Meditations on First Philosophy

You have likely heard the phrase “I think, therefore I am,” but do you know the revolutionary argument that gave it birth? In this modern-English edition of René Descartes’s Meditations on First Philosophy, the classic text is rendered into clear, accessible prose without losing the precision and power of the original. Descartes invites you to join him in a radical exercise: to doubt everything that can possibly be doubted in order to find an unshakable foundation for knowledge. Through six meditations, he confronts the possibility of an evil demon, discovers the certainty of his own existence, proves the existence of a non-deceiving God, and explains how the mind and body are distinct yet united. This edition preserves the full structure and arguments of the 1641 masterpiece while making them readable for today’s curious reader. Whether you are new to philosophy or returning to a classic, this book will challenge and illuminate. Part of The Modern Wisdom Library.