Discourse on Method

How can we learn to judge reliably? A search for reliable judgment through orderly inquiry, doubt, and careful examination of inherited beliefs. It connects a method for reasoning with provisional rules for action, arguments about mind and God, explanations of nature, and experiments that can advance useful knowledge.

Preview

Idea 5
Self-assessment and friendly praise can both mislead. Describing a line of inquiry openly gives others a chance to judge it rather than requiring them to trust the investigator’s confidence.
Idea 36
Knowledge of nature can aim at practical benefit rather than display alone. Understanding how natural processes work opens possibilities for useful arts and the preservation of health.
Idea 45
An unsuccessful first attempt to build an invention need not refute its design. Executing a plan can require trained skill and careful adjustment, just as possessing a musical score does not immediately make someone a performer.

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