René Descartes Books
This influential 17th-century thinker is heralded as the father of modern philosophy and a pivotal figure in the Scientific Revolution. His writings profoundly shaped subsequent Western thought, remaining essential subjects of study. In mathematics, he established analytic geometry, bridging algebra and geometry and laying groundwork for calculus. His philosophical inquiries into mind and mechanism foreshadowed later explorations into artificial intelligence, with his famous assertion "I think, therefore I am" encapsulating his pursuit of certainty.







French and English Philosophers
Descartes, Rousseau, Voltaire, Hobbes: Part 34 Harvard Classics
- 440 pages
- 16 hours of reading
The book is a facsimile reprint of a scarce antiquarian work, preserving its historical significance and cultural importance. While it may include imperfections like marks and flawed pages due to its age, the reprint aims to protect and promote classic literature. It offers readers an opportunity to engage with the original text in a modern, high-quality edition.
Die Prinzipien der Philosophie
- 360 pages
- 13 hours of reading
Rules for the Direction of the Mind
- 116 pages
- 5 hours of reading
This volume preserves the format in which Discourse on Method was originally published: as a preface to Descartes's writings on optics, geometry, and meteorology. In his introduction, Olscamp discusses the value of reading the Discourse alongside these three works, which sheds new light on Descartes's method. Includes an updated bibliography. schovat popis
Discours de la méthode
- 258 pages
- 10 hours of reading
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 Rationalists
- 480 pages
- 17 hours of reading
Founded in the mid-17th century, Rationalism was philosophy's first step into the modern era. This volume contains the essential statements of Rationalism's three greatest figures: Descartes, who began it; Spinoza, who epitomized it; and Leibniz, who gave it its last serious expression.
Is it possible to be certain of anything? If so, how? The father of modern philosophy and the founder of rational method in philosophical thought, René Descartes (1596–1650) sought the answers to these questions and in doing so, addressed the most important of methods of thinking and understanding truth. In Discourse on Method, he applies a scientific approach to philosophy that comprises four principles: to accept only what reason recognizes as "clear and distinct"; to analyze complex ideas by dividing them into smaller elements; to reconstruct the ideas; and to make accurate and complete enumerations of the data. His Meditations proceed according to this method, exploring the mind/body distinction, the nature of truth and error, the existence of God, and the essence of material things.
Descartes: Philosophical Essays and Correspondence
- 320 pages
- 12 hours of reading
A superb text for teaching the philosophy of Descartes, this volume includes all his major works in their entirety, important selections from his lesser known writings, and key selections from his philosophical correspondence. The result is an anthology that enables the reader to understand the development of Descartes’s thought over his lifetime. Includes a biographical Introduction, chronology, bibliography, and index.
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.
