0521809819 - Catherine Wilson - Descartes's Meditations~ An Introduction (Cambridge Introductions To Key Philosophical Texts) [2003].pdf

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DESCARTES’S MEDITATIONS
In this new introduction to a classic philosophical text, Cather-
ine Wilson examines the arguments of Descartes’s famous Med-
itations, the book which launched modern philosophy. Draw-
ing on the reinterpretations of Descartes’s thought of the past
twenty-five years, she shows how Descartes constructs a theory
of the mind, the body, nature, and God from a premise of rad-
ical uncertainty. She discusses in detail the historical context
of Descartes’s writings, and their relationship to early modern
science, and at the same time she introduces concepts and prob-
lems that define the philosophical enterprise as it is understood
today. Following closely the text of the Meditations and meant
to be read alongside them, this survey is accessible to readers
with no previous background in philosophy. It is well suited to
university-level courses on Descartes, but can also be read with
profit by students in other disciplines.
catherine wilson is Professor of Philosophy at the Uni-
versity of British Columbia, Vancouver. She is the author of
Leibniz’s Metaphysics: A Historical parative Study (1989)
and The Invisible World: Early Modern Philosophy and the Inven-
tion of the Microscope, 1620–1720 (1995).
cambridge introductions to key
philosophical texts
This new series offers introductory textbooks on what are considered to
be the most important texts of Western philosophy. Each book guides the
reader through the main themes and arguments of the work in question,
while also paying attention to its historical context and its philosophical
legacy. No philosophical background knowledge is assumed, and the books
will be well suited to introductory university-level courses.
Titles published in the series:
descartes’s meditations by Catherine Wilson
DESCARTES’S
MEDITATIONS
An Introduction
CATHERINE WILSON
University of British Columbia
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Cambridge, New York, Melbo