# Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes

3 Hacker News commenters recommended Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for forcing a fresh look at all of one's beliefs about existence. One commenter calls its philosophy solipsistic.

## Why people recommend it

- Forces re-examining all beliefs about existence (1 comments): "which forced me to evaluate all of my beliefs about existence" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48295184))

## What people warn about

- Philosophy described as solipsistic (1 comments): "It's really a solipsistic philosophy." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48217019))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Tao Te Ching by Laozi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tao-te-ching-translated.md): 32 recommend
- [Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig](https://hackerapproved.com/p/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance.md): 24 recommend
- [Meditations by Marcus Aurelius](https://hackerapproved.com/p/meditations.md): 17 recommend
- [I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter](https://hackerapproved.com/p/i-am-a-strange-loop.md): 16 recommend
- [Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard](https://hackerapproved.com/p/simulacra-and-simulation.md): 12 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0023671602?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780023671609) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes", https://hackerapproved.com/p/meditations-on-first-philosophy/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).