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A Beginner's Guide to Descartes's "Meditations"
 
 
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A Beginner's Guide to Descartes's "Meditations" (Paperback)

by Gareth Southwell (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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A Beginner's Guide to Descartes's "Meditations" + Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Descartes and the "Meditations" (Routledge Philosophy Guidebooks) + Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy
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Product Description

Product Description
A concise and readable guide to Descartes′s Meditations geared toward beginner philosophy students (at A–level, or on undergraduate degree courses) and general readers.

  • Offers clear explanations of the central themes and ideas, terminology, and arguments in the Meditations
  • Features in–depth discussion of Descartes’ correspondence with his contemporaries
  • Illustrates arguments and ideas with useful tables, diagrams, and images
  • Includes a glossary of difficult terms as well as helpful biographical and historical information
  • Includes references to further readings, films, and literature that contain similar philosophical themes
  • Will form part of a series of Guides designed specifically for A–level philosophy students by an experienced teacher and founder of the popular website Philosophy Online


From the Back Cover
René Descartes’s Meditations on the First Philosophy is undeniably one of the most important works in Western philosophy. First published in 1641, it contains the bulk of Descartes’s central philosophical opinions, making it an ideal introduction to the founding father of modern philosophy.

A Beginner’s Guide to Descartes’s Meditations offers a concise and readable summary of the Meditations, geared toward students embarking on their studies (at A–level, or on undergraduate degree courses) and general readers. Well–illustrated with tables, diagrams, and images, it provides a clear explanation of the seventeenth century text’s central themes, ideas, and terminology. The guide balances critical analyses of Descartes′ main arguments with discussion of his correspondence with his contemporaries (the Objections and Replies) and subsequent criticism. It also provides references to further readings, films, and literature that contain similar philosophical themes. A glossary of difficult terms and relevant biographical and historical information make A Beginner’s Guide to Descartes’s Meditations an ideal companion for those new to the study of philosophy.


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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A beginner's guide to Descartes' Meditations, 16 Aug 2008
By T. Leggett (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I purchased this book upon starting the 'set texts' module of AS level philosophy. I was studying this module without any teaching, and used this book as my main revision tool. It is very readable and interesting, and it really helped me to achieve 100/100 on my philosophy exam!

I fully recommend this book to anyone who wishes to gain a full understanding of Descartes' Meditations. It is not too complicated, but neither is it too simplistic. The book includes useful tables, diagrams and easy-to-read sections about each chapter of Descartes' book.

I truly believe that I could not have achieved such a good mark on my philosophy exam had it not been for this book :]
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5.0 out of 5 stars The best guide to The Meditations for A Level study, 16 Jun 2009
By N. Condliffe (Leicestershire, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Hats off to Gareth for a great guide to Descartes' Meditations. This book is ideal for A Level students (and teachers like myself). It covers all the key arguments of The Meditations in order (including the cogito, the wax argument, ontological argument, etc.), then delves deeply into the critical themes of the text, such as certainty, the existence of God and dualism, providing some much needed evaluation points along the way. There's a useful overview of The Meditations providing snapshots of just the main points, as well as selected summaries from the Objections and Replies that can form the basis of discussion of the text with students. The whole thing is written in a light, accessible style with good humour and clearly with students in mind. Gareth even does his own illustrations (check out the evil demon!), which you can now get on t-shirts!
A highly recommended buy for students and teachers alike, and if you like Nietzsche, check out Gareth's guide to Beyond Good and Evil.
Great stuff!
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4.0 out of 5 stars Useful For A Level, 7 Feb 2009
By Tom Wickenby "Tom" (Lincolnshire UK) - See all my reviews
When I began teaching AS Level philosophy at short notice I was very grateful for the author's philosophyonline resource, which formed the starting point for this book and which I still heartily recommend. The summaries which first appeared online, particularly those of the objections and replies, are highly useful and the author's precise and entertaining drawings add to the book's appeal (I particularly like Galileo vs Aristotle).
It can be difficult to find texts that are a suitable complement to A Level study as most authors seem to think that they can get away with writing books that are suitable for first year undergraduates and above with very little compromise. Even some of the books supposedly written specifically for the AQA syllabus are guilty of this, though there are signs that this is being addressed for the new syllabus.
This book genuinely attempts to explain the basics at the right level due to the author's own teaching experience and is therefore highly welcome. Sections that I found particularly strong include a clear treatment of the wax example in the Second Meditation, with helpful illustration, and a useful section on Rationalism v Empiricism in the Critical Themes chapter. This chapter includes plenty of useful discussion but I feel that some areas, for example clear and distinct ideas, are not quite as sharp as the Philosophy In Focus guide: ideally the two could perhaps be used in conjunction but I would not hesitate to recommend this book in isolation as there is certainly sufficient here for an A grade. I am also using it for this year's synoptic paper and it looks as though it will serve well for A2 in the new syllabus.
So, a very welcome teaching aid that fills a gap in the market, and I will be buying the Nietzsche book in the same series shortly as I consider whether to teach the beloved iconoclast next time round.
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