ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part shows that there's plenty of textual evidence that Descartes cares about truth and none that he only cares about consistency. Rene Descartes probably thought of himself first and foremost as a mathematician. He invented analytic geometry and used it to solve problems in physics, optics, and meteorology. This motivated his most famous work, the Meditations. In the Meditations, Descartes doubts all his previous beliefs and starts from scratch, accepting only what is most certain. Several of Descartes' early readers expressed this worry. Descartes responded with annoyance that such readers had completely misunderstood him.
