Descartes, Entretien avec Burman

Thesis

The Conversation with Burman, a comprehensive and densely packed philosophical interview, is a work of extraordinary interest. In it, Descartes is closely questioned about some of the most central problems in his philosophy and expresses himself with a directness and informality which is not to be found in the published works or correspondence. Isolated references to the Conversation sprinkled through articles on Descartes, particularly in recent years, show that its importance is being increasingly recognised; but it has never been translated into English, and the work as a whole has received no systematic attention by philosophers. It is the aim of this thesis to fill both these gaps, by presenting and English version of the work and by providing a detailed philosophical commentary on the text. The main purpose of the Commentary is to show how the Conversation throws a fresh light on some of the most vexed and crucial issues in Descartes' philosophy. [...]

Authors: Cottingham, J; Descartes, R; Burman, F; John Cottingham

• Alternative title: translation with introduction and commentary
• Publication date: 1973
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Philosophy; Descartes, René, 1596-1650; Burman, Frans, 1628-1679
• Subjects: Philosophy