's still wax or not. This is relevant to making the world go around, how?

Philosophy lovers, please don't barrage me with comments or explanations. I'm paying big time money at the university to "learn" this...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Kyle Muntz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Descartes was the one of the best but mostly the worst of philosophers. His philosophy is extremely relevant historically but hasn't aged as well as Hume, Locke, Schopenhauer or Spinoza, mostly because it was so deeply Catholic. I read this when I was about 15 and thought it was brilliant, but now, despite a few good arguments, the thing feels like a skyscraper built out of toothpicks. Unlike Hume or Locke (who feel fairer than the others I mentioned, since they were closer to being his contempo...more

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Dec 11, 2010 Billie Pritchett rated it 4 of 5 stars

In Descartes's Discourse on Method, he outlines his principles for how to reason well and how science ought to proceed in its investigations. In Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes applies his method to what he takes as fact and determines, above all, that the mind is separate from the body and that God exists. With regard to the former, one of his arguments for the idea of separation of mind and body is actually based on a naturalistic scientific perspective. With regard to the latter, s...more

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Jan 20, 2011 Sarah Kholusi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: academic-books

I studied some chaptersof it in college, I haven't read all of it. But I liked it.

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Jul 10, 2007 Seth rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: well, you would have to have a high IQ

I cannot comment on this book. I am, upon honest reflection, inadequate to say anything.

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Jan 09, 2013 Aaron Hook rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

Beyond the Cogito, Descartes' metaphysics is kind of a mess. His method was groundbreaking for studying the natural sciences, and it's probably hard in our time to grasp the full extent of that, but most of this particular work is about proving God's existence and then using that established truth to build a body of knowledge from the ground up based on pure reason. But it's mostly just a lot of circular arguments and questionable assertions. It is fun to think about, though, and it's important...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Marc rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: phi-on-you

These short texts are one of the potent ones of modern philosophical tradition. Some of the most commented, loved and hated.

I am not fond of all the ideas they contain, but I relish on the way Descartes' thought unfolds itself, his strong will to rely on his own intellectual strength and to find a conceptual and experience path anybody willing to could follow. Cogito is both a fundation for Descartes' rational project and one of its by-products (he doesn't have any specific interest in it but i...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Christopher rated it 3 of 5 stars

The discourse is destroying the world around Descartes as he brings down everyting around him. It's brutal and bloody, and even literally as he describes how the human heart works. In the meditations he finds a solid foundation by which he can build his new system, which is founded on God. In this sense all knowledge is learned and built upon.

He covers topics like: What are ideas? What is reality?

This is difficult to read, you may have to read each section five times or so before the meanings s...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Jacob Stubbs rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: philosophy

So, I only read the Discourse out of this edition, but I've read the same translator's Meditations elsewhere.

It was fascinating returning to Descartes. His Method seems to be strong, but he has to use argumentation (which comes in later in his "house of thought" [for lack of a better term]) to reach the idea of God, which then validates reason. I still think Arnauld had his Cartesian circle correct. That being said, Descartes greatly shows Modernity, killing the immaterial world except for the...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Benjamen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Even as I experienced a "deeper" sense of the REALITY of God, and His gift to us (choice & thought), I thoroughly enjoyed this read, albeit an "occasional" struggle with its content.

Descartes (day-cart)'s thought process (in seeking intellectual clarity), "doubt everything", existed on several levels.

_____

EXCERPT: "I ought to reject as absolutely false all opinions in regard to which I could suppose the least ground for doubt, in order to ascertain whether after that there remained aught in...more

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About René Descartes

René Descartes, also known as Renatus Cartesius (latinized form), was a highly influential French philosopher, mathematician, scientist, and writer. He has been dubbed the "Father of Modern Philosophy," and much of subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which continue to be studied closely. His influence in mathematics is also apparent, the Cartesian coordinate system that is...more René Descartes, also known as Renatus Cartesius (latinized form), was a highly influential French philosopher, mathematician, scientist, and writer. He has been dubbed the "Father of Modern Philosophy," and much of subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which continue to be studied closely. His influence in mathematics is also apparent, the Cartesian coordinate system that is used in plane geometry and algebra being named for him, and he was one of the key figures in the Scientific Revolution.

Descartes frequently sets his views apart from those of his predecessors. In the opening section of the Passions of the Soul, a treatise on the Early Modern version of what are now commonly called emotions, he goes so far as to assert that he will write on his topic "as if no one had written on these matters before". Many elements of his philosophy have precedents in late Aristotelianism, the revived Stoicism of the 16th century, or in earlier philosophers like St. Augustine. In his natural philosophy, he differs from the Schools on two major points: First, he rejects the analysis of corporeal substance into matter and form; second, he rejects any appeal to ends — divine or natural — in explaining natural phenomena. In his theology, he insists on the absolute freedom of God’s act of creation.

Descartes was a major figure in 17th century continental rationalism, later advocated by Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Leibniz, and opposed by the empiricist school of thought consisting of Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. Leibniz, Spinoza and Descartes were all versed in mathematics as well as philosophy, and Descartes and Leibniz contributed greatly to science as well. As the inventor of the Cartesian coordinate system, Descartes founded analytic geometry, the bridge between algebra and geometry, crucial to the invention of calculus and analysis. Descartes' reflections on mind and mechanism began the strain of Western thought that much later, impelled by the invention of the electronic computer and by the possibility of machine intelligence, blossomed into the Turing test and related thought. His most famous statement is: Cogito ergo sum (French: Je pense, donc je suis; English: I think, therefore I am), found in §7 of part I of Principles of Philosophy (Latin) and in part IV of Discourse on the Method (French).(less)

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Books by René Descartes

Meditations on First Philosophy: In Which the Existence of God and the Distinction of the Soul from the Body Are Demonstrated

The Philosophical Writings of Descartes: Volume 1

Meditations and Other Metaphysical Writings

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“For I found myself embarrassed with so many doubts and errors that it seemed to me that the effort to instruct myself had no effect other than th eincreasing discovery of my own ignorance” — 31 people liked it

“At last I will devote myself sincerely and without reservation to the general demolition of my opinions.” — 20 people liked it

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