Clear and accessible, this new book serves as an introduction to the thought of the 17th century philosopher Ren((e')) Descartes for non-specialists and as a sophisticated companion to his Meditations . After a thorough discussion of the main themes and arguments of the Meditations , the historical background of the work, and its critical reception, the author offers his own reflections on Cartesian doubt, the cogito , the causal and ontological proofs of God's existence, the Cartesian circle, Cartesian dualism, and ...
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Clear and accessible, this new book serves as an introduction to the thought of the 17th century philosopher Ren((e')) Descartes for non-specialists and as a sophisticated companion to his Meditations . After a thorough discussion of the main themes and arguments of the Meditations , the historical background of the work, and its critical reception, the author offers his own reflections on Cartesian doubt, the cogito , the causal and ontological proofs of God's existence, the Cartesian circle, Cartesian dualism, and Descartes' views of the material world. The commentary includes and cross-references the full text of Meditations I, II , and V , and most of Meditations III and VI , employing John Cottingham's highly-praised translation.
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