Cartesian Metaphysics: The Scholastic Origins of Modern PhilosophyThis is the first book-length study of Descartes's metaphysics to place it in its immediate historical context, the Late Scholastic philosophy of thinkers such as Suárez against which Descartes reacted. Jorge Secada views Cartesian philosophy as an 'essentialist' reply to the 'existentialism' of the School, and his discussion includes careful analyses and original interpretations of such central Cartesian themes as the role of scepticism, intentionality and the doctrine of the material falsity of ideas, universals and the relation between sense and understanding, causation and the proofs of the existence of God, the theory of substance, and the dualism of mind and matter. His study offers a picture of Descartes's metaphysics that is both novel and philosophically illuminating. |
From inside the book
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Page x
... known this book from its inception, nurtured its development, and lived with the pains of its delivery. I should finally mention that parts of chapters 1 and 4 have appeared in print as, respectively, 'Descartes y la escolástica' in ...
... known this book from its inception, nurtured its development, and lived with the pains of its delivery. I should finally mention that parts of chapters 1 and 4 have appeared in print as, respectively, 'Descartes y la escolástica' in ...
Page 1
... known about its structure and content, about the details of his arguments and the spirit in which they were conceived and deployed and about the influences to which he was subject and the influence which he exercised upon his con ...
... known about its structure and content, about the details of his arguments and the spirit in which they were conceived and deployed and about the influences to which he was subject and the influence which he exercised upon his con ...
Page 3
... known justification for the study of the history of philosophy. It embodies substantial assumptions about the continuity and identity of philo- sophical reflection in time: that there are common questions, that there is a shared ...
... known justification for the study of the history of philosophy. It embodies substantial assumptions about the continuity and identity of philo- sophical reflection in time: that there are common questions, that there is a shared ...
Page 8
... known independently of the other , or that neither can be known without the other . Hence , essentialism and existentialism must each involve two theses . I will call the first the dependence thesis and the second the independence ...
... known independently of the other , or that neither can be known without the other . Hence , essentialism and existentialism must each involve two theses . I will call the first the dependence thesis and the second the independence ...
Page 10
... known to exist is needed , the account at hand might be one that does not express its essence . Prima facie , this looks reasonable . We should allow for non - essential descriptions of a substance ; and it seems a substance may be known ...
... known to exist is needed , the account at hand might be one that does not express its essence . Prima facie , this looks reasonable . We should allow for non - essential descriptions of a substance ; and it seems a substance may be known ...
Contents
1 | |
5 | |
Part II Ideas and the road from essence to existence | 75 |
Part III Cartesian substances | 181 |
Epilogue | 265 |
Notes | 270 |
References | 307 |
Index | 323 |
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Cartesian Metaphysics: The Scholastic Origins of Modern Philosophy Jorge Secada Limited preview - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
According to Descartes actual apprehension Aquinas argued Aristotelian Aristotle Arnauld attribute awareness body Cartesian causal chapter claim clear and distinct clearly and distinctly colour conceived conception corporeal substance creatures dependence Descartes's determinable direct realist distinguished divine doctrine Duns Scotus effect efficient cause entity essence and existence essential definitions essentialist exist in reality existentialism existentialist explained extension external fact follows Fonseca formally Gassendi God’s grasp Hobbes human idea imagination immediate objects independent individual infinite infinite regress innate intellect intelligible Jesuit judgement knowledge Late Scholastic Leibniz matter metaphysics mind modes nature Nominalists notion objective reality ontological argument perceive philosophy possible Posterior Analytics predicate principle prior proof question real distinction real essences real properties refer relation Replies sceptical Scholasticism Second Meditation sensation sense sensory perception shape soul species St Thomas Suárez substantial suppose Third Meditation Thomist thought triangle true truth understanding unity universal