| Discourse on Method and Related Writings Contributor(s): Descartes, René (Author), Clarke, Desmond M. (Introduction by), Clarke, Desmond M. (Notes by) |
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ISBN: 0140446990 ISBN-13: 9780140446999 Publisher: Penguin Group OUR PRICE: $10.80 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2000 Annotation: The age of Newton marks one of the great turning points in intellectual history, and Descartes has a key place at its very heart. Designed for students who approach Descartes from the point of view of his philosophy of science, this is the second of a new two-volume edition of the works of Descartes in Penguin Classics. Descartes did major research in optics, geometry, astronomy, and physiology, although (partly because Galileo had just been condemned by the Inquisition) he published nothing until he was over forty. The Discourse forms the preface to his first coLLection of scientific papers, outlining a new method based on hypothesis and deduction, which effectively replaced Adstotelian techniques. This edition puts the work in context by including extracts from Descartes' correspondence, the Rules for Guiding One's Intelligence, and The World -- a posthumously published summary of his physical theories. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Philosophy | History & Surveys - Modern - Science | Philosophy & Social Aspects - Science | History |
| Dewey: 194 |
| LCCN: 00267925 |
| Series: Penguin Classics |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 5.03" W x 7.83" (0.47 lbs) 256 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: It is not enough to have a good mind; it is more important to use it well Ren Descartes was a central figure in the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. In his Discourse on Method he outlined the contrast between mathematics and experimental sciences, and the extent to which each one can achieve certainty. Drawing on his own work in geometry, optics, astronomy and physiology, Descartes developed the hypothetical method that characterizes modern science, and this soon came to replace the traditional techniques derived from Aristotle. Many of Descartes' most radical ideas--such as the disparity between our perceptions and the realities that cause them--have been highly influential in the development of modern philosophy.This edition sets the Discourse on Method in the wider context of Descartes' work, with the Rules for Guiding One's Intelligence in Searching for the Truth (1628), extracts from The World (1633) and selected letters from 1636-9. A companion volume, Meditations and Other Metaphysical Writings, is also published in Penguin Classics. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. |