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This article examines Rene Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy. It looks at philosophy Descartes used in his first philosophy to develop the concept of the mind that would lead to Cartesian Dualism. The ramification of Descartes meditations and Descartes metaphysics has been significant in the history of philosophy as well as Western Culture in general. This article has pictures, links to other articles on similar topics, and books and ebook readers available as well.

This article examines Candide the book by Voltaire. It is one in a series of literary reviews about literary books. It examines the irony in Candide de Voltaire as well as Candide's philosophy. It examines, specifically, how different characters fates within the book represent Voltaire's attitudes towards different philosophies. It also has links for an ebook of Candide for your electronic book reader or Kindle.

This article examines the implications of Cartesian Dualism on Immanuel Kant, David Hume, and their influential works, including Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding. The article examines Hume's enquiry, it's take on the "gap" in Ontology, and Immanuel Kant's revolutionary take on Hume's philosophy that resulted in a shift in modern philosophy. This article contains pictures, links to similar articles, copies of books and ebooks, and even ebook readers.

This is part two in a continuing series of articles all of which are designed to inform and guide anyone who might want to know a little bit more about the rich tradition of art, letters and philosophy we have inherited from those who came before us. This article looks specifically at some of the best and most important works of 20th Century American Postmodernism. It discusses authors such as Joseph Heller, John Barth, Kurt Vonnegut, Don DeLilo, and David Foster Wallace.

This is part one in a new series of articles all of which are designed to inform and guide anyone who might want to know a little bit more about the rich tradition of art, letters and philosophy we have inherited from those who came before us. As human beings, our connection to the past is one of the greatest resources we have which imparts perpetual significance to the works discussed in this article, no matter how old they are.

In his "The Philosophy of Composition" Poe tells us that he begins writing with "the consideration of an effect" (1598). Almost all of Poe's poetry and fiction give evidence to support Poe's claim that the intended effect, upon the reader, is indeed central to his creative work. This article explores that intended effect and its centrality in Poe's famous short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher".

This article examines the Apology, one of Plato's central dialogues. In it, Socrates is on trial for his life, yet rather than win the trial and defeat his accusers, Socrates takes a curious defense. This article explores Socrates' defense from a philosophical perspective in order to understand what Socrates could have meant by it and why he made it. It includes interesting photos and links to books related to the discussion.