One of the foundation-stones of modern philosophy Descartes was prepared to go to any lengths in his search for certaintyâeven to deny those things that seemed most self-evident. In his Meditations of 1641, and in the Objections and Replies that were included with the original publication, he set out to dismantle and then reconstruct the idea of the individual self and its existence. In doing so, Descartes developed a language of subjectivity that has lasted to this day, and he also took his first steps towards the view that would eventually be expressed in the epigram Cogito, ergo sum ("I think, therefore I am"), one of modern philosophy's most famousâand most fiercely contestedâclaims. The first part of a two-volume edition of Descartes' works in Penguin Classics, the second of which is Discourse on Method & Related Writings. 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.
THE PENGUIN DESCARTES vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ix
CHRONOLOGY xiii
INTRODUCTION xv
FURTHER READING xli
Meditations on First Philosophy 3
Letter of Dedication to the Sorbonne 8
Preface to the Reader 12
Summary of the Following Six Meditations 14
Meditations 18
Objections and Replies (Selections) 71
The Principles of Philosophy 105
Letter to Princess Elizabeth 109
Part One: The Principles of Human Knowledge 112
Descartes' Correspondence: Selections, 1643-9 145
Comments on a Certain Manifesto 181
NOTES 204
INDEX 211
