Principles of Philosophy

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The illustration of movement of objects from the Principles
The illustration of movement of objects from the Principles

Principles of Philosophy (Principia philosophiae) was written in Latin by René Descartes. Published in 1644, it was intended to replace Aristotle's philosophy and traditional Scholastic Philosophy then used in Universities.

A French translation, Principes de philosophie, by Claude Picot, under the supervision of Descartes, appeared in 1647 with a letter-preface to Queen Christina of Sweden.

It is divided into four parts:

  1. The principles of human knowledge
  2. The principles of material things
  3. An objective study of the composition of the universe
  4. A study of the structure of land.
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