Descartes: Meditations On First Philosophy: With Selections From The Objections And Replies (cambridge Texts In The History Of Philosophy)

What Can Be Called Into Doubt -- The Nature Of The Human Mind, And How It Is Better Known Than The Body -- The Existence Of God -- Truth And Falsity -- The Essence Of Material Things, And The Existence Of God Considered A Second Time -- The Existence Of Material Things, And The Real Distinction Between Mind And Body. Selections From The Objections And Replies : The Rejection Of Previous Beliefs -- The Reliability Of The Senses -- The Dreaming Argument -- Centainty In Dreams -- Cogito Ergo Sum ('i Am Thinking, Therefore I Exist') -- Sum Res Cogitans ('i Am A Thinking Thing') -- The Nature Of Thought -- The Piece Of Wax -- Innate Ideas -- The Idea Of God -- Objective Reality -- God, Author Of My Existence -- The Cause Of Error -- The Indifference Of The Will -- Whether God's Essence Implies His Existence -- Clear And Distinct Perception And The 'cartesian Circle' -- The Real Distinction Between Mind And Body. René Descartes ; Translated And Edited By John Cottingham ; With An Introductory Essay By Bernard Williams And A New Introduction For This Edition By John Cottingham. Includes Bibliographical References (p. Xli-xlii) And Index. Cover ......Page 1 Contents......Page 7 Introductory essay......Page 9 General introduction :The Meditations and Cartesian Philosophy......Page 20 Chronology of Descartes' life and works......Page 41 Further reading......Page 43 Note on the text and the translation......Page 45 Meditations on First Philosophy......Page 49 Dedicatory letter to the Sorbonne......Page 51 Preface to the reader......Page 54 Synopsis of the following six Meditations......Page 57 What can be called into doubt......Page 60 The nature of the human mind, and how it is better known than the body......Page 64 The existence of God......Page 72 Truth and falsity......Page 85 The Essence of material things, and the existence of God considered a second time......Page 92 The existence of material things, and the real distinction between mind and body......Page 98 ON MEDITATION ONE......Page 111 ON MEDITATION TWO......Page 116 ON MEDITATION THREE ......Page 126 ON MEDITATION FOUR......Page 138 ON MEDITATION FIVE......Page 143 ON MEDITATlON SIX......Page 155 Index......Page 165 The Meditations, one of the key texts of Western philosophy, is the most widely studied of all Descartes' writings. This authoritative translation by John Cottingham, taken from the much acclaimed three-volume Cambridge edition of the Philosophical Writings of Descartes, is based upon the best available texts and presents Descartes' central metaphysical writings in clear, readable modern English. As well as the complete text of the Meditations, the reader will find a thematic abridgement of the Objections and Replies (which were originally published with the Meditations) containing Descartes' replies to his critics. These extracts, specially selected for the present volume, indicate the main philosophical difficulties which occurred to Descartes' contemporaries and show how Descartes developed and clarified his arguments in response. This edition contains a new comprehensive introduction to Descartes' philosophy by John Cottingham and the classic introductory essay on the Meditations by Bernard Williams I have a very good reason for offering this book to you, and I am confident that you will have an equally good reason for giving it your protection once you understand the principle behind my undertaking; so much so, that my best way of commending it to you will be to tell you briefly of the goal which I shall be aiming at in the book. This authoritative translation of the Meditations, by John Cottingham, is based upon the best available texts and presents Descartes' central metaphysical writings in clear, readable modern English. There is a new comprehensive introduction by John Cottingham and the classic introductory essay on the Meditations by Bernard Williams. This authoritative translation by John Cottingham of the Meditations is taken from the much acclaimed three-volume Cambridge edition of the Philosophical Writings of Descartes. It is based on the best available texts and presents Descartes' central metaphysical writings in clear, readable modern English.