Influence and Legacy
The historical impact of the six meditations has been divided. The first two meditations, which employed the skeptical methodic doubt and concluded that only the ego and its thoughts are indubitable, have had a huge impact in the history of philosophy. They are often considered as epoch-making for modernity, and an unavoidable first step for any modern philosophical thinking. The remaining four, which attempt to overcome skepticism and prove the existence of God, have been of minor interest.
Edmund Husserl, founder of phenomenology and a strong influence on 20th Century European philosophy, argued that the first two meditations are the only part of Descartes's work with any philosophical importance at all.
Read more about this topic: Meditations On First Philosophy
Famous quotes containing the words influence and/or legacy:
“A healthy soul stands united with the Just and the True, as the magnet arranges itself with the pole, so that he stands to all beholders like a transparent object betwixt them and the sun, and whoso journeys towards the sun, journeys towards that person. He is thus the medium of the highest influence to all who are not on the same level.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“What is popularly called fame is nothing but an empty name and a legacy from paganism.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)