Customer Reviews

The Philosophical Writings of Descartes: Volume 2

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The translation is fine. The work is primarily Descartes' Meditations and numbered commentaries. While in the first volume a number of works are abridged in this one the texts are unabridged, which I appreciated.

I recommend reading the Meditations and reading them carefully. He presents the most artful proof of God that I have come across. Scrutinizing it's weak points is a joy and shouldn't distract you from his accomplishment - establishing the mind as a thing apart from corporeality. The only commentary worth reading is written by Hobbes. A few are so-so. There are a few lengthy commentaries that are awful. The commentaries were a fine idea in principle, but in practice they are challenging to sift through. There are a few lines that add light to Descartes' reasoning, but aside from Hobbes' they are not worth your time.

This is a fantastic resource for English speaking students and scholars. I've been really satisfied with all three volumes in this series.

This volume includes a fantastic translation of Meditations on First Philosophy and includes a section of objections and replies.

I ordered this for an upper division philosophy class and found it very useful, however first time philosophy students, or for a "lighter" introduction would probably prefer the Oxford edition. Meditations on First Philosophy: with Selections from the Objections and Replies (Oxford World's Classics)

FYI: This is a very complex text. I'm not sure anyone can read this alone and properly understand the material without a professor guiding them through the text.