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HATFIELD, Gary. Descartes and the Meditations. Routledge Philosophy Guidebooks. London: Routledge, 2002. xvi + 353 pp. Paper, $18.95-Overall this book is very good at doing what it claims to do, namely, providing an effective guidebook to Descartes and his Meditations. It should prove quite useful for both graduate and undergraduate students who are reading Descartes and for their teachers. The strengths of the book include a good overview of Descartes and his context, a well developed focus on the main arguments, clear examples highlighting important claims, and good referrals to secondary literature of the type a student or faculty member is likely to find in an adequate academic library. The book is broken into three parts, with part 2 being the most substantive.
Hatfield pays careful attention to the historical context of Descartes. The first chapter is a very well written overview of Descartes's context and project, and it could stand alone. Pulling together details about Descartes's education, works, and reception, the chapter will prove particularly useful to students who want a more substantive introduction to Descartes or to the person who wants a quick refresher. In the second chapter, Hatfield gives...