Book · 1641
Meditations on First Philosophy
by René Descartes
Descartes locks himself in a room, doubts absolutely everything he can doubt, and tries to rebuild certainty from a single sentence: I think, therefore I am.
What does Reddit think of Meditations on First Philosophy?
Descartes' Meditations shows up 28 times across seven years, almost entirely in r/askphilosophy, and the shape of those mentions is consistent: it's canon, not conversation. One thread listing one book per major philosopher puts it next to the Republic, the Nicomachean Ethics, and the Critique of Pure Reason (↑59), the kind of company that settles whether it belongs on a syllabus. A separate commenter calls it flatly "one of the most discussed classical texts" and recalls it as first-year assigned reading, readable enough to get through without help (↑53). The one sustained argument in the sample is about the cogito itself: a ↑129 comment complains that most critiques of "I think, therefore I am" import more into the phrase than Descartes put there, which is a fight about interpretation, not about whether the book matters. Nobody in r/askphilosophy argues it shouldn't be read. The disagreement is entirely about what it means once you have.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · The cogito as the one argument everyone keeps re-litigating
- · Doubt used as a method, not a conclusion
- · A syllabus fixture between Plato and Kant
Common praise
- + One thread ranks it as the single Descartes text worth reading, filed next to the Republic and the Critique of Pure Reason.
- + A commenter recalls it as first-year assigned reading and calls it readable without a guide.
- + It gets named outright as one of the most discussed classical texts, not just an old book people cite out of habit.
Common criticism
- − The ↑129 comment spends its length correcting other people's readings of the cogito, which means the popular version of Descartes' argument keeps getting mangled even in a philosophy-literate subreddit.
- − Nobody in the sample discusses the Meditations past the cogito; the rest of the six meditations don't come up.
Who it's for
Assigned in a first-year philosophy course, and that's basically who Reddit still hands it to: the r/askphilosophy quotes read like a syllabus, not a recommendation thread. Walk in already knowing the cogito is contested and you'll get more out of the ↑129 argument about what Descartes actually claimed versus what everyone assumes he claimed. Looking for a casual read outside a philosophy context? The one r/booksuggestions mention, from 2020, suggests it happens, but it's rare; this book's home is a classroom, or a subreddit that acts like one.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Meditations on First Philosophy?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“I find many critiques of the cogito frustrating because, in my opinion many people read a lot more content into "the cogito" than is really there. For example, [here's the top comment from an old thread on this subject](
“If I had to pick one book per author: The Republic - Plato Nicomachean Ethics - Aristotle Meditations on First Philosophy - Descartes A Treatise on Human Nature - Hume Critique of Pure Reason - Kant Phenomenology of Spirit - Hegel The World As Will and Representation - Schopenhauer The Comm…
“I have to recommend Miguel de Unamuno's The Tragic Sense of Life. He's funky and not at all a starter philosopher but he is apparently very beautiful and poetic in the original Spanish. Otherwise, Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, Augustine's Confessions, Blaise Pascal's Pensees, D…
“Two early modern figures that are good to look at for this are Descartes and Locke. Descartes argues in his 'meditations on first philosophy' that, since everything has a cause, and nothing can come from something less than itself (a ball cannot travel further than the ability of the thrower) we ca…
“My first year philosophy course got me reading Descartes's Meditations on First philosophy. It's written in a relatively understandable manner, and touches on topics such as the nature of reality and the existence of God. It's one of the most discussed classical texts so you'll have no trouble findi…
“> My understanding of Foucalt is negative, as per Jordan Peterson's criticism, and I don't care to delve too deep into the philosophy of a person that I have a negative view of this early in my undertaking of philosophy. But Foucault's position does not even remotely resemble Peterson's description…
“Abstract: The philosopher Rene Descartes is responsible for the popular saying "I think, therefore I am". But what is the significance of this quote? To answer this question, we need to turn our attention towards two of his works, the Meditations on First Philosophy and his Discourse on Method. …
“No, it is not. It's amongst the most difficult books on philosophy out there, and you need a good understanding of rationalistic metaphysics and empiricist skepticism to understand it properly. I recommend reading first: - Descartes' *Meditations on First Philosophy* - Hume's *An Enquiry into Human…
“I'd suggest Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy. It's usually what my university uses to get people into reading philosophical work. It is also divided up pretty well, so the pacing isn't overwhelming. If not that, Humes An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. If you really insist on Kant…
“You could read Descartes meditations on first philosophy in an afternoon (it’s under 100 pages), and it’s quite literally one of the most influential works of western philosophy. I would highly recommend!
“You really can't go wrong with Descartes' *Meditations on First Philosophy (1641)*. He lays out his argument pretty clearly and the idea is very accessible. Definitely philosophy 101.
“The following all strike me as clearly written and fairly easy to understand: * Descartes, *Meditations on First Philosophy* (often sold in a volume with other works too which might be less easily digested, so make sure it is the *Meditations* that you actually read). * JS Mill, *On Liberty* * Hume…
“Trying to go all the way back to what is self-evident and work from there is essentially what Descartes attempted in *Meditations on First Philosophy*, and basically no one thinks that was successful.
“I find The Meditations on First Philosophy to be worthy of multiple visits. Particularly Meditations 1 and 2. I think if I only had one philosophical piece I could read The Meditations on First Philosophy would be the one.
“Sorry if I’m late, but there are a lot of interesting sub fields within philosophy - epistemology[how we know] - time and causation - ethics/morality - ontology [what actually *is*] - Philosophy of religion -...,..., etc As a starting point, Descartes *Meditations on First Philosophy* is a thou…
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Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with Meditations on First Philosophy — counted from the comments, not curated.
Meditations on First Philosophy — frequently asked
Is Meditations on First Philosophy still worth reading according to r/askphilosophy?+
Nobody in the tracked threads argues against reading it. One commenter lists it as the single Descartes text worth knowing, alongside the Republic and the Critique of Pure Reason (↑59); another calls it one of the most discussed classical texts and recommends it as approachable first-year reading (↑53). The disagreement in the data is about interpretation, not whether it belongs on the shelf.
Does r/askphilosophy think the cogito argument in Meditations is misunderstood?+
Yes, per the top comment in the sample. A ↑129 post argues that most popular critiques of "I think, therefore I am" read content into the phrase that Descartes never put there, framing the common objections as a misreading rather than a real weakness in the argument.
Is Meditations on First Philosophy an easy first philosophy book?+
One commenter says so directly, describing it as their first-year assigned text and "written in a relatively understandable manner" (↑53), touching on the nature of reality and the existence of God. That's a single account's experience, not a subreddit-wide rating, but it's the only direct answer the tracked data gives.
What should I read alongside Meditations on First Philosophy?+
The tracked askphilosophy canon-list comment pairs it with the Republic, the Nicomachean Ethics, A Treatise of Human Nature, and the Critique of Pure Reason (↑59), presented as one-per-author essential reading rather than a direct comparison. That's the company the data puts it in, not a claim that the books argue the same things.