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Rene Descartes was the founding father of modern Western philosophy and a pivotal thinker in the history of this fascinating subject. Covering all the key concepts of his work, Starting with Descartes provides an accessible introduction to the ideas of this enormously significant philosopher. Thematically structured, the book leads the reader through a thorough overview of the development of Descartes'' thought, resulting in a more complete understanding of the roots of his philosophical concerns. Offering coverage of the full range of Descartes'' ideas, the book explores his major work The Meditations on First Philosophy and his basic methodology of philosophical questioning. Crucially, the book introduces the historical context in which Descartes wrote and the major thinkers whose work proved influential in the development of his thought, as well as those he influenced.
List of contents
1. Introduction
2. Descartes and his Project
3. The First Meditation: Methodological Doubt
4. The Second Meditation: The Cogito
5. The Third Meditation: The Causal Argument for God's Existence
6. A Brief Interlude
7. The Fourth Meditation: Explaining the Possibility of Error
8. The Fifth Meditation: The Ontological Argument for God's Existence
9. The Sixth Meditation: The World's Existence
10. Conclusion
Glossary
Select Bibliography
Index
About the author
C. G. Prado is Professor of Philosophy at Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. He is the author of seven books, two on aging and suicide. He is also the author of some thirty articles and is co-author of a book on assisted suicide.
