Essays by Peter Prevos

Meta Meditations: Essays on the Meditations of René Descartes

These papers have been written between December 2003 and February 2004, for the course Origins of Modern Philosophy A, from Monash University, Melbourne.

Descartes' most famous and influential work is his Meditationes de Prima Philosophia (Meditations on First Philosophy), originally published in 1642. The three essays written for this subject all deal with problems discussed in the Meditations. Descartes work is a great starting point for philosophical enquiry; not so much because of his proposed solutions, but because of the type of problems he discusses.

The essays include extensive comments from the lecturer Aubrey Townsend, which have been very helpful in developing my philosophical skills.

Essays

• Certainty and the Cogito: Discussion of Descartes' famous adage: I Think therefore I am.
• God's Existence: A look at Descartes' proofs of the existence of God.
• Descartes' Sceptical Challenge: How can we slay the Malicious Demon?

External Links

• Descartes' Meditations Homepage: Original Latin and French versions and English translation of the Meditations.
• Squashed Descartes: Summary of the Meditations in 6,488 words.
• Sparknotes: Study guide on the Meditations.