THE METHOD, MEDITATIONS, AND SELECTIONS FROM THE PRINCIPLES OF DESCARTES TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL TEXTS WITH A NEW INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL BY JOHN V BITCH, LLI. PROFESSOR OF LOGIC AND RHETORIC IN THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW FIFTEENTH EDITION WILLIAM BLAOKWOOJ AND SONS EDINBURGH AND LONDON MCMXIII CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE, v INTRODUCTION I. DESCARTES HIS LIFE AND WRITINGS, . . ix II. PHILOSOPHY PRECEDING DESCARTES IN THE FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CENTURIES, . XV III. THE COGITO ERGO SUM ITS NATURE AND MEANING, …… Xxi IV. COGITO ERGO SUM - OBJECTIONS TO THE PRINCIPLE, xxxiii V. THE GUARANTEE OF THE PRINCIPLE, . . xl VI. THE CRITERION OF TRUTH, … Iv VII. THE EGO AND THE MATERIAL WORLD, . . IxV fill. INNATE IDEAS, ….. IxXV IX. MALEBRANCHE, ….. X. SPINOZA RELATIONS TO DESCARTES, . XI. DEVELOPMENT OF CARTESIANISM IN THE LINE OF SPINOZA OMN1S DETERMINATE EST NEGATTO, Cxii XII. HEGELIAN CRITICISM THE EGO AND THE INFINITE, … . CXXXIV IV CONTENTS. DISCOURSE ON METHOD, 1 MEDITATIONS ON THE FIRST PHILOSOPHY, . 77 THE PRINCIPLES OF PHILOSOPHY, …171 APPENDIX ON THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, … 2 57 NOTES I. TO PERCKIVE PERCEPTION, . . 274 II. IDEA, ……. 276 III. OBJECTIVE REALITY, ….. 285 IV, FROM OR THROUGH THE SENSES, 28 G V. THOUGHT, … . .,280 VI. INNATE IDEAS, ., … 287 VII. FORMALLY AND EMINENTLY, 289 VIII. PURE INTELLECTION, . 290 IX. MOTION, ……. 290 X. SECOND ELEMENT, … .291 P B E F A E. THE present volume consists of Translations of the Discourse on Method, the Meditations on the First Philosophy, and the greater portion of the principles of Philosophy of Descartes. The first of these appeared originally in 1850 the two latter in 1853. They weresubsequently published to gether in one volume. This work, in part and in its collected form, has gone through live editions. The volume is designed to represent all that is of essential importance in the speculative philo sophy of Descartes, and to serve as a manual for students of his doctrines. The first or French edition of the Method 1637 has been taken as the basis of the trans lation. It has been minutely compared through out with the later Latin edition and as this is declared by Descartes to have been carefully re vised by himself, and to contain amendments on the original from his own hand, the preference has been accorded to it in all cases in which the meaning has appeared to be more clearly given. vi PREFACE. The Meditations are translated in whole. The Preface and the First Part of the Principles are given, along with selections from the Second, Third, and Fourth Parts of the same work. The extracts from the Principles correspond to what is found in the edition of Gamier. An Appendix is added containing the authors Demonstrations of the Existence of Deity, as these are put by him in their strictest form. The Notes at the end of the volume may be found useful in explanation of certain terms which are of frequent occurrence and important bearing in the writings of Descartes. The Meditations and the Principles were origin ally written in Latin, the former in 1641, the latter in 1644. As both works were translated into French during the authors lifetime, and re vised by himself, the French text may be con sidered as at least of equal authority with the other. While, therefore, the Latin or original text is that from which the present translation is made, the additions andvariations of the French are also given the former in the text in square brackets, the latter in footnotes. The French translation of the Meditations was made by the Due de Luynes, and was first published in 1647 that of the Principles, which appeared in the same year, was made by Picot, Previously to the present translations, the Method had appeared in English London, 1649. There was also an English version of the Meditations, by W. Molyneux London, 1680. These are now rarely t8 be met with. PREFACE…