A Discourse on the Method

of Correctly Conducting One's Reason and Seeking Truth in the Sciences

René Descartes
Translated by Ian Maclean

Oxford World's Classics

160 pages | 196x129mm

978-0-19-954007-5 | Paperback | 17 April 2008

Price: £6.99

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A new translation of a central philosophical text accompanied by a masterly and substantial introduction from the foremost Renaissance scholar Ian Maclean, designed to provide in-depth historical and philosophical context.
The long introduction is a feature of this edition and is written from a historical point of view, making it particularly accessible to non-specialists. It sets out to answer the questions: what brought Descartes to write what he did? And what did his first readers make of it?
The notes explain historical references and allusions as well as philosophical ideas and terminology.
The Discourse was written for a non-specialist readership, contains the famous 'cogito ergo sum' proof, and is an ideal introduction to Descartes for the general reader.

'I concluded that I was a substance whose whole essence or nature resides only in thinking, and which, in order to exist, has no need of place and is not dependent on any material thing.'

Descartes's A Discourse on the Method of Correctly Conducting One's Reason and Seeking Truth in the Sciences marks a watershed in European thought; in it, the author provides an informal intellectual autobiography in the vernacular for a non-specialist readership, sweeps away all previous philosophical traditions, and sets out in brief his radical new philosophy, which begins with a proof of the existence of the self (the famous 'cogito ergo sum'), next deduces from it the existence and nature of God, and ends by offering a radical new account of the physical world and of human and animal nature.

This new translation is accompanied by a substantial introductory essay which draws on Descartes's correspondence to examine his motivation and the impact of his great work on his contemporaries. Detailed notes explain his philosophical terminology and ideas.
ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Readership: Students of philosophy, modern Western philosophy, the Englightenment, seventeenth-century history, the history of thought, modern languages

The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.

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