PLEASE NOTE this is a sample reading list for the 2014-15 academic year
– precise seminar content may change from year to year.
Plan of Seminars, including core reading followed by additional reading.
Week 2.
General introduction. Intellectual Background to the Meditations;
Descartes’ life and works; Cartesian Science; the Synopsis of the Mediations.
Core reading
Preface and Synopsis (the latter, in particular, is extremely helpful)
Carriero, J. 2008. Between Two Worlds: A Reading of Descartes’ Meditations. Introduction.
Additional reading
Arier, R. 1998. ‘The Meditations and the Objections and Replies.’ [Cott]
Des Chene, D. 2008. ‘Aristotelian Natural Philosophy: Body, Cause, Nature.’ [B&C]
Gaukroger, S. 2008. ‘Life and Works.’ [B&C]
Hatfield, G. 2003. Descartes and the Meditations. Chs. 1 and 2.
Rodis-Lewis, G. 1992. ‘Descartes’ life and the development of his philosophy.’ [C]
Week 3.
First Meditation: Scepticism and the Method Doubt
Core reading
First Meditation.
Carriero, J. 2008. Between Two Worlds: A Reading of Descartes’ Meditations. Ch.1.
Additional reading
Broughton, J. 2002. Descartes' Method of Doubt. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Introduction and Part 1.
Foucault, M. 1998. ‘My Body, this paper, this fire.’ In M. Foucault, Aesthetics. London: Penguin.
Hatfield, G. 2003. Descartes and the Meditations. Ch. 3.
Larmore, C. 1998. ‘Descartes and Skepticism.’ [Cott]
MacArthur, D. 2003. ‘The seriousness of doubt in the First Meditation.’ Canadian Journal of
Philosophy 33: 159–82.
Owens, D. 2000. ‘Scepticisms: Descartes and Hume.’ Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society,
Supp. Vol. 74: 119–42.
Owens, D. 2008. ‘Descartes’ Use of Doubt.’ [B&C]
Williams, B. Descartes: The Project of Pure Inquiry. London: Routledge. Ch. 2 and Appendix 3.
Williams, M. ‘Descartes and the Metaphysics of Doubt.’ [C]
E. Curley, Descartes against the Skeptics, chs. 1–3.
Wilson, M. 1978. Descartes. London: Routledge. Ch. 1.
Week 4.
Second Meditation: The Cogito; Understanding what this ‘I’ is; the Mind is better known than body
Core reading
Second Meditation.
Carriero, J. 2008. Between Two Worlds: A Reading of Descartes’ Meditations. Ch.2.
Additional reading
Broughton, J. 2002. Descartes' Method of Doubt. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Chs. 6 and
7.
Broughton, J. 2008. ‘Self-Knowledge.’ [B&C]
Curley, E. 1998. ‘The Cogito and the foundations of knowledge.’ [Cott]
Hatfield, G. 2003. Descartes and the Meditations. Ch.4.
Hintikka, P. 1962. ‘The Cogito: inference or performance?’ The Philosophical Review 71.
Kenny, A. J. Descartes. London: Penguin. Ch. 3
Markie, P. ‘The Cogito and Its Importance.’ [Cott] [C]
Miles, M. 2008. ‘Descartes’ Method.’ [B&C]
Radner, D. 1988. ‘Thought and consciousness in Descartes.’ Journal of the History of Philosophy
26, 3: 439–452.
Rozemond, M. 1998. ‘The Nature of the Mind.’ [Cott]
Williams, B. Descartes: The Project of Pure Inquiry. London: Routledge. Ch.3.
Wilson, M. 1978. Descartes. London: Routledge. Ch. 2.
Week 5.
Third Meditation: Extracting a method from the Cogito; the theory of ideas; two arguments for the
existence of God.
Core reading
Third Meditation.
Carriero, J. 2008. Between Two Worlds: A Reading of Descartes’ Meditations. Chs. 3(I) and (II).
Additional reading
Beyssade, J.-M. 1992. ‘The idea of God and the proofs of his existence.’ [C]
Brown, D. 2008. ‘Descartes on True and False Ideas.’ [B&C]
Hatfield, G. 2003. Descartes and the Meditations. Ch.5.
Nadler, S. 1998. ‘The doctrine of ideas.’ [Cott]
Nolan, L. and Nelson, A. 1998. ‘Proofs for the Existence of God.’ [Cott]
Patterson, S. 2008. ‘Clear and Distinct Perception.’ [B&C]
Week 6.
Reading week; no seminar
Week 7.
Fourth Meditation: Judgement, Error and the Will
Core reading
Fourth Meditation.
Carriero, J. 2008. Between Two Worlds: A Reading of Descartes’ Meditations. Ch.4.
Additional reading
Della Rocca, M. 1998. ‘Judgment and Will.’ [Cott]
Hatfield, G. 2003. Descartes and the Meditations. Ch.6.
Newman, L. 2008. ‘Descartes on the Will in Judgment.’ [B&C]
Week 8.
Fifth Meditation: The Ontological Argument for God’s existence
Core reading
Fifth Meditation.
Carriero, J. 2008. Between Two Worlds: A Reading of Descartes’ Meditations. Ch.5.
Additional reading
Hatfield, G. 2003. Descartes and the Meditations. Chs. 7.
Miles, M. 2008. ‘Descartes’ Method.’ [B&C]
Nolan, L. 2011. ‘Descartes' Ontological Argument.’ The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
(Summer 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
<http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2011/entries/descartes-ontological/>.
Week 9.
Intermission: The exit from scepticism and the Cartesian Circle
Core reading
Broughton, J. 2002. Descartes Method of Doubt. Chs. 8 and 9.
Carriero, J. 2008. ‘The Cartesian Circle and the Foundations of Knowledge.’ [B&C]
Additonal reading
Hatfield, G. 1998. ‘The Cartesian circle.’ [Cott]
Hatfield, G. 2003. Descartes and the Meditations. Chs.7.
Loeb, L. 1992. ‘The Cartesian circle.’ [C]
Newman, L. and Nelson, A. 1999. ‘Circumventing Cartesian Circles.’ Noûs 33, 3: 370–404.
van Cleve, J. 1979. ‘Foundationalism, Epistemic Principles, and the Cartesian Circle.’ Philosophical
Review 88. [Cott]
Week 10.
Sixth Meditation: The Real Distinction between Mind and Body; Mind-Body Interaction and the
Material World.
Core reading
Sixth Meditation.
Carriero, J. 2008. Between Two Worlds: A Reading of Descartes’ Meditations. Ch.6.
Additional reading
Clarke, D. 1998. ‘Descartes proof of the existence of matter.’ [Cott]
Cottingham, J. 1992. ‘Cartesian Dualism: theology, metaphysics, and science.’ [C]
Cottingham, J. 1998. ‘The Mind–Body Relation.’ [Cott]
Friedman, M. 1997. ‘Descartes on the real existence of matter.’ Topoi 16: 1–10.
Friedman, M. 2008. ‘Descartes and Galileo: Copernicanism and the Metaphysical Foundations of
Physics.’ [B&C]
Hatfield, G. 2003. Descartes and the Meditations. Ch.8.
Hoffman, P. ‘The Union and Interaction of Mind & Body.’ [B&C]
Rorty, A. O. 1992. ‘Descartes on thinking with the body.’ [C]
Rozemond, M. 2008. ‘Descartes’s Dualism.’ [B&C]