Even though he purports to sweep the slate clean and start from scratch it doesn't feel like it. He starts with "I think therefore i am" and i am quite content with that but then out of nowhere he produces perfection, imperfection, dependency, composition and other concepts which without first analysing and defining he uses to construct God and other things. That really baffled me for it didn't feel at all like a rigorous approach. Though when i think about it it doesn't seem possible to define things without having some things already defined so the whole clean slate approach is not possible in the absolute. He had to start somewhere, with some precepts but i just don't like the precepts he chose for start. Too much was presupposed for my liking.
Still the book was delightful especially for the glimpses into Rene's life and his struggles around philosophising and publication. ( )

Descartes is just a poor man's Spinoza. ( )

Clássica prosa conselheira do início do moderno, possui uma fluidez muito prazenteira e introduz de modo leve inúmeras preocupações cartesianas: a moderação no viver, a importância do individualismo e da descoberta individual, a separação corpo e mente, como uma boa ordem investigativa e procedimental leva a resultados mais consistentes. Além disso, já incita o leitor mais curioso a ler suas meditações. ( )

Absolutely fundamental to understand Descartes philosophy ( )

Like a warm bath for the mind, and takes about as long - parts 1-4 at least. Reading it in English, I wonder if he is so straightforward and readable in French. Parts 1-4 are eloquent and minimal, and certainly worth re-reading - meditations of reason. Part 5, home to the famous 'cogito ergo sum' line, is pretty tedious after the first page and that very quote. Just skip part 6. The introduction - despite being longer than the actual text - is worth reading. It sets the scene and gives the historical context. Interesting to note that it was originally published in French, so perhaps the line we know him by should rather be 'je pense donc je suis'. If it had ended on that line, I would rate it 5. ( )