Those who have not yet studied Descartes will enjoy this clearly written introduction to Descartes' life and thought. However, even seasoned philosophy students are also liable to find much of interest in Sorell's DESCARTES. For most philosophy students, Descartes is more or less synonymous with the DISCOURSE ON METHOD and the MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY, and Descartes' scientific and mathematical work tend to be regarded as almost irrelevant and disconnected afterthoughts. The brilliance of Sorell's book is to show how Descartes' work constitutes an integrated whole, where the DISCOURSE and the MEDITATIONS are more a preliminary step in Descartes' project than the endpoint of his philosophy that we often take it to be.

It is a really easy-to-read book. People who just start to be interested in Philosophy will not find this book intimadating or overwhelming. The author also points out and explains the "errors" of Descartes's thinking. An excellent book to be added to your collection.

each and every day we take the world in and we make a very crucial decision: is this or that true? is this or that false? and if we take a step further we might find ourselves using the word "why" more often than usual. Why is this true? how do i really know? This is exactly what Descartes is getting at with Meditations on First Philosophy. The first time I read it, I found myself re-reading again and again; underlining portions to make the very act of re-reading easier. One must posess maticulousness and great patience to truely envelop the concepts brought forth by Descartes in this work. If you read it not to understand what is behind truth and error, then read it to experience the drama and beauty that Descartes employs to present the logic that founds his conclusions. If you wish to explore what one man found when he asked, "how is it that we can distinguish between reality and dream, and why is it that humanity is plagued by error?", then you must immerse yourself in this book, and pay it the maticulous attention that it demands.

This is the preferred choice of teachers and scholars seeking an English language translation of this central text of philosophy. Not only is the text extremely readable, this translation comes with an excellent introduction written by a highly regarded scholar in the field of Descartes scholarship. If you're looking for a first-rate translation of the Meditations (and a great introduction to the writings of one of the best philosophers of the early modern period), you can't go wrong with this choice. Although it is a little more expensive than some of the other available translations, I recommend it above all others.

I picked up this casette because I've long wanted to know more about the underpinnings of western philosophy--why we think the way we do--what came before and shaped 20th century thought? But who has time to read the great books in a day--or to take extensive coursework in philosophy? This tape was just about the best thing I could have asked for. It took the last 3000 years and rolled them up in a comprehensive and understandable ball. I now stand on a sturdier platform to be able to ask more cogent questions. And I gained this stance by listening during my commute, which is normally a waste of time. (Incidentally, I am now a huge tape fan, and I believe there are about 6 others in the series). Indeed "the unexamined life is not worth living," and now I am clearer on why, but most importantly, who said it.

A wonderful overview of Philosophy, covering the likes of Plato, Aristotle and the rest of the boys. Packed with information, but very comprehensible. Makes you want to learn more about each philosopher. The degree to which certain famous philosophers differ is facinating. I get something out of this audio tape everytime...

Many of the books about Descartes do not achieve the depth that this book reaches. The contributors, from considering the antecedents of the Cartesian thought, analyze the most algid points in Descartes' philosophy, such as the Cogito, the Cartesian circle and his physics; the contributors also show the influence of Descartes' work in the context of his own epoch and his legacy for later centuries. I am sure that the purchase of this book will grant the reader a deeper vision of modernity; it also will be useful in the understanding of many contemporary philosophal tendencies.

This is an important book on Descartes by a U Pitt veteran. I also recommend Williams (Descartes) and Broughton ("D and the Method of Doubt"/Princeton UP), as well as Stroud's Quest for Reality (Oxford UP), MD Wilson, "Ideas and Mechanisms."

Vinci's book is an extremely careful reading of D's Meditations. Chapter Two: "Truth, Existence and Ideas" is excellent. Some of the more important material here is in Chapter Four: "Sense Experience of Primary Qualities," as well as Chapter Five: "Perceptual Representation of Ordinary Objects."

This book deserves my highest recommendation and is an excellent introduction (as well as rigorous) to a "historical" Descartes--how D's project is relevant and contributes to current philosophy of mind discussions, esp. in perceptual knowledge.

I also recommend Sellars' EPM and McDowell.

This is a charmingly written, eminently accessible biography of the Father of Modern Philosophy. Watson brings to life, not only Descartes in all of his complexity, but his circle of acquaintances, both friend and foe. Details of Descartes's life are interspersed with the author's account of his own travels in Europe in search of the true Descartes. Begin with the Prologue--"On the Zeedijk" and you will be unable to put the book down. Highly recommend for anyone with a passing interest in life in 17th Century Europe as well as for anyone seeking a vivid portrayal of one of the most influential philosophers.

This book really interested me. I thought the wording was spectacular, and it's a book that any emerging philosopher would enjoy.

