Publishing the ‘Youth Philosophy Warehouse’
Introduction
Background knowledge needed to understand "Reflections"

First Reflection
Second Reflection
Third Reflection
Fourth Reflection
Fifth Reflection
Sixth Reflection

《Meditation》: Building Certain Knowledge Through Doubt
Descartes' Chronology

“I think, therefore I am.”

“I think, therefore I am.” Descartes’ “Meditations,” the birthplace of the famous proposition that left a mark on the history of philosophy, has been republished as the 33rd volume of the “Youth Philosophy Warehouse” series, “Meditations, the New Continent of Thought Discovered by Doubting Everything.”
Although "Meditations" is an old book that was published over 350 years ago, it is still talked about and is considered one of the most read philosophy books by those who want to study philosophy.
Why? Descartes's new discovery and conviction in the power of reason, defined as "I think, therefore I am," was a challenge to medieval philosophy, which had remained stuck in a theocentric mindset.
This simple proposition, as simple as it was, was a clear shift toward human-centered thinking.
Through Descartes, medieval philosophy virtually came to an end and a new horizon called modern philosophy opened up.
In other words, nature, which was under the control of God, became something that humans could understand and utilize, and this idea laid the foundation for the rational and scientific thinking that created modern scientific civilization.
Because this work marked a turning point in philosophy, it is impossible to understand the major trends in the history of Western philosophy without reading this book.

《Reflection》 begins with doubt.
Descartes seriously questions whether everything we have taken for granted so far actually exists.
But even if I doubt everything, I get one indisputable proposition: that I am the one who doubts.
It is simply, “I think, therefore I am.”
From this we arrive at the fact that God and the universe surrounding me also exist.
Human reason stands tall at the center of existence.
Now the foundation of philosophy is not God but man, and human reason has become the scientific basis for exploring nature.
Humans, who existed for God, were born as subjective beings who could prove God.
This is the birth of modern philosophy, which emphasizes the human capacity to think.

The message that 《Meditation》 delivers to us today does not end with simply being the birthplace of modern philosophy.
Rather, what we come to realize while reading this book is the attitude toward solving the various problems we face in life.
The questions Descartes posed in his Meditations: How far can we know, and how can we know? Do I truly exist? How does existence exist? Does God exist? Do the universe and objects outside of me actually exist? What is the nature of the mind and what is the nature of matter? Are we truly free? These are philosophical questions that everyone will ask at least once in their lives.
Facing these questions alone, Descartes adopted a method of doubt that shook and toppled everything to its very foundations.
Do I exist? I may not exist.
Does God exist? He may not exist.
Does the world and universe surrounding me exist? Perhaps not.
So then, what is existence? Descartes was the one who started from the beginning and searched for existence again.
Descartes' courage in ultimately establishing his own existence, the existence of God, and the existence of the world through this process of doubt that he did not want to face teaches us how wavering youth can correct their wavering and stand firm.
The reason why philosophy can be established as something truly meaningful in life, rather than a mere play of the mind, can be found precisely in Meditations.

Therefore, reading Meditations provides a pleasure that goes beyond simply learning about a particular philosophical trend.
The true gift of this book is the real realization of why one should read philosophy books.
This gift box from 《Reflection》 is the 33rd installment of 《Youth Philosophy Warehouse》, 《Reflection, the New Continent of Thought Found by Questioning Everything》, which has been unpacked and repackaged for today's youth, and its essence has been newly adapted.
The joy of opening the package belongs solely to the reader.


"Reflections": A New World of Thought Discovered by Questioning Everything


Hegel, the famous 18th-century German philosopher, called Descartes, who lived before him, a "hero" who discovered the "new continent" of philosophy.
This means that Descartes is a philosopher who made a discovery as great as Columbus's discovery of the American continent in the history of philosophy.
Even Hegel said that the ship of philosophy before Descartes had drifted on the vast ocean for a thousand years, but thanks to the great captain Descartes, the ship of philosophy was able to end its long drift and discover a new continent of philosophy.
So why did pre-Descartes philosophy drift for so long? What exactly did Descartes discover that deserves to be called the new continent of philosophy? The best way to find answers to these questions is to read his Meditations.
This is because "Meditations" is both a navigation map that Descartes used to discover the new continent of philosophy and a logbook that shows how he was able to discover the new continent of philosophy.

The navigation map of the new continent called "Reflections" is not easy for us to read today.
Because the language and guiding symbols used in the maps and journals are like codes that reflect the religious spirit of the time Descartes lived in and his own unique philosophical logic.
This book, "Reflection: A New Continent of Thought Discovered by Questioning Everything," is a new manual that helps today's youth understand the difficult-to-decipher navigational maps and logbooks.
If you carefully follow this manual and decipher the map, you will have the amazing experience of seeing a faint glimpse of the new continent of philosophy that Descartes was trying to discover.

The manual appears in the translation, commentary, and composition of "Reflection: A New Continent of Thought Discovered by Questioning Everything."
Reading the original text of "Meditations," which became a major topic in modern philosophy and changed the course of the history of philosophy, is not easy for young people without specialized knowledge of philosophy.
The writer, who majored in Descartes at Seoul National University, took this into consideration and first translated the original text into modern language.
Abstract words have been replaced with concrete words as much as possible without harming the original meaning, and in the case of conceptual words that cannot be replaced, their meanings are separately explained before starting the text.
The structure and length were also designed with young readers in mind.
Although the original text is not long, it contains a lot of depth in a short piece, so considering that it would be difficult to follow the flow of the original text, the original text is introduced in sections, and a rough outline of the story to come is included before the original text, and a summary and explanation of the content of the original text is included after the original text.
The commentary is delivered in concrete metaphors that young people can practically understand.
While maintaining the original text's structure of six reflections, the book is meticulously divided into smaller chapters by topic, interweaving the original text and commentary.
After the main text is finished, the historical background of Descartes, Descartes' life, Descartes' world of works, and major thoughts are summarized to help readers understand "Meditations" from a broader perspective, and the core content of "Meditations" is clearly summarized so that it can be seen at a glance.

Meditations is like a flag planted by Descartes on a newly discovered continent, ending his long drift through medieval philosophy.
Reading this book, which lays the foundation for rational and scientific thinking, provides an opportunity for insight that penetrates the heart of philosophy and human history.
Reading "Meditation," a treasure in the history of philosophy, through the Philosophy Warehouse is not simply about reading and understanding this one work; it is an opportunity to gain answers to the questions of what philosophy truly is, and what attitude one should have toward philosophizing and living.