Discourse on the Method: And, Meditations on First PhilosophyDescartes' ideas not only changed the course of Western philosophy but also led to or transformed the fields of metaphysics, epistemology, physics and mathematics, political theory and ethics, psychoanalysis, and literature and the arts. This book reprints Descartes' major works, Discourse on Method and Meditations, and presents essays by leading scholars that explore his contributions in each of those fields and place his ideas in the context of his time and our own. There are chapters by David Weissman on metaphysics and psychoanalysis, John Post on epistemology, Lou Massa on physics and mathematics, William T. Bluhm on politics and ethics, and Thomas Pavel on literature and art. These essays are accompanied by others by David Weissman and by Stephen Toulmin that introduce the idea of intellectual lineages, discuss the period in which Descartes wrote, and reexamine the premises of his philosophy in light of contemporary philosophical, political, and social thinking. |
Contents
Meditations on First Philosophy | 49 |
Introduction III | 111 |
Descartes in His Time | 121 |
Metaphysics | 147 |
Epistemology | 236 |
Physics and Mathematics | 272 |
Political Theory and Ethics | 306 |
Psychoanalysis | 330 |
Literature and the Arts | 349 |
Descartes in Our Time | 371 |
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abductive inference affirm argument Aristotle bee dances believe body Cartesian cause claim clarity and distinctness clear and distinct clearly and distinctly cogito complex conceive concepts consciousness consider created David Weissman deceive Descartes discover doubt equation error essence existence experience explain extra-mental finite first-person narrative foundationalism Freud Galileo geometry God's Hegel hence human ibid ideas imagine inference infinite innate judgment justifies Kant Kant's knowledge language laws Leibniz lineage logical Malebranche mathematical matter means mechanical Meditations metaphysical mind mind's monads moral motion nature never Newton objects ontological argument ourselves perceive perception perfect Phenomenology philosophers physical Plato possible principles rational reality reason recognise reflection regress argument relations René Descartes rules second-order awareness sense sensory data sentences skepticism social soul space Stephen Toulmin structure substance supposed theory things thinkers thought tion trans transcendental ego true truth understanding University Press