Wiley-Blackwell The Blackwell Guide to Descartes' Meditations (Blackwell Guides to Great Works)

Consisting of twelve newly commissioned essays and enhanced by William Molyneux’s famous early translation of the Meditations, this volume touches on all the major themes of one of the most influential texts in the history of philosophy. Situates the Meditations in its philosophical and historical context. Touches on all of the major themes of the Meditations, including the mind-body relation, the nature of the mind, and the existence of the material world. Review “Acute yet bereft of jargon, scholarly yet footnote-free, imaginative yet keenly focused – Descartes could not have dreamt of a more attractive Guide.” André Gombay, University of Toronto “Stephen Gaukroger has assembled a splendid collection of essays written by some of the best scholars in the field. It helps the reader navigate from Descartes’ predecessors, through the Meditations, and on to the later reception of this seminal text. As an extra bonus the volume includes an important seventeenth-century English translation of Descartes’ text. This volume will be used with profit by students of Descartes at every level.” Daniel Garber, Princeton University From the Inside Flap The Blackwell Guide to Descartes’ Meditations consists of twelve newly commissioned essays on one of the most influential and widely taught texts in the history of philosophy. The volume touches on all of the major themes of the Meditations, including the mind–body relation, the nature of the mind, and the existence of the material world. The volume also includes William Molyneux’s famous early translation of the Meditations. Situating the Meditations’ arguments in their philosophical and historical context, the essays in this volume constitute an ideal companion to Descartes’ masterwork. From the Back Cover The Blackwell Guide to Descartes’ Meditations consists of twelve newly commissioned essays on one of the most influential and widely taught texts in the history of philosophy. The volume touches on all of the major themes of the Meditations, including the mind–body relation, the nature of the mind, and the existence of the material world. The volume also includes William Molyneux’s famous early translation of the Meditations. Situating the Meditations’ arguments in their philosophical and historical context, the essays in this volume constitute an ideal companion to Descartes’ masterwork. About the Author Stephen Gaukroger is Professor of History of Philosophy and History of Science at the University of Sydney, and presently holds an Australian Research Council Professorial Fellowship. His works include Descartes: An Intellectual Biography (1995), Francis Bacon and the Transformation of Early-modern Philosophy (2001), and Descartes’ System of Natural Philosophy (2002).