Meditations on First Philosophy: In which the existence of God and the immortality of the soul are demonstrated Paperback – April 3, 2009

When I was in the midst of my educational pursuits, I took my first course in philosophy. One day my professor stumped the class with the question: "What do humans have that is distinct from non-human animals? Is there anything unique about humans?" The professor then contended that when one surveys all animal species there isn't anything fully unique about mankind. Although the class tried, no one was able to mount an effective argument that refuted his premise.

Nevertheless, one thing that human beings do that no other species attempts is epistemology: asking how we know what we know. The whole mass of the animal world lacks the ability to build an epistemic view.

And Rene Descartes was one of the chief thinkers who helped birth modern epistemology. Descartes aspired to set in motion human knowledge afresh through finding a place to ground indubitable knowledge. He sought to thrust aside the collected mass of rational predispositions, preconceptions, prejudices, partialities, and biases of the past and construct form the epistemic ground up, constructing one logical certainty upon another.

This volume is arranged of 6 meditations, in which Descartes first castoffs all notions that are not absolutely certain, and then aims to launch a certain knowledge system. The meditations were written as if he was meditating for six days as each contemplation refers to the last one the previous day.

Descartes was mathematician; philosopher and a true mastermind in the early epistemological pursuits as he embraced dualism. Additionally he's the author of the controversial: "I think therefore I am" formulation; since I am thinking, I must exist. His aim was to find an immovable impossibility of the contrary foundation as the starting point within a fuller epistemic scheme. Most, from all epistemic schools, believe that Descartes failed and at best made a case for solipsism. Nonetheless his work helped launch countless valuable epistemological pursuits.

Furthermore many admire his ontological argument for the existence of God, although Plantinga has recently devised a much more potent OAFEG.

Descartes was a central and essential pioneer of modern epistemology and mathematics; the world would be much inferior without his exceptional, yet dated, work.

* Epistemology: The study of how we know what we know, the nature and basis of knowledge, the accounting and justifying of knowledge claims, and the sources and scope of knowledge. Epistemology explores the question: What do men ordinarily denote when they say that they `know' something?

* Laws of Logic: Abstract, non-concrete laws of thought and reason that are nonmaterial, universal, obligatory, and absolute. All rational communication and thinking assume the laws of logic. The most well known law is the law of non-contradiction: A cannot be A and not-A at the same time in the same way. A man cannot be his own father. The laws of logic reflect the nature and mind of God; thus, they have ontological grounding--that is, they are grounded in the very nature of truth itself and cannot be reduced to human convention, opinion, or psychology. Reject the laws of logic, including the law of non-contradiction, and rational thinking is impossible. To deny the law, one must use the law in attempting to deny it. Those who deny logic are participating in a self-refuting effort.

Buy this, ruminate over Descartes' assertions, and expand your own epistemic method.

The Necessary Existence of God: The Proof of Christianity Through Presuppositional Apologetics

Descartes (pronounced day'cart), a brilliant mind. In his meditations, of which there are six(VI), he offers a lot to think about. I wont go into the details of the book and spoil it for you but to say the least it sheds intelectual light on us as existing beings and God as an existant being. Some of his ideas, grant it, have been harshly scrutinized over the years to the degree that many accusations have made to justify people question the reality behind his musings. The book is as its name states, a meditation. Descartes thinks to himself, and answeres himself. Not in a self justfifying way but rather an objective one. You never get the feeling that he is "self justifying." He is logical in his ideology his ideas have a clear start, workthrough, and conclusion. He also presents the idea of dualism very well. Our minds are seporate entities from out bodies. I say read the book for yourself and you be the judge. He offers many great examples to show his points and really makes the idea of existance sink into your brain. I first read this book in a Philosophy 101 class and it impressed me so much that I just had to buy it, out of respect, I also felt it deserved a good second read without the pressure of class work that was initially involved. I know you will enjoy it, so buy it already!

I prefer the Haldane & Ross translation, but I did like that it was in original Latin as well.....so thanks