Rocking the foundations of cartesian knowledge: critical notice of Janet Broughton, descartes's method of doubt

Janet Broughton's Descartes's Method of Doubt†1 is a systematic study of the role of doubt in Descartes's epistemology. The book has two parts. Part 1 focuses on the development of doubt in the First Meditation, exploring such topics as the motivation behind methodic doubt; the targeted audience; the method's game-like character (on her view); its relations to ancient skepticism, its reasonableness; the method's presuppositions relative to commonsense belief; Michael Williams's recent criticisms of Descartes; and more. Part 2 focuses on how doubt figures in the constructive epistemology of the Meditations-on how Descartes employs doubt as a tool for founding knowledge.