"Meditations on First Philosophy In which the Existence of God and the Immortality of
the Soul are Demonstrated" (1641) is René Descartes most
notable philosophical work (alongside "Discourse on the Method" which
precedes "Mediations" and sets its theoretical framework). Descartes' "Meditations on First Philosophy"
is considered to be the opening shot of western modern philosophy for it
establishes its fundamental question such as epistemology and the Rationalist/Empiricist
debate.
Descartes' "Meditations on First Philosophy" is made out of six
chapters, six meditations, one for each day of Descartes' firsthand account of
his withdrawal from the world with the purpose of finding an absolute and
secure basis for his knowledge of the world. Descartes starts with doubting
anything he knows (Descartes' method of doubt), moves on to finding a reason to be believe he himself exists
and finally to proving god exists and therefore anything else.
Here you can find an essential summary of Descartes' Meditations
outlining the main arguments and notions of the book. You can also find a
detailed account of Descartes' arguments for the existence of God in Meditations.
For a detailed summary of Meditations by
chapter/meditation see:
Chapter / Mediation 1: On the things that may be called
Into doubt
Chapter / Mediation 2: On
the nature of the human mind and that it is easier to understand than bodies
Chapter / Mediation 3: On
the existence of God
Chapter / Mediation 4: on truth and falsity
Chapter / Mediation 5: On the essence of material
things and the existence of God once more
Chapter / Mediation 6: On the existence
of material things and the real distinction between the mind and the body
Each chapter summary
contains the main ideas presented in the meditation and the general course of
Descartes' thought. The summaries end with a brief explanation of how the
meditation relates to all other meditations of Descartes' book.
--
