Rene Descartes

Broschiertes Buch

Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy

Beschreibung

Contained here in this volume are two of the most influential works of philosophy ever written, Descartes' "Discourse on Method" and "Meditations on First Philosophy." First published in 1637, "Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason and Seeking for Truth in the Sciences," as it is more fully known, is a foundational work of modern philosophy which is noted for being one of the first to apply the scientific method to the discipline. Descartes approaches the subject of skepticism in philosophy by throwing away all preconceived notions of reality and building up from a base of truths he found to be incontrovertible. It is from this work that we find one of Descartes' most famous quotations "I think, therefore I am." This phrase alone probably best exemplifies what Descartes believed to be an incontrovertible truth. First published in 1641, "Meditations on First Philosophy" follows upon his earlier work by applying his method to a philosophical examination of the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. While the philosophical conclusions arrived at by Descartes' work have met with criticism, his profound influence ultimately lies with his insistence on questioning everything. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper and follows the translations of Elizabeth S. Haldane.

Autor

René Descartes (1596-1650) was a pioneering metaphysician, a masterful mathematician, and a significant scientific thinker. He was primarily a mathematician throughout his life, followed by a natural scientist or "natural philosopher" and a metaphysician. He created the methods in mathematics that allowed for algebraic (or "analytic") geometry. He co-formulated the sine rule of refraction, created a significant empirical account of the rainbow, and proposed a naturalistic explanation for how the earth and planets formed in natural philosophy, among other notable accomplishments. A world of matter with a few basic properties and interacting according to a few universal principles was his new conception of the natural world, which has influenced how we think about it even today. Descartes created the contemporary interpretation of the mind-body problem by proposing that this natural world had an immaterial mind that was directly tied to the brain in humans. He offered proof for the existence of God in metaphysics, demonstrating that the nature of matter is an extension and the essence of the mind is thought. Early on, Descartes asserted that he had a unique method, which he later claimed to have used in metaphysics, natural philosophy, and many applications of mathematics.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Digireads.com
• Seitenzahl: 106
• Erscheinungstermin: 11. September 2021
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 216mm x 140mm x 6mm
• Gewicht: 145g
• ISBN-13: 9781420974942
• ISBN-10: 1420974947
• Artikelnr.: 62658584