The Philosophical Writings of Descartes, Volume I

by René Descartes, John Cottingham (Translator), Robert Stoothoff (Translator)

These two volumes provide a completely new translation of the philosophical works of Descartes, based on the best available Latin and French texts. They were intended to replace the only reasonably comprehensive selection of his works in English, by Haldane and Ross, first publsihed in 1911. All the works included in that edition are translated here, together with a number of additional texts crucial for an understanding of Cartesian philosophy, including important material from Descartes' scientific writings. The result should meet the widespread demand for an accurate and authoritative edition of Descartes' philosophical writings in clear and readable modern English.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Science, Classics, French Literature, France, Theology

418 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1911

About the author

Meditations on First Philosophy (1641) and Principles of Philosophy (1644), main works of French mathematician and scientist René Descartes, considered the father of analytic geometry and the founder of modern rationalism, include the famous dictum "I think, therefore I am."

A set of two perpendicular lines in a plane or three in space intersect at an origin in Cartesian coordinate system. Cartesian coordinate, a member of the set of numbers, distances, locates a point in this system. Cartesian coordinates describe all points of a Cartesian plane.

From given sets, {X} and {Y}, one can construct Cartesian product, a set of all pairs of elements (x, y), such that x belongs to {X} and y belongs to {Y}.

Cartesian philosophers include Antoine Arnauld.



René Descartes, a writer, highly influenced society. People continue to study closely his writings and subsequently responded in the west. He of the key figures in the revolution also apparently influenced the named coordinate system, used in planes and algebra.

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 version of now commonly called emotions, he goes so far to assert that he writes on his topic "as if no one had written on these matters before." Many elements in late Aristotelianism, the revived Stoicism of the 16th century, or earlier like Saint Augustine of Hippo provide precedents. Naturally, he differs from the schools on two major points: He rejects corporeal substance into matter and form and any appeal to divine or natural ends in explaining natural phenomena. In his theology, he insists on the absolute freedom of act of creation of God.

Baruch Spinoza and Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz later advocated Descartes, a major figure in 17th century Continent, and the empiricist school of thought, consisting of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume, opposed him. Leibniz and Descartes, all well versed like Spinoza, contributed greatly. Descartes, the crucial bridge with algebra, invented the coordinate system and calculus. Reflections of Descartes on mind and mechanism began the strain of western thought; much later, the invention of the electronic computer and the possibility of machine intelligence impelled this thought, which blossomed into the Turing test and related thought. His stated most in §7 of part I and in part IV of Discourse on the Method .

Reviews

[Vit · Rating 5 out of 5]

In high school, and on so many occasions I heard talk about Rene Descartes "Method" which is the Method of Directing Thought. Many,many years later I came accross this book and out of curiosity peeked what is the Method about. The rest is history. I feel completely in tune with Descartes writing, which is no philosophical gibberish. This is a practical mathematitian's observations and rules for efficient use of mind.

[mwr · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are two other volumes. The third, of his letters, is quite excellent. I will apply to be a librarian in order to bring these to GRs.

[Marks54 · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Spring 1976, I took a course on Descartes that featured his basic works - Discourse on Method and Rules for the Direction of the Mind - among others. This was a a good course that was one of my first experiences going through philosophical texts in detail. Everyone should try to work through Descartes, especially given how is work is simplified and distorted.

[Isseicreek · Rating 2 out of 5]

It does not have the unabridged copy for many of his writings including The Principles of Philosophy - Part 3&4 are omitted in bulk. Even the Passions of the Soul has few passages omitted, not to mention Le Monde and The Treatise on Man, etc...

[JDP · Rating 5 out of 5]

since descartes is the greatest thinker of all time, you have to own this. seriously.

[Christopher Wm. Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Descartes completely changed the way I think of the world. His works are a fascinating and challenging read.

[Nolan Croce · Rating 3 out of 5]

“…I did nothing but roam about in the world, trying to be a spectator rather than an actor in all the comedies that are played out there” (34).

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just read the Passions of the Soul to finish this book up. This review is mainly for Comments on a Certain Broadsheet, Description of the Human Body, and The Passions of the Soul, as opposed to anything else in this collection. I have reviewed everything else separately.

These three last works are amazing, and the best works I've read by Descartes, hands down, other than his Discourse on the Method/Optics/Geometry. By the way, this whole volume has an abridged version of the Optics and no Geometry. If you are at all interested in Descartes' mathematics, may I suggest his La Geometrie and his book on Polyhedra, both of which are impressive shows of his mathematical skills.

But these last works are predominantly philosophical and biological. They are amazing works of unparalleled excellence and will stand the test of time for years to come, I believe, for even centuries of philosophy. They extol God as being the creator, and the soul as still a manifestation of the human spirit. Everything regarding the emotions is also absolutely incredible. This is a work of art, like everything else Descartes has written. His notions of sins and virtues is absolutely perfect and almost completely in line with Platonic theology.