What if reality is an illusion? How can you know if *you* aren't part of that illusion? If the world is a construct whose sole purpose is to fool your senses, what kind of conclusions can you draw about the nature of reality? Can you prove you exist? Can you even trust your thoughts? These very large questions if not dismissed consist hyprebolic doubt (aka Cartesian Doubt).

By asking and analyzing these very big questions, Descartes proved that you exist, and while not trustworthy, the mere fact you _have_ thoughts, proves it (Cogito Ergo Sum). Unfortunately, due to the high level of rigor and extreme doubt, it has proven impossible to build upon that very sound foundation, and his arguments trying to take it further do not express nearly the same level of rigor, and pale to his powerful first conclusions.

With the style of analysis and fearlessly examining this, he created the basis and foundation for most modern philosophy, since many schools of thought is based upon getting off his rigorous and rather lonely dead end island of "Cartesian Doubt" with a non-rigorous assumption or supposition.

The book is a fast, and intense read, appearing to have been written over a few days. The reader is taken along for the ride and in my case, my mind was blown at the level of rigor. To me his argument leading to "Cogito Ergo Sum" is as close to a bulletproof, rigorous, perfect argument that you can experience. Its only weakness, though, if you stick to that level of rigor, you really cannot prove anything else besides your own existence!

Definitely worth the price of admission. Especially to non-philosophers like myself!

Dig in!

"A Discourse on Method: Meditations and Principles" is more than a book, it is a challenging and rewarding mental experience. It is a tough read but well worth it just to read "I think, therefore I am" in its proper context (the simple statement that Descartes considers his first principle of philosophy).

The book is divided into three parts. In "A Discourse on Method," Descartes lays out his first principle of philosophy, and his plan for rejecting false assertions and deriving true principles. The "Meditations on the First Principle" is the wide ranging essay where "I think, therefore I am" is expanded to include all of its implications. These implications are wide ranging, from the existence of God, to the existence of our bodies, other physical objects, various scientific principles, and finally, whatever we are able to know as truth. Here is where the book poses its greatest challenge. At this point I was only reading 2-4 pages at a time. Then when I finished this part, I went back and reread a bulk of it to fully grasp the key points of the "Meditations." The third part, "The Principles of Philosophy," wouldn't have been so difficult if my brain hadn't been taxed as it was by the "Meditations." But the Principles are well organized and clearer, making the book more satisfying to read again.

Overall, this book is a treasure as an intense mental revelation. It brings together Descartes' best writing for the general reader, if the reader is up to the challenge.

Can anything be known to be certain? This is a more difficult question than most people might recognize. Rene Descartes says yes and presents us with one of the most elegant thought experiments in the history of philosophy. We begin by calling into doubt all claims of "knowledge"; believing nothing that cannot be affirmed with absolute certainty:
Imagine now that an all-powerful, all-knowing being might exist external to that which we can experience with our senses, i.e., external to the material world (recall that we can neither know this nor know otherwise). Imagine further that this extra-material entity may be a devious trickster, messing with my mind, perhaps to amuse a twisted sense of humor. Because the possible trickster would exist external to the access of scientific scrutiny, I could, in my state of absolute skepticism, never know whether this sadistic consciousness is at work, not only in the material world, not only in my conscious perception of the material world, but in fact in the perceptions of all other conscious beings as well. Thus all scientific proofs might be mere illusion and there could be no means of determining this. In other words, if all material objects and all subjects of thought are inherently uncertain, and this is indeed a logical conclusion at this point in our consideration, what then could be known with certainty? Is then the only absolute certainty this universal and impenetrable uncertainty? Could it ever be truly known that anything exists apart from the possibility of the trickster? Only one thing: that [without regard to whether or not it is being deceived] the mind of the thinker must exist, for otherwise there is not even the illusion that our consideration is happening. Thus the only thing that I may know beyond any doubt is that my mind does exist. Cogito ergo sum, i.e., "I think, therefore I am." This singular certainty is not without further implications. For while we have established that consciousness (i.e., mind) is more certain to exist than is matter, we don't know why this should be true. Or do we? Descartes says that there is a reason we must reach this conclusion and presents his ontological argument for the existence of a perfect and beneficent Mind beyond material constraints and uncertainty (that mind being God).
Whether or not Descartes believed he had "proved" the existence of God is not a very interesting point (apparently he thought so). As Pascal pointed out, such proof -- or disproof -- is not possible within the inherent limits of human investigations (Pascal found nature and reason to powerfully infer God's existence in a probabilistic sense, while "scientific" proofs must be uncertain, uncertainty being the nature of corporeal existence). What Descartes did "prove" is that the idea of an extra-cosmic mind is a rational conclusion (and is rational to a greater extent than any phenomenological observation that we might assume to be "true"). Some claim to rebut Descartes' ontology citing his geometric analogy, which was based in the Cartesian paradigm of his day. This is no great difficulty however, another mathematical illustration might have been developed had Descartes knowledge of 21st century mathematics. In fact, Descartes asserts that his conclusion does not rest on his understanding of geometry (which was about to be overtaken by Newton's mathematics). He believes that he could provide "an infinity" of allegories to illustrate his ontology. Here we find an expression of how Descartes' struggle with vanity leads to some hasty proffers (finite beings cannot wholly examine an infinity, even if we accept the existence of such). Many other thinkers, who agreed with some of Descartes arguments, quickly took umbrage with his more disputable statements. Descartes then rebutted these rebuttals. In fact some of these arguments continue today. Such is Descartes' importance to [some say "modern"] philosophy.
There are still other interesting aspects to these essays: Descartes' method (which is sound), his interest in medicine, physiology, neurology, his anticipation and analysis of "artificial intelligence" (three centuries before science fiction writers 'invented' the idea). Also interesting is the author's plea to the public (the work is clearly addressed to a general readership and not to his nemesis, the Jesuits, as some reviewers mistakenly suggest). Noticeably struggling to maintain his humility, the brilliant Descartes asks to be left to his work in physics. Rather than taking precious time to explain and defend his theories, he wishes to be left alone to focus on his work, asking to be judged and explained by it after his death.

