An interdisciplinary exploration of Pascal's philosophy across theology, science, and political thoughtBlaise Pascal has emerged as a central figure in early modern thought whose legacy transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. A Companion to Pascal addresses the growing scholarly need for an integrated perspective on his philosophy, bringing together essays by leading scholars that contextualize, analyze, and extend Pascal's work. It offers a wide-r...

René Descartes: The Complete Correspondence in English Translation is the first complete English translation of the extant correspondence of the polymath René Descartes, who excelled in all areas of philosophy, the sciences, and mathematics. The translation is based on the best available editions, modified by several other sources. It is accompanied by an editorial apparatus consisting of cross-references and brief biographies of the correspondents. Descartes' correspondence elabo...

The Historical Dictionary of Descartes and Cartesian Philosophy, Third Edition, centers on Descartes’ philosophy (considered broadly to include his science and mathematics) in the context of 17th-century thought, with attention being paid to its reception. This is done through a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 400 cross-referenced entries on various concepts in Descartes’ philosophy, science, and mathematics, as well...

Descartes is perhaps most closely associated with the title, “the Father of Modern Philosophy.” Generations of students have been introduced to the study of philosophy through a consideration of his Meditations on First Philosophy. His contributions to natural science is shown by the fact that his physics, as promulgated by the Cartesians, played a central role in the debates after his death over Isaac Newton’s theory of gravitation. Descartes also made major contributions to the field of ...

The A to Z of Descartes and Cartesian Philosophy includes many entries on Descartes's writings, concepts, and findings. Since it is historical, there are other entries on those who supported him, those who criticized him, those who corrected him, and those who together formed one of the major movements in philosophy, Cartesianism. To better understand the period, the authors drew up a brief chronology, and to see how Descartes and Cartesianism fit into the general picture, they ha...

'I concluded that I was a substance whose whole essence or nature resides only in thinking, and which, in order to exist, has no need of place and is not dependent on any material thing.' Descartes'sA Discourse on the Method of Correctly Conducting One's Reason and Seeking Truth in the Sciences marks a watershed in European thought; in it, the author provides an informal intellectual autobiography in the vernacular for a non-specialist readership, sweeps away all ...

Though it did not yet exist as a discrete field of scientific inquiry, biology was at the heart of many of the most important debates in seventeenth-century philosophy. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the work of G. W. Leibniz. In Divine Machines, Justin Smith offers the first in-depth examination of Leibniz's deep and complex engagement with the empirical life sciences of his day, in areas as diverse as medicine, physiology, taxonomy, generation theory, and paleontology. He...

René Descartes (1596—1650) is one of the towering and central figures in Western philosophy and mathematics. His apothegm “Cogito, ergo sum” marked the birth of the mind-body problem, while his creation of so-called Cartesian coordinates has made our intellectual conquest of physical space possible.But Descartes had a mysterious and mystical side, as well. Almost certainly a member of the occult brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, he kept a secret notebook, now lost, most of which was...

The famed mathematician and philosopher takes readers on a journey into a new scientific age, exploring topics from relativity to religion.Alfred North Whitehead, one of the great figures in the philosophy of science, wrote this prescient work nearly a century ago. Yet, in an era that has us reckoning with science and technology's place and meaning in our lives, it remains as relevant as ever. Science and the Modern World puts scientific discovery into his...

From a discussion of Einstein's theories to an analysis of meaning, the philosopher offers a fascinating collection of essays on a wide range of topics.This is a collection of many of Whitehead's papers that are scattered elsewhere. It was the penultimate book he published, and represents his mature thoughts on many topics. Philosophical Library has done a great service by publishing a representative collection of his writings on the subjects of Philosophy, Educatio...

The classic layman's history of the mathematical constant—"A pure delight…. Entirely offbeat, which gives it its charm" ( The Denver Post )."A very readable account."— Science"A cheerful work."— Scientific AmericanThe history of pi, says the author, though a small part of the history of mathematics, is nevertheless a mirror...

'Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the street to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space.' Douglas Adams, Hitch-hiker's Guide to the GalaxyWe human beings have trouble with infinity - yet infinity is a surprisingly human subject. Philosophers and mathematicians have gone mad contemplating its nature and complexity - yet it is a concept routinely used by schoolchildren. Exp...