This volume presents essays on Descartes by the pre-eminent Italian historian of philosophy Emanuela Scribano, here translated into English for the first time. Thematically cohesive in their focus on what Scribano calls the nerve centers of Cartesian philosophy, they examine Cartesian ideas in context, not only of Descartes' philosophical contemporaries.
These include Scholastic thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and Suárez; Classical writers such as Galen; authors contemporary to Descartes, such as Campanella and Silhon; and philosophers who referred to Cartesian philosophy, such as La Forge and Malebranche. By considering their influence and contributions, it is possible to clarify some basic theses of Cartesian philosophy and to answer some long-debated questions in Descartes scholarship, pertaining to issues such as the proof of God's existence, the free creation of eternal truths, the hypothesis of divine deception, the limits of divine power, the theory of animals as machines, the theory of error, and the possible Cartesian origin of some central theses in Occasionalism.
The essays reflect Scribano's methodological approach: that to understand the intent, scope, and meaning of a philosophical theory, one must examine it with the eyes of those who share the author's philosophical culture. Scribano provides a newly written introduction, and the volume includes a foreword by Steven Nadler.
Table of Contents Forword by Steven Nadler Introduction I. The idea of God I.1 Descartes' Innatism as anti-Augustinianism I.2 The Knowledge of God in Descartes' Letters II. God and Human Mind II.1 Divine Deception in Descartes' Meditations II.2 The Replies to the Seventh Set of Objections, the Skeptic's Duties, and the Circle II.3 What God Cannot do. Descartes and the Limits of Divine Power III. Error III.1 Descartes and False Ideas III.2 Descartes on Dreamers, Madmen, and Amputees. A Physiological Reading of the Meditations IV. Descartes and Free Thinkers IV.1 Traces of the Atheist. From Lessius to Descartes via Vanini, Mersenne and Petit IV.2 Animals and Clocks. Descartes against
Emanuela Scribano previously held the positions of Full Professor of History of Philosophy at the University of Siena; Full Professor of Philosophy of Religion and of History of Philosophy at the University Ca' Foscari Venice. She is currently Emeritus Professor at the University Ca' Foscari Venice and has been a member of Accademia dei Lincei since 2021.
Reviews for Descartes in Context: Essays
By placing Descartes in context, she achieves a subtle and lively reading of a canonical seventeenth century thinker. * Mary Peterson, University of Hamburg * This is a significant work not only in Cartesian studies but also in the history of philosophy generally...Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. * Choice *
