Discourse on Method

by René Descartes, Richard Kennington (Translator), Pamela Kraus (Editor), Frank Hunt (Editor)

Overview

This edition of Descartes' seminal discourse is designed to provide the student with a close translation to facilitate access to ideas as they were originally presented, helping to make the translator's work transparent. Includes an original essay by Richard Kennington, notes, and a glossary of key terms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781585105663
Publisher:	Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	08/15/2012
Series:	Focus Philosophical Library
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	100
File size:	240 KB

About the Author

Andrew Bailey is Professor of Philosophy and Associate Dean of Arts at the University of Guelph. He is editor of The Broadview Introduction to Philosophy.

Ian Johnston is Professor Emeritus at Vancouver Island University; he has translated numerous works from Greek, French, German, and Latin, including Descartes’s Meditations and several of Rousseau’s political texts.

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