Discours de la méthode
1644
- methodology
- science
- modern philosophy
- early works to 1800
- méthodologie
- sciences
- refraction
- meteors
- geometry
- first philosophy
The story
By an almost universal agreement among philosophers and historians, Rene' Descartes is considered the originator of modern philosophy, or at least the first important philosopher of our times. If we add to this the common belief that philosophy points the way for developments in all other fields, it will be evident that to Descartes is ascribed an importance comparable to that of the beginnings of intellectual culture in Greece or of the origin and spread of Christianity in the Mediterranean regions, and surpassing all other events in history. The study of Descartes can start in no more appropriate way than by inquiring into his reputation, and deciding in what sense and to what extent it is justified. Discourse on Method was originally published in 1637.
What it’s like
Clear, measured prose with the calm of a well-lit study: a sheltered winter room, a warm stove, a mind turning ideas over slowly, the only sounds those of thought itself. It reads like a long, confidential letter, conversational and orderly, with a handful of numbered rules set against a sweep of autobiography about travel, soldiering and years among books. The rhythm is unhurried but purposeful, tightening into dense argument in the final sections, where the attached essays on refraction, meteors and geometry show the method at work on concrete problems. The tone is earnest, self-questioning and quietly bold, never showy, with a steady undercurrent of doubt about what can be trusted. Nothing violent, sexual or frightening happens; the tension is entirely intellectual. It suits a slow weekday morning, a reflective evening with tea, or a first encounter with philosophy. Best for readers who enjoy watching a mind clear its own ground step by step, and who find pleasure in order, candour and patient reasoning rather than incident.
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