RenÃ© Descartes,Desmond M. Clarke
â€˜It is not enough to have a good mind; it is more important to use it wellâ€™,RenÃ© Descartes was a central figure in the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. In his ,Discourse on Method, he outlined the contrast between mathematics and experimental sciences, and the extent to which each one can achieve certainty. Drawing on his own work in geometry, optics, astronomy and physiology, Descartes developed the hypothetical method that characterizes modern science, and this soon came to replace the traditional techniques derived from Aristotle. Many of Descartesâ€™ most radical ideas â€“ such as the disparity between our perceptions and the realities that cause them â€“ have been highly influential in the development of modern philosophy.,This edition sets the ,Discourse on Method, in the wider context of Descartesâ€™ work, with the ,Rules for Guiding Oneâ€™s Intelligence in Searching for the Truth, (1628), extracts from ,The World, (1633) and selected letters from 1636â€“9. A companion volume, ,Meditations and Other Metaphysical Writings,, is also published in Penguin Classics.
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Discourse on Method and Related Writings