Table of Contents

Abbreviations; Introduction; Descartes and traditional syllogistic: The scope of logic; The syllogism as a Petitio Principii; The heuristic role of syllogism; Descartes's conception of inference: Conceptions of logic before Descartes; Conceptions of cognitive grasp before Descartes; The natural light of reason; Eternal truths: A human model for cognition; Discovery and proof: Analysis and discovery; Synthesis and proof; Appendix: The terms `a priori'
and `a posteriori' in the Reply to the second set of objections to the meditations; Scientific reasoning: The method of discovery; The epistemic value of deduction; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index

Reviews

'the volume contains a wealth of scholarly detail and includes valuable chapters on how Descartes's view of inference relates to his work in mathematics and natural science'imes Higher Education Supplement
'he makes a very welcome contribution to Descartes scholarship, and to one of the neglected strands of the history of logic'
D.M. Clarke, University College, Cork, Ireland, History and Philosophy of Logic, 10 (1991)
'Gaukroger assists his readers with transparent prose and gentle transitions ... a work of quality'
Struan Jacobs, Deakin University Vol. 71, No. 3; September 1993