Meditations on First Philosophy

René Descartes (1596-1650) was a French philosopher, mathematician and scientist, often described as the founder of modern philosophy. His Meditations on First Philosophy was first published in Latin in 1641, and it has remained one of the most widely studied texts in the subject. The English version heard here is the nineteenth-century translation by John Veitch.

The work grew out of a difficult period in Descartes' career. After several years working on a treatise on his mechanistic philosophy and physics, he shelved the project when his contemporary Galileo was charged with heresy. That work, The World, was only published after Descartes' death. It seems that Descartes must have had this in part in mind when writing the Meditations, which present a metaphysical foundation for the new science in a form that could be defended before the theologians of the day. The book is addressed to the faculty of theology in Paris, which explains the letter of dedication that opens it.

The six meditations follow a clear order. Descartes begins by examining the things that may be doubted and arrives at the famous certainty of the thinking self. He then turns to the nature of the mind, the existence of God, the causes of error and the existence of material things. Each stage is meant to follow from the previous one, so the book rewards being followed in sequence.

This LibriVox recording is read by D. E. Wittkower and lasts about three and a half hours in nine files. It is an excellent way to approach the text, because the first-person style invites the listener to think along with the author. For students and curious general listeners alike, it remains a model of philosophical clarity.