Discourse on Method

by Ren Descartes, John Veitch (Translator)

Overview

Perhaps best known for the observation “Je pense, donc je suis” (“I am thinking; therefore, I exist”), Descartes’s Discourse on Method lays the foundation for his later writings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781970184136
Publisher:	1828 Press
Publication date:	07/07/2022
Pages:	84
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

René Descartes (1596-1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science. Mathematics was paramount to his method of inquiry, and he connected the previously separate fields of geometry and algebra into analytic geometry.

Table of Contents

Introduction

• Who Was René Descartes?
• What Was Descartes’s Overall Philosophical Project?
• What Is the Structure of the Discourse?
• Some Useful Background Information
• Some Common Misconceptions
• How Important and Influential Is This Text?
• Timeline
• Suggestions for Critical Reflection
• Suggestions for Further Reading

Translator’s Note

Discourse on Method

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three
• Part Four
• Part Five
• Part Six

Appendix: From Rules for the Direction of the Mind

Index.

Editorial Reviews

Ian Johnston’s new translation of Descartes’s famous Discourse on Method will stand with the best and most readable translations now available in English. For readers coming to Descartes’s work for the first time, Andrew Bailey’s introduction nicely situates the text both philosophically and historically.” — Kurt Smith, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

“Descartes’s Discourse on Method is incredibly rich: it motivates readers to think critically, it introduces Descartes’s ethics as well as his metaphysics, and it aims to show the power of reasoning well. Ian Johnston’s translation is clear and accessible to students while remaining true to the original text.” — Lisa Shapiro, Simon Fraser University

From the Publisher