Showing results by author "René Descartes" in All Categories

The most important philosophical works of all time, collected for the first time in a single audiobook. This collection spans the full arc of philosophy from all the greatest thinkers, covering ethics, reason, meaning, faith, and the question of how to live well. Older works have been carefully updated for modern listeners, while preserving their original clarity.

By calling everything into doubt, Descartes laid the foundations of modern philosophy. With the celebrated words "I think therefore I am," his compelling argument swept aside ancient and medieval traditions. He deduced that human beings consist of minds and bodies; that these are totally distinct "substances"; that God exists and that He ensures we can trust the evidence of our senses.

Plagued with doubt and uncertainty in sensory knowledge, Descartes is struck with the idea that everything he knows is false. He considers the possibility that he has been deceived by an 'evil demon' and is left with nothing to lean on, until he arrives at the phrase 'cogito ergo sum' ('I think, therefore I am'). Among the most quoted philosophical works in history, Meditations on First Philosophy and Discourse on the Method together display the full workings of Descartes' skeptical method and the formation of his famous phrase.

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Rory Alexander. René Descartes was a central figure in the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. In his Discourse on Method he outlined the contrast between mathematics and experimental sciences, and the extent to which...

Discourse on the Method: This work opens the door to modern philosophy. Descartes questions whether knowledge can rest on the senses, because they can mislead us. To get closer to the truth, we must first doubt what we take for granted. From there comes his central idea: if we doubt, it’s because we think—and thinking confirms that we exist. That certainty—reason as the basis of our existence—reshaped the methods and ways of thinking we still use today. A key book by one of the most influential minds in history.

Rene Descartes is often described as the first modern philosopher, but much of the content of his Meditations on First Philosophy can be found in the medieval period that had already existed for more than a thousand years. Does God exist? If so, what is his nature? Is the human soul immortal? How does it differ from the body? What role do sense experience and pure reason play in knowing?

Rene Descartes, mathematician, scientist, and first "modern philosopher", wrote Meditations on First Philosophy, a six-part treatise first published in Latin in 1641, to deconstruct "belief" and, using reason and science, discuss the only things we can truly know for sure. Each of the six parts of this book represents six of Descartes’ meditations that occurred on six subsequent days, making it also, in no small part, an autobiographical piece of work.

Le bon sens est la chose au monde la mieux partagée, car chacun pense en être si bien pourvu que ceux même qui sont les plus difficiles à contenter en toute chose, n'ont point coutume d'en désirer plus qu'ils en ont.

René Descartes is often described as the first modern philosopher, but much of the content of his "Meditations on First Philosophy" can be found in the medieval period that had already existed for more than a thousand years. Does God exist? If so, what is his nature? Is the human soul immortal? How does it differ from the body? What role do sense experience and pure reason play in knowing? Descartes stands out from his predecessors because of the method he developed to treat these and other fundamental questions.

The Discourse on the Method of Reason was the first true work of skepticism, a foundation of doubt which allowed a critical re-examination of all that was previously held to be true. Descartes literally revolutionized both philosophy and mathematics, and this discourse provides the means by which he approached the tangle of contemporary thought and laid the foundation of rational understanding.

En el Discurso del método, Descartes parece buscar y moverse en un elegante equilibrio entre la crítica y la prudencia, de tal forma que su obra, aparte del valor puramente reflexivo, se podría percibir como una sugestiva propuesta de conducta vital. Persiste en una separación entre fe religiosa y trabajo científico que se corresponde enteramente con las necesidades filosóficas de su contexto social histórico.

Le "Discours de la méthode" est un texte composite, assez peu méthodique en vérité, qui touche à la morale, à la logique, aux sciences. La méthode proprement dite se résume en peu de règles : "ne recevoir jamais aucune chose pour vraie, que je ne la connusse évidemment être telle" ; "diviser chacune des difficultés que j'examinerais" ; "conduire par ordre mes pensées" et m'assurer, par des "dénombrements si entiers, et des revues si générales", de n'avoir rien omis dans ces "chaînes de raisons", sur le modèle des géomètres.

El Discurso del método, cuyo título completo es Discurso del método para conducir bien la propia razón y buscar la verdad en las ciencias es la principal obra escrita por René Descartes y una obra fundamental de la filosofía occidental con implicaciones para el desarrollo de la filosofía y de la ciencia. Se publicó de forma anónima en Leiden (Holanda) en el año 1637. Constituía, en realidad, el prólogo a tres ensayos: Dióptrica, Meteoros y Geometría; agrupados bajo el título conjunto de Ensayos filosóficos.

Contained here in this volume are two of the most influential works of philosophy ever written, Descartes’ Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy.

Meditations on First Philosophy in which the existence of God and the immortality of the soul are demonstrated is a philosophical treatise by René Descartes first published in Latin in 1641. The book is made up of six meditations, in which Descartes first discards all belief in things that are not absolutely certain and then tries to establish what can be known for sure. He wrote the meditations as if he had meditated for six days: Each meditation refers to the last one as "yesterday". It continues to be one of the most influential philosophical texts ever written.

Originally published in Latin in 1644 and later translated into French in 1647, The Principles of Philosophy by René Descartes unveils the foundational principles of nature and the Laws of Physics through his unique lens. This groundbreaking work offers a systematic exploration of natural philosophy and metaphysics, presenting the first truly comprehensive, mechanistic view of the universe. Selections from the Principles of Philosophy includes the entirety of the first part, Of the Principles of Human Knowledge, along with selected passages from the second part, Of the Principles of Material ...

After years of laboring on a treatise that laid the groundwork for his mechanistic philosophy and physics, Descartes found himself compelled to set the project aside when his contemporary, Galileo, faced charges of heresy. This unfinished work, titled The World, was ultimately published only after Descartes’ passing. It appears that this turbulent context influenced Descartes as he penned his more renowned philosophical writings. This influence is particularly evident in the Meditations, where not only the subservience of the Letter of Dedication is apparent, but also in the distinctive ...

Dive into the profound thoughts of French philosopher René Descartes in Six Metaphysical Meditations. Known for his famous declaration Cogito, ergo sum or I think, therefore I exist, Descartes invites you to explore six essential themes where he meticulously unpacks his reasoning. Each meditation not only showcases his insights but also addresses the objections raised by Thomas Hobbes, along with Descartes compelling responses. The meditations cover topics such as the nature of the mind, the existence of God, the essence of truth and falsehood, and the distinction between mind and body. Join ...

In sechs Betrachtungen geht Descartes der Frage nach, wie wir Wissen begründen können, das unerschütterlich wahr ist. Die Schrift verbindet radikalen Zweifel mit metaphysischen, erkenntnistheoretischen und theologischen Überlegungen – klar, systematisch und bis heute wirkmächtig.

"Cogito, ergo sum: Ich denke, also bin ich." Einer der wohl berühmtesten Sätze der Philosophiegeschichte stammt von René Descartes. In seinem Grundlagenwerk denkt er in sechs Meditationen über Metaphysik und Erkenntnistheorie nach. Themen sind der Zweifel, die Natur des menschlichen Geistes, das Dasein Gottes, das Wahre und das Falsche, die materiellen Dinge und die Verschiedenheit von Geist und Körper. Ein wahrhaftiges Grundlagenwerk der Philosophie.