"Discourse on the Method, originally published in 1637, still stands as one of the greatest philosophical works. Perhaps most famous for the phrase 'I think, therefore I am', Discourse contains many other noteworthy quotations and statements. Discourse is divided into six parts."
"The Discourse on Method is best known as the source of the famous quotation "cogito ergo sum", "I think, therefore I am." .... It is a method which gives a solid platform from which all modern natural sciences could evolve. With this work, the idea of skepticism was revived from the ancients such as Sextus Empiricus and modified to account for a truth that Descartes found to be incontrovertible. Descartes started his line of reasoning by doubting everything, so as to assess the world from a fresh perspective, clear of any preconceived notions. (Summary by Wikipedia)"
"After several years working on a treatise putting forth his mechanistic philosophy and physics, Descartes shelved the project when his contemporary, Galileo, was charged with heresy. That work, The World, was only published after Descartes' death. It seems that Descartes must have had this, in part at least, in mind when writing his more famous philosophical works. This is especially clear in the Meditations, not only in the obsequiousness of the Letter of Dedication, but also in the specific mode of argument, which does not seek merely to found science upon grounds acceptable to religious authority, but to specifically found a mathematical science; one which clearly privileges mathematical demonstrations even over common sense judgments based upon everyday and constant experience. His Copernicanism, put forth posthumously in The World, would require just such a defense."
"Ce titre est composé de 100 citations de grands auteurs français. L'intérêt des citations ? Elles permettent de justifier les affirmations que nous avançons, avec l'appui de grands écrivains. Les citations sont aussi un moyen de fixer durablement dans notre mémoire la pensée d'un auteur, ou la beauté d'un texte. Ces textes ne sont vieux qu'à ceux qui les regardent d'un il vieilli : ils sont neufs pour de jeunes esprits, ils restent plus que jamais des concentrés de pensée et d'intelligence. Les 100 citations sont classées par ordre chronologique. Avant chacune d'elles, nous avons indiqué leur intérêt et l'ouvrage d'où elles sont tirées. Un livre audio à écouter si l'on est un amoureux de la langue et de la littérature française Rangé par siècle, du XVIe au XIXe, de Rabelais à Rimbaud. !"
"René Descartes is often described as the first modern philosopher, but much of the content of his Meditations on First Philosophy can be found in the medieval period that had already existed for more than a thousand years. Does God exist? If so, what is his nature? Is the human soul immortal? How does it differ from the body? What role do sense experience and pure reason play in knowing? Descartes stands out from his predecessors because of the method he developed to treat these and other fundamental questions. Drawing on his study of mathematics, he searches for a way to establish absolutely certain conclusions based on indubitable premises. His importance in modern philosophy lies in the challenge he offers to every subsequent thinker in philosophy and science."
"A landmark in the history of thought, RenE Descartes' Meditations helped bring critical thinking and skepticism to the Western world. Modern philosophers are still captivated by Descartes' radical and controversial departure from his previous beliefs, which has both inspired reverence and provoked anger."
