René Descartes Libros

Meditations on First Philosophy is a philosophical treatise written 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 which are not absolutely certain, and then tries to establish what can be known for sure. The meditations were written as if he was meditating for 6 days: each meditation refers to the last one as "yesterday". However, Descartes did not take 6 days to complete this work; it actually took several years.

El cartesianismo hace mucho tiempo que murió. El pensamiento de Descartes, sin embargo, pervive y pervivirá mientras exista como guía de reflexión la libertad de pensar. Este principio constituye la más deliciosa fábula que el hombre pudo inventar, y eso se lo debe a la humanidad, en buena parte, a Descartes y, especialmente, a las dos obras que el lector tiene entre sus manos. Leer a Descartes es uno de los mejores ejercicios para mantener vivo el más importante impulso de la filosofía moderna: una duda previa absoluta, un escepticismo como punto de partida del genuino saber. Con todo, el principal mérito del que pasa por ser el primer racionalista oficial de la historia de la filosofía, ha consistido en su matizada crítica al pensamiento dogmático. Nada, efectivamente, puede ser aceptado en virtud de una autoridad cualquiera. Este héroe del pensamiento moderno, en palabras de Hegel, ha llevado a la filosofía por caminos apenas percibidos anteriormente, atreviéndose, por decirlos en palabras de Dalembert, a enseñar a las buenas cabezas a sacudirse el yugo de la escolástica, de la opinión, de la autoridad; en una palabra, de los prejuicios y de la barbarie y, con esta rebelión cuyos frutos recogemos hoy, ha hecho a la filosofía más esencial quizá que todos los que ésta debe a los ilustres sucesores de Descartes.

The book is a classic work that has held significant importance throughout human history. To ensure its legacy, the publishers at Alpha have modernized the text for contemporary readers, providing a retyped and reformatted version that enhances clarity and readability. This edition is not a mere digital reproduction, but a carefully crafted publication aimed at preserving the original ideas for both current and future generations.

The new translation offers a fresh perspective by relying solely on the Latin text, distinguishing it from the older version by Haldane and Ross, which utilized a composite text from both French and Latin sources. This edition highlights significant differences in the French version through detailed footnotes, providing readers with a clearer understanding of the original Latin text.

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.

In The Essential Descartes, the passion, precision, and deep humanity of this avant-garde 17th-century thinker are presented in a selection from his most profound writings, including his Discourse on Method, Meditations on First Philosophy, and Rules for the Direction of the Mind.

The Meditations on First Philosophy is one of Descartes's best-known works and one of the most influential philosophical texts ever written, this treatise offers Descartes' metaphysical views on the relationship between the mind and thought, the nature of reality and how accumulated knowledge and our experiences affect us. First published in 1641, the work consists of six meditations on the following the dubiousness of thoughts and assumptions - as Descartes puts it, 'what can be called into doubt'; the nature of the human mind; the existence of God; truth versus falsehood; the essence of material things and, finally, the difference between mind and body. For anyone interested in the study of philosophy, this is an essential and illuminating read.This volume also includes the great philosopher's Discourse on the Method, a brilliant discussion of reasoning and experimentation which helped establish the foundations of the scientific process, a selection of enlightening essays from his Principles of Philosophy and a classic introduction by Frank Sewall.