Encountering philosophy for the first time can be both exciting and intimidating. Most students who choose to take philosophy have to balance different degrees of curiosity, uncertainty, and unease. This book incorporates what students have taught me for the last almost-twenty years about what may work best for a philosophical initiation.

Unlike other introductions to the subject, Discovering Philosophy revolves around one classic work: Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy. The first two chapters prepare students for the task by means of a general introduction to what philosophy is and some logical tools to start cultivating good habits of thought. Each chapter after that is dedicated to a specific topic inspired by one of Descartes’ meditations, such as personal identity, freedom, the existence of God or the mind/body problem. Descartes’ clear style allows students to follow his intellectual struggles; his battle against prejudice, and his determination to find the truth. The variety of topics explored in this classic work makes possible many connections with contemporary philosophical discussion, so students can critically understand its relevance as well as its limitations. Finally, Discovering Philosophy brings together different pedagogical tools to expose students to the material in different ways. In addition to Descartes’ complete text, accompanied by clarifying notes, the book combines explanations of fundamental concepts and positions, definitions of all relevant terms, interactive exercises, links to applicable videos, reflective questions, and quizzes to assess student progress.