The Matrix also did me a favour, because, to my mind, the key to unlocking philosophical concepts is always in the useful analogy or visualisation and here was a 2-hour visualisation with Keanu and special fx.

Anyway, Descartes' best-known piece is probably my favourite among the classic theories; accessible, easy to understand and easy to take a view on, as opposed to, say, Kant's theory of moral obligation...

All Descartes really does is walk you through a series of logical thought processes that he took himself through in order to clarify his views on God and existence. The classic sceptics, for example, believed that we could not know anything, whereas Descartes shows us his reasoning that God is all the proof we need.

For example, Descartes takes us through such questions as, how can i know the dream from the waking? how do i know that i am not a brain in a vat being manipulated by some devil? Since all philosophers seem to agree that logic is an acceptable proof, we then follow Descartes' attempts to reason his existence and he reasons 'Cogito Ergo Sum' or, 'I think therefore I am'. Go ahead and make up your own mind, it sounds ridiculous, but it becomes quite fun when you realise the difficulties in proving your own existence...! Enjoy.

By the way, this edition is fantastic and has all you need to lead you on to further reading, should you wish.


a very important, if the not the most to modern philosophy   March 19, 2001
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Descartes is widely recognised as the founding father of modern philosophy. The Meditations introduce a scientific method into philosophical thought, and are the foundation to Descartes' work in science.

It is a very hard piece of work to understand, and to reaps its benefits fully, it is essential to also read the Objections and Replies (to Descartes) and also the secondary texts (especially B. Williams, Curley, Wilson and Cottingham).

On the superficial level The Meditations are very far fetched and can be dismissed as an invalid proof of the existence of God. This may be so, but the real impact Descartes makes is in changing the methodology that Philosophy begins to take. For these reasons The Meditations is an extrememly important text. And though I would not label any book as being essential for a student or lover of Philosophy to have read, I would label the Meditations as a classic.

It is worth reading just to find out what all the hype (surrounding the cogito 'i think, (therefore) i am') is all about.