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The Cambridge Companion to Descartes (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)

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Many of the books about Descartes do not achieve the depth that this book reaches. The contributors, from considering the antecedents of the Cartesian thought, analyze the most algid points in Descartes' philosophy, such as the Cogito, the Cartesian circle and his physics; the contributors also show the influence of Descartes' work in the context of his own epoch and his legacy for later centuries. I am sure that the purchase of this book will grant the reader a deeper vision of modernity; it also will be useful in the understanding of many contemporary philosophal tendencies.

Descartes is rightly considered as one of the greatest philosophers of all time. While his thought is subtle and nuanced, his new approach to Philosophy brought about a massive change in the direction of the subject and helped decisively end the medieval synthesis and worldview amoung serious philosophers.

This volume contains a series of essays on Descartes by leading experts on Descartes, including John Cottingham. As with the other Cambridge Volumes the bias is towards an analytical interpretation of Descartes, which mostly rejects his dualism as essentially meaningless. Nevertheless, the approach to modern philosophical issues in both the continent and the Anglo-American tradition were very much framed by the sorts of questions posed by Descartes, and his thought repays close and careful study. This volume will help students of Descartes in their quest to understand the thought of this pivotal thinker.