Rene Descartes 
Principles of Philosophy (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) 

This edition includes a modern introduction and a list of suggested further reading.

René Descartes is perhaps most remembered for declaring, “I think; therefore, I am.”  First published in 1644, Descartes’s
Principles of Philosophy elucidates the meaning of those words that ushered in a new era of philosophical thought.  Unlike the medieval philosophers who often began by examining the existence and nature of God in a spirit of faith, Descartes begins by reflecting upon himself as one who doubts but who nonetheless desires certain knowledge of God and the world.  In setting forth the truths he discovers, Descartes hoped that his
Principles of Philosophy would provide a new basis for human knowledge and, most especially, a new footing for scientific inquiry.

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René Descartes (1596–1650) is hailed as one of the greatest thinkers of the modern age and considered the Founder of Modern Philosophy, and the Father of Modern Mathematics.   Descartes abandoned his early study of law and devoted his life to investigating the relationship between mathematics and nature.  His founding of analytical geometry paved the way for the invention of calculus and the Scientific Revolution.