Descartes: Selected Philosophical Writings

good book

Read up on Descartes personal life and his philosophy will make a whole lot more sense. His division of mind and body was a clear symptom of a sickly childhood. It was a coping mechanism... and quite frankly, an attractive one for a lot of people. The Western disconnection of mind and body that exists to this day falls to a large extent upon Descartes, and is responsible for massive environmental degradation and terrible habits. Thanks a lot Descartes... you pretty much ruined the world.

Translation is excellent and readable, with additional footnotes for further elucidation. Descartes is an important person in Western philosophy and cannot be overlooked, whatever you think of his views. This is a great starting point.

Although I don't really agree with any of the arguments Descartes has in this book, it is an interesting read that I would recommend for anyone.

A good intro to Descartes’ main ideas. It covers his key arguments clearly, though it’s not light reading. Good for students or anyone who wants a reliable overview without reading all of his original works. Not amazing, but it gets the job done.

The best translation for the most important works by Descartes. I highly recommend this if you're looking to study Descartes' works, and you only want a single volume.

A must read.

came in goo condition

I am in agreement with reviewer D. Stephen Heersink that this one of the best available English translations of Descartes' works. It's true that the Hackett edition is cheaper, but in my opinion you'd be better off getting the best understanding of the text possible the first time around rather than having to correct some mistaken readings later on. The fact that it is an abridged edition of the translation cuts both ways: it's more portable, but missing some content that you will likely wish to read if engaging in more in-depth scholarship. The latter portions of the Passions of the Soul and the (full) correspondence with Princess Elizabeth come to mind. If so, you may wish to opt for the unabridged three-volume version. I only just purchased my volume so I can't comment on the paper degeneration issues mentioned by reviewer thirdrain. However, I can say that my copy is in excellent condition despite being used.

Excellent

It is a fairly dense translation of Descartes works to be honest. I have many iterations of the volumes inside but needed this specific one for its specific translation for a class. It's not as easy to go through as a different version. Kind of a shame really, because it is a decent and broad collection.