This was my introductory philosophy text, and I found it a very good and captivating read, even if I didn't agree with him on many points. There have been recent assertions made against him by the anti-vivisection lobby. Indeed, a belief that animals are not sentient beings _would_ be reasonably consistent with his other views. However, to the best of my knowledge animals never entered his argument.

Despite any possible reservations regarding his thoughts on animals, this work offers excellent and approachable elucidations on many important issues in philosophy, such as the existence of God and the relationship between the mind and the body, where Descartes has been highly influential.

I thought there was something very poignant about the closing paragraph of the 'Meditations': "But because the necessities of action often oblige us to make a decision before we have had the leisure to examine things so carefully, it must be admitted that the life of man is very often subject to error in particular cases; and we must, in conclusion, recognize the infirmity and weakness of our nature."

Descartes has written one of the greatest classics in the history of philosophy. He gets down to the elements of how we can know truth. This is in sharp contrast to the majority of philosophy books that give another mans opinion, but not on how we know truth. Descartes begins his book by saying that there are contrary opinions among philosophers, other people and just in general. For every opinion given there is a contrary opinion, so how do we know truth, if knowing truth is even possible? He writes in his book, that what we know as the world ,could be the creation of a demon who fools us into thinking that what we know is real. So he writes that one should doubt everything. Then he says that someone is doubting, so there must be something real that is doubting. Hence he arrives at his famous self evident principle "I think, therefore I am." He then states that we begin our search for truth on self evident principles such as "Truth exists" and his principle stated above among others. We divide our problem and solve it starting from the easiest to the most difficult. As a final step we take in all the evidence into review. This is an excellent method in which to find truth. His first step though is the most important one, that is, establishing doubt. We can't really know what a thing is and hence we should be doubtful. This is a far better method than the scientific method and far easier to implement. Science does not and cannot arrive at truth, because truth is eternal and has no limit. The most science can do is to have a utility value. That is it can make life easier for us by mastering nature. To find truth we leave that to the religions such as Christianity and Buddhism and also to the philosophers like Descartes.

Descartes' contribution to philosophy is undeniable, as well as his place in the history of science and mathematics. Descartes' thinking absolutely changed my life. His skeptical approach and decision to look inward and determine the existence of the self before concerning himself with the rest of the world (and God) was essential to his philosophical system, and influenced me more than any other person's thinking. And it's all laid out in this book. Buy it, read it, and let it change your life forever.

This book is very close to the pinnacle of fame. The reader can visualise the author wrestling with the great philosophical problems that enveloped and obsessed the minds of European intellectuals in the 17th and following centuries. An impressive contextualisation and transmission of the origins, development and consequences of Cristuado's selected subjects theses - even as he is manhandled, twisted, crushed and flung violently around the ring by Descartes, Hegel, Kant and Marx in turn. An unfair tag-team bout of four against one - but Cristaudo makes a courageous and valiant attempt to withstand the rigours he imposed upon himself.

Viewed in its proper context, the ivory tower of philosophical introspection and the output of a genuine academic egghead, this is a serious, dogged tome. Through both material and method, the author offers valuable insights into the Schwerfaelligkeit of Hegel, the obsessive Klassificationsmanie of Kant, the whimsy of Descartes and the catastrophe of Marxism. Highly recommended for any who share the author's proclivities.

In this work Wayne Cristaudo offers the specialist reader a detailed scholarly analysis of the influential philosophical figures from Descartes to Marx. The author has painstakingly laid out and scrutinised the presumptions and implications entailed in each philosopher's writings as well as indicating some connections between them. This is indeed a valuable and rigorous study.