Richard A. Watson (born 1931) is an American philosopher, speleologist and author.
Watson taught philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis for forty years. He is considered one of the foremost living authorities on Descartes. He is an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy for Washington University in St. Louis.
He has a degree in geology specializing in "paleoclimatology of 10,000 years ago." This involved the development of agrarian societies in the Fertile Crescent. From July 1965 to July 1967, he was president of the Cave Research Foundation.
His book, Cogito, Ergo Sum: a life of René Descartes was a travelogue in the form of following Rene Descarte's travels around Europe. It was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of its "25 Books to Remember from 2002."
Richard A. Watson's publications include the following books and articles:
Cogito, Ergo Sum: a life of Rene Descartes. David R Godine. 2007 [2002]. ISBN 978-1-56792-335-3. Was chosen by the New York Public library as one of "25 Books to Remember from 2002"
The Philosopher's Demise: Learning French. David R Godine. 2003. ISBN 978-1-56792-227-1. Has been translated into Italian
The Philosopher's Diet: how to lose weight and change the world. David R Godine. 1999. ISBN 978-1-56792-084-0. Has been translated into nine languages.
Niagara. Coffee House Press. 2000. ISBN 978-1-56689-006-9. . The biography of the first person to cross the Falls on a wire, and the first person(a woman) to go over the Falls in a barrel. The French translation has featured at the Saint-Malo Ettonants voyageurs Festival International du Lirre in 1997, where it won a translation award.
Descartes's Ballet: His Doctrine Of Will & Political Philosophy. St. Augustines Press. 2004. ISBN 978-1-58731-175-8.
In the Dark Cave. Star Bright Books. 2005. ISBN 978-1-59572-038-2.
Watson, Richard A. The Downfall of Cartesianism. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1966.
Watson, R.A. The breakdown of Cartesian metaphysics. - Atlantic Highlands (N.J.) : Humanities press intern., 1987. - XII, 240 p. Bibliogr.: p. 223-235. Name ind.: p. 237-240.
RICHARD A. WATSON. The Breakdown of Cartesian Metaphysics. Hackett Publishing Company, 1998. ISBN 9780872204065
Representational Ideas from Plato to Patricia Churchland (Kluwer Academic Publishers)
Under Plowman's Floor
The Runner
The Longest Cave (with Roger W. Brucker)(hb Alfred A. Knopf, pb Southern Illinois University Press)
The high road to Pyrrhonism / Ed. by Watson R.A., Force J.E. - San Diego: Hill, 1980. - XIV, 385 p. - (Studies in Hume a. Scott. philosophy; 2) Indices.: p. 369-385.
Articles
Mr. Watson is the author of the Encyclopædia Britannica article on Descartes.
Watson, Richard A. Berkeley in a Cartesian Context. // Revue Internationale de Philosophie 65 (1963), 381–94.Watson, Richard A. "Berkeley in the Cartesian Tradition." Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters 48 (1963):587-97.
Watson, Richard A. "The Breakdown of Cartesian Metaphysics." Journal of the History of Philosophy 1 (1963):177-97.
Watson, R.A. What moves the mind: An excursion in Cartesian dualism // Amer. philos. quart. - Oxford, 1982. - vol. 19, N 1. - p. 73-81.
Watson, R.A. Having ideas // Amer. philos. quart. - Oxford, 1994. - Vol. 31, N 3. - P. 185-198.
Watson, R.A. Malebranche and Arnauld on ideas // Mod. schoolman. - Saint Louis, 1994. - Vol. 71, N 4. - P. 259-270.
