Before publishing his landmark Meditations in 1641, Rene Descartes sent his manuscript to many leading thinkers to solicit their objections to his arguments. He included these objections, along with his own detailed replies, as part of the first edition. This unusual strategy gave Descartes a chance to address criticisms in advance and to demonstrate his willingness to consider diverse viewpoints—critical in an age when radical ideas could result in condemnation by church and state, or even death. Descartes and his Contemporaries recreates the tumultuous intellectual community of seventeenth-century Europe and provides a detailed, modern analysis of the Meditations in its historical context. The book's chapters examine the arguments and positions of each of the objectors—Hobbes, Gassendi, Arnauld, Morin, Caterus, Bourdin, and others whose views were compiled by Mersenne. They illuminate Descartes' relationships to the scholastics and particularly the Jesuits, to Mersenne's circle with its debates about the natural sciences, to the Epicurean movements of his day, and to the Augustinian tradition. Providing a glimpse of the interactions among leading 17th-century intellectuals as they grappled with major philosophical issues, this book sheds light on how Descartes' thought developed and was articulated in opposition to the ideas of his contemporaries.

Descartes and His Contemporaries: Meditations, Objections, and Replies

Roger Ariew

Marjorie Glicksman Grene

History

University of Chicago Press

This new anthology offers the key works of seven major philosophers along with a rich selection of associated texts by other leading thinkers of the period chosen to enhance the reader's understanding of modern philosophy and its relationship to the natural science of the time. A brief general introduction describes the intellectual climate in which the works to follow were conceived. Short chapter introductions give pertinent details about specific philosophers and their works. Texts are provided in their entirety or in substantive selections, including a new abridgement of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason commissioned especially for this volume. Alternatives to the 'main' texts -- for example, Kant's Prolegomena is also included -- give instructors flexibility while providing students with the best translations of the primary source materials at an eminently reasonable price. Roger Ariew is Professor of Philosophy and Eric Watkins is Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Modern Philosophy: An Anthology of Primary Sources

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

Hackett Pub Co Inc

A superb text for teaching the philosophy of Descartes, this volume includes all his major works in their entirety, important selections from his lesser known writings, and key selections from his philosophical correspondence. The result is an anthology that enables the reader to understand the development of Descartes’s thought over his lifetime. Includes a biographical Introduction, chronology, bibliography, and index.

Philosophical Essays and Correspondence (Descartes) (Hackett Publishing Co.)

Ariew, Roger

René, Descartes

Descartes`, René

Americas

Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.

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Books by Roger Ariew