The Blackwell Guide To Descartes' Meditations (blackwell Guides To Great Works)

The Blackwell Guide to Descartes’ Meditations Blackwell Guides to Great Works A proper understanding of philosophy requires engagement with the foundational texts that have shaped the development of the discipline and which have an abiding relevance to contemporary discussions. Each volume in this series provides guidance to those coming to the great works of the philosophical canon, whether for the first time or to gain new insight. Comprising specially commissioned contributions from the finest scholars, each book offers a clear and authoritative account of the context, arguments, and impact of the work at hand. Where possible, the original text is reproduced alongside the essays. Published 1  The Blackwell 2 The Blackwell Gaukroger 3  The Blackwell 4 The Blackwell Kraut 5  The Blackwell Guide to Plato’s Republic, edited by Gerasimos Santas Guide to Descartes’ Meditations, edited by Stephen Guide to Mill’s Utilitarianism, edited by Henry R. West Guide to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, edited by Richard Guide to Hume’s Treatise, edited by Saul Traiger Forthcoming The Blackwell Guide to Kant’s Ethics, edited by Thomas E. Hill, Jr. The Blackwell Guide to Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, edited by Kenneth Westphal The Blackwell Guide to Heidegger’s Being and Time, edited by Robert Scharff The Blackwell Guide to Descartes’ Meditations Edited by Stephen Gaukroger © 2006 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Stephen Gaukroger to be identified as the Author of the Editorial Material in this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2006 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1  2006 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Blackwell guide to Descartes’ meditations / edited by Stephen Gaukroger.    p. cm.—(Blackwell guides to great works)   Includes bibliographical references and index.   ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-1875-0 (hardcover : alk. paper)   ISBN-10: 1-4051-1875-X (hardcover : alk. paper)   ISBN-13: 978-1-4051-1874-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)   ISBN-10: 1-4051-1874-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1.  Descartes, René, 1596–1650. Meditationes de prima philosophia.  2.  First philosophy.  I.  Gaukroger, Stephen.  II.  Series.   B1854.B55 2005   194—dc22 2005009842 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. Set in 10 on 13 pt Galliard by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd, Hong Kong Printed and bound in the UK by TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall The publisher’s policy is to use permanent paper from mills that operate a sustainable forestry policy, and which has been manufactured from pulp processed using acid-free and elementary chlorine-free practices. Furthermore, the publisher ensures that the text paper and co