The Cambridge Companion to Descartes [Hardcover]

Leading scholars present the full range of Descartes' philosophical achievement in the context of his life and the development of his thought.Leading scholars in Cartesian studies present the full range of Descartes' extraordinary philosophical achievement in the context of his life and the development of his thought, as well as the intellectual background of his time.Leading scholars in Cartesian studies present the full range of Descartes' extraordinary philosophical achievement in the context of his life and the development of his thought, as well as the intellectual background of his time.Descartes occupies a position of piviotal importance as one of the founding fathers of modern philosophy; he is, perhaps the most widely studied of all philosophers. In this authoritative collection an international team of leading scholars in Cartesian studies present the full range of Descartes' extraordinary philosophical achievement. His life and the development of his thought, as well as the intellectual background to and reception of his work are treated at length. At the core of the volume are a group of chapters on his metaphysics: the celebrated Cogito argument, the proofs of God's existence, the Cartesian circle and the dualistic theory of the mind and its relation to his theological and scientific views. Other chapters cover the philosophical implications of his work in algebra, his place in the 17th century scientific revolution, the structure of his physics, and his work on physiology and psychology.List of contributors; Chronology; Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Descartes' life and the development of his philosophy Genevi?ve Rodis-Lewis; 2. Descartes and scholasticism: the intellectual background to Descartes' thought Roger Ariew; 3. The nature of abstract reasoning: philosophical aspects of Descartes' work in algebra Stephen Gaukroger; 4. Cartesian metaphysics and the role of the simple natures Jean-Luc Marion; 5. The Cogito and its importance Peter Markl³g