René Descartes’s 1641 Meditations on First Philosophy is a cornerstone of the history of western thought. One of the most important philosophical texts ever written, it is also a masterclass in the art of critical thinking – specifically when it comes to reasoning and interpretation.
Descartes sought to do nothing less than create a new foundation for the pursuit of knowledge – whether philosophical, scientific, or theological. To that end, he laid out a systematic programme that reinterpreted prior definitions of knowledge, and reasoned out a systematic means of obtaining, verifying, and building on existing human knowledge. To this end, Descartes created a definition of true knowledge as that which is based on things which cannot be called into doubt by radical scepticism. If, he suggests, we can find a belief that cannot be called into doubt, this will provide a solid foundation upon which we can build systematic reasoning. This ‘cartesian’ method, as it has come to be known, is a blueprint for reasoning that continues to shape the study of philosophy today: a careful weighing of possibilities, searching out solid ground and building on it step by step.
By:
Andreas Vrahimis Imprint: Macat Library Country of Publication: United Kingdom Dimensions:
Height: 198mm,
Width: 129mm,
Weight: 128g ISBN:9781912127320 ISBN 10: 1912127326 Series:The Macat Library Pages: 90 Publication Date:04 July 2017 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
