A valuable and uncommon book. A very rare, sought after copy. Revised edition of the 1647 french translation of descartes' principai philosophiae by claude picot, a bon vivant known as the atheist priest with whom descartes left his financial affairs in france. It also contains the first scientific theory fo magnetism. The most ocmprehensive of all descartes works. Principles of philosophy (principia philosophiae) was written in latin by rené descartes. First published in 1644, it was intended to replace aristotle's philosophy and traditional scholastic philosophy then used in universities. Dedicated to the princess elizabeth, its three treatises embrace the whole of his philosophy, with the exception of the moral. Descartes design in this treatise was the elaboration of a general theory which would account for the creation and the structure of the world. At the outset he scornfully rejected the whole apparatus employed so freely by the scholastics, and in its place he tried to substitute a rational explanation of the phenomena of nature grounded upon human intelligence and erected upon the mathematical model. In this way he indicated the only solid path ever pursued yb physical science, namely, its reduction to the laws of mathematics. On account of its intelligible assumptions, the theory established by descartes withstood for more than a century all efforts to dislodge it. Fundamentally it assumed all space to be filled with matter, and this, having been endowed in the beginning with motion, has in course of time fallen into a series of vortices in which the sun and the fixed stars, the heavens and the earth, planets and comets aer carried.
by thus comparing the motion of the celestial bodies with that of terrestrial bodies caught up and floating in whirlpools of water, descartes provided an analogy which at least had teh merit of plausibility. There are numerous close-up pictures of the contents given below please click on them for a detailed description (see scans below). Please taek some time to view the 50 pictures in detail, in order to gain a full idea of the contents and condition. Dse principes de la connaissance humaine. EH has been dubbed the father of modern philosophy, and much of subsequent. Is a response to his writings, which continue to be studied clsoely to this day. Continues to be a standard text at most university philosophy departments. Descartes' influence in mathematics si also apparent, the. Descartes was interviewed by frans burman at. René descartes died on 11 february 1650 in. Where eh had been invited as a teacher for queen. Teh cause of death was said to be. Accustomed to working in bed until noon, he may have suffered a detrimental effect on his health due to christina's demands for early morning study (the lack of sleep could have severely compromised his immune system). Placed his works on the. There are numerous close-ups given below. Please click & enlarge pictures to see detail. Only a few copies listed, priced to $3,500.00 . Some scuffing to covers, ¼ hole near front joint exposing a cord early and illegible ownership signature on title-page along with a thin vertical stain, else very good. There are many close-up pictures for your kind perusal. Please click on any of the 50 images above & below in the listing for enlarged close-up pictures of details, virtues & flaws (see scans below). Though every item is catalogued with the intent of accuracy. Minor flaws, may not always be noted, that is why there are 50 to a 100 pictures of every book we list. We appreciate your interets in our shop and. If you have ayn questions. Books & treasures is a licensed business/bookseller in the state of new york. I accept the following forms. Get free counters from vendio today!