John Cottingham examines Descartes' remarkable attempt to construct a new basis for scientific understanding, his famous first principle 'I am thinking, therefore I exist', and his notorious and often misunderstood account of the relation between mind and body. He also tackles fascinating and lesser-known aspects of Descartes' philosophy, including his views on language, human and animal nature, the role of the emotions in the good life, and the place of God in science and ethics.
Extracts are taken from the whole range of Descartes' writings, including the Discourse on the Method, Meditations on First Philosophy, Principles of Philosophy and his last book, the Passions of the Soul, as well as extracts from his philosophical letters
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