[Mindaugas Dudenas · Rating 4 out of 5]

idejos yra musu pazinimo tikrumo matas;

Kūnai pažįstami ne pojūčiais ar sugebėjimu įsivaizduoti, bet tiktai protu ir kad apie juos žinome ne todėl, kad juos matome ar liečiame, bet todėl, kad mąstome arba suprantame mintimis;

Kiekvieną kartą, kai valia išlaikau savo žinojimo ribose ir ji nesprendžia apie tai, ko aiškiai ir tiksliai nepažįsta protu, apsirikti neįmanoma. Juk kiekvienas aiškus ir tikslus supratimes, be abejo, yra kažkas, todėl negali kilti iš nebūties, bet būtinai privalo turėti savo kūrėją dievą, o diveas, būdamas tobulas, negli būti jokio suklydimo priežastis;

Juk nėra jokio pagrindo tikėti, kad savo pojūčiais privalome justi visus aplink mus esančius kūnus;

Tikroji idėja, leidžianti mums suprasti, kad jis yra kūnas, yra ta, jog akivaizdžiai pastebime, kad jis - tai tįsi į ilgį, plotį bei gylį subastancija. Tokia pati yra ir mūsų turima erdvės idėja, ir ne tiktai erdvės, užpildytos kūnais, bet ir erdvės, vadinamos tuščia.

[Kyrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Descartes immediately became one of my favourite philosophers after reading his most famous essays. Curious to discover what else he had written I purchased another bundle with miscellaneous essays and writings by the seminal philosopher. Aside from many wrong assumptions due to a lack of scientific discoveries and some strange fixations, such as rationally proving God is real and showing logically how to know we are not sleeping but actually existing, Descartes was truly a master of rational thought and rightly coined the father of modern philosophy. the influence his ideas had on contemporary thinking and academia is unmatched. Couple his extraordinarily rigid conceptual system of thought with his clear and beautiful style of writing, and you have one of the greatest philosophers of all time!

[Brayden Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering I only read the Discourse on ths Method I cannot perform a full review. However I can say that after finishing this. I find the way Descartes thinks to be very interesting and easy to read and understand(sometimes) but that being said I can't help but feel a certain arrogance eminating from the way Descartes writes and that is what sets me from being an actual fan of his.

[Atrona Grizel (Sov8840)]

The line between reality and dream blurs beneath the weight of sleepless nights, and I find myself wandering in a place where shadows wear faces, and the past folds back upon itself like a shattered prism reflecting infinite possibilities—none of them real, yet all of them unbearably true.

[Ava Buchanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

daddy descartes

[Plato · Rating 5 out of 5]

King.

[Binh Dang · Rating 1 out of 5]

i'd revive descartes just to put him in the ground myself

[Maya Pampuch · Rating 4 out of 5]

it’s Descartes

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Descartes' writing is an odd bird for modern readers, because much of his philosophical writing has provided a crucial underpinning for modernity, much of his scientific work has been superceded. While elements of his thought--the importance of doubt, theory of the subject, etc.--are crucial to anyone who wants to understand any modern philosophy, his science is more historically interesting than scientifically interesting. For instance, Descartes is absolutely convinced that a vaccuum is a scientific impossibility and that space is a type of liquid, or liquidesque material, in which the planets stay stationary, as the liquid of space moves around the sun. We now know this to be untrue, but for anyone interested in the history and evolution of the sciences Descartes' scientific writings would be interesting. However, by far Descartes is more important for his contribution to the realm of modern thought, beginning with his radical conception of absolute doubt of everything that there can be the slightest rational doubt of. Thus we get modernity.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read so much about Descartes, I figured it was high time I actually read what he had to say. I found him to be a clear and engaging writer. While I do not find his Method adequate or his Philosophy persuasive, I give this work four stars to encourage others to read it. You will be sharpened by listening to what he has to say.

[Darien Dorico · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I would like to praise myself for being able to read this for my graduate journal/research paper, I am confident to say that I am not confident about what I've understood from Descartes' philosophical projects. Mimicking and revising the words of Plato, I am wise for being able to claim that I know less about Descartes' philosophy. Nevertheless, I might not agree with Descartes when it comes to the practicality of his thoughts, but who knows what groundbreaking truth lies beneath the surface of his thoughts expressed through words. I am expecting Gadamer's fusion of horizon to take effect here.

[Lane Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Along with Volume 2, these books are indispensible for any study of continental rationalism.

[Cannonhistory Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Descartes...'nuff said.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

SJCA - Mathematics and Natural Science

[Neo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable translation of Descartes.

[Kao Ethan]

You can realize how "work" or "energy" concept is captured by Rene Decartes. It's very exciting to know how Decartes thought about natural philosophy.