Six Metaphysical Meditations, with Hobbes's Objections

What it is

This 1680 printed book contains René Descartes's Six Metaphysical Meditations, translated into English by William Molyneux. It includes the objections that Thomas Hobbes raised against Descartes's arguments, along with Descartes's answers to them.

Why it matters

Hobbes and Descartes were two of the most important philosophers of the seventeenth century, and their disagreement here shows a real exchange of ideas between them during their own lifetimes. Hobbes's objections reveal his materialist views on the mind and body, challenging Descartes's argument that the mind is distinct from the body. This kind of direct philosophical debate helps us see how major ideas were tested and argued over, not just written in isolation.

Look closer

• Why might Hobbes have disagreed with Descartes's claim that mind and body are separate?
• What does it tell us about Hobbes's thinking that he engaged directly with another philosopher's work?
• How might a translation and later printing change or shape how we read this original exchange?