An introduction to the life and work of Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650). In his collection of essays, called "Meditations", Descartes outlines a modern, rationalist philosophy, one that rejects the help of tradition and earlier theories in order to build a new system of knowledge and science based on only on certainty. Using only the power of reason, Descartes claims, it is possible to establish the sure foundation of all knowledge.

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