Name: Descartes By John Cottingham (Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Philosophy, University of Reading)
SKU: 9780198751823
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Descartes Summary

Descartes by John Cottingham (Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Philosophy, University of Reading)

This latest volume in the Oxford Readings in Philosophy series brings together some of the most influential and stimulating essays on Descartes' philosophy to have appeared in the last fifty years, edited by the renowned Descartes specialist Professor John Cottingham. A lucid introduction by the editor outlines the principle features of Descartes' philosophy and summarizes the main arguments of each chapter. Covering the full range of Descartes' thought, the volume opens with a cluster of central issues in Descartes' metaphysics: systematic doubt, the Cogito, clarity and distinctness, and the Cartesian Circle; followed by chapters on Descartes' theory of the will, and his account of necessity and possibility. Two notorious and interrelated problems in Descartes' system are then dealt with: the distinction between mind and body, and the unity of the human being. There follow chapters on Descartes' account of human nature and the passions, and his treatment of animals; and the volume closes with three chapters on Cartesian science, covering Descartes' views on the relationship between experiment and deduction, his account of scientific explanation, and the notion of causal agency or force in his physics. These broad-ranging and accessible perspectives on Descartes' work will be essential reading for students and specialists.

About John Cottingham (Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Philosophy, University of Reading)

John Cottingham was born in London and educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, and at St John's College, Oxford University, where he gained Double First Class Honours in Classics and Philosophy; he later took his doctorate in Philosophy at Oxford University. He has held posts at Exeter College, Oxford University and the University of Washington, Seattle, USA, and his visiting appointments have included a Fulbright Scholarship and Visiting Professorship at Randolph Macon Women's College, Virginia USA, and an Erskine Fellowship at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He is at present University Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading . Professor Cottingham is the author of numerous books and articles on seventeenth-century philosophy (with special reference to Descartes) and has given several broadcast talks on Descartes for the BBC; he has also written extensively on ethics and the philosophy of law. He was from 1991-5 Chairman of the British Society for the History of Philosophy, and is (since 1993) editor of Ratio, the international journal of analytical philosophy.

Introduction ; I. Descartes and the Metaphysics of Doubt ; II. The Cogito and its Importance ; III. Clearness and Distinctness in Descartes ; IV. Foundationalism, Epistemic Principles and the Cartesian Circle ; V. Descartes on the Will ; VI. Descartes' Theory of Modality ; VII. The Epistemological Argument for Mind-Body Distinctness ; VIII. Descartes and the Unity of Human Being ; IX. Descartes' Theory of the Passions ; X. Descartes' Treatment of Animals ; XI. Descartes, Method and the Role of Experiment ; XII. Descartes' Concept of Scientific Explanation ; XIII. Force (God) in Descartes' Physics ; Notes on the Contributors ; Bibliography ; Table of Citations of Descartes' Works ; Index

Additional information

Sku

GOR007534621

ISBN 13

9780198751823

ISBN 10

0198751826

Title

Descartes by John Cottingham (Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Philosophy, University of Reading)

Author

John Cottingham (Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Philosophy, University of Reading)

Series

Oxford Readings in Philosophy

Condition

Used - Well Read

Binding type

Paperback

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Year published

1998-06-25

Number of pages

334

Prizes

N/A

Cover note

Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.

Note

This is a used book. We do our best to provide good quality books for you to read, but there is no escaping the fact that it has been owned and read by someone else previously. Therefore it will show signs of wear and may be an ex library book

Descartes John Cottingham (Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Philosophy, University of Reading)

Descartes by John Cottingham (Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Philosophy, University of Reading)

Summary

Descartes Summary

Descartes by John Cottingham (Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Philosophy, University of Reading)

About John Cottingham (Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Philosophy, University of Reading)

Table of Contents

Additional information

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