Discourse on the Method

Written in the early 17th century, these rules represent a turning point in Western thought, moving away from scholasticism, which relied heavily on Aristotelian traditions and church doctrines, and toward a method of inquiry based on reason and evidence. Descartes' approach emphasized systematic doubt and the use of methodical reasoning to uncover basic truths. This was radical at a time when philosophical inquiry was often intertwined with religious and metaphysical assumptions. Written as an intellectual autobiography, the text charts his journey from skepticism to certainty through the development of a new philosophical method based on systematic doubt. Here Descartes first presents his famous cogito argument "I think, so I am" as an unshakeable foundation for knowledge, though in a less formal manner than his later Meditations.

The work's accessibility masks its radical nature: by grounding certainty in individual reason rather than traditional authority, Descartes in practice undermines the entire edifice of medieval scholasticism while providing a new foundation for scientific knowledge. These rules were central to the development of the scientific method and influenced the way future generations of thinkers approached problems in both philosophy and science.

This edition contains a timeline of Descartes' life and works, a glossary of Cartesian terminology, and Afterword by the translator that explains the meaning of Descartes' work in modern philosophy and science, especially his method of skepticism and rationalism.