French Philosophy, 1572-1675 (The Oxford History of Philosophy)

Desmond M. Clarke presents a thematic history of French philosophy from the middle of the sixteenth century to the beginning of Louis XIV's reign. While the traditional philosophy of the schools was taught throughout this period by authors who have faded into permanent obscurity, a whole generation of writers who were not professional philosophers--some of whom never even attended a school or college--addressed issues that were prominent in French public life. Clarke explores such topics as the novel political theory espoused by monarchomachs, such as Beze and Hotman, against Bodin's account of absolute sovereignty; the scepticism of Montaigne, Charron, and Sanches; the ethical discussions of Du Vair, Gassendi, and Pascal; innovations in natural philosophy that were inspired by Mersenne and Descartes and implemened by members of the Academie royale des sciences; theories of the human mind from Jean de Silhon to Cureau de la Chambre and Descartes; and the novel arguments in support of women's education and equality that were launched by De Gournay, Du Bosc, Van Schurman and Poulain de la Barre. The writers involved were lawyers, political leaders, theologians, and independent scholars and they acknowledged, almost unanimously, the authority of the Bible as a source of knowledge that was claimed to be more reliable than the fragile powers of human understanding. Since they could not agree, however, on which books of the Bible were canonical or how that should be understood, their discussions raised questions about faith and reason that mirrored those involved in the infamous Galileo affair. Cover 1 French Philosophy, 1572–1675 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 Preface 12 A Note on References 16 Chapter 1: Philosophy in Context 18 1.1 Introduction 18 1.2 French Politics from Charles IX to Louis XIV 19 1.3 The Religious Context 24 1.4 Philosophy Teaching in France 35 1.5 Censorship 40 1.6 French Academies and Conferences 42 1.7 Conclusion 48 Chapter 2: Scepticism and the Possibility of Knowledge 51 2.1 Introduction 51 2.2 Montaigne, Charron, and French Pyrrhonism 54 2.3 Empirical Knowledge: Sanches and Gassendi 57 2.4 Scepticism and Libertinism 63 2.5 Arguments against Scepticism 64 2.6 Descartes and Metaphysics 72 2.7 Conclusion 80 Chapter 3: Faith and Reason 81 3.1 Introduction 81 3.2 Religious Belief 83 3.3 Interpreting Biblical Texts 85 3.4 Conceiving God 92 3.5 Transubstantiation: Descartes and Amyraut 99 3.6 Pascal: Wagering for Faith 105 3.7 Conclusion 112 Chapter 4: Natural Philosophy 114 4.1 Introduction 114 4.2 Hypotheses 118 4.3 Structural Explanation 122 4.4 Confirmation 126 4.5 Pascal’s Crucial Experiment 127 4.6 The Certainty of Hypotheses 133 4.7 Cartesian Natural Philosophy 138 4.8 Conclusion 142 Chapter 5: Theories of the Human Mind 143 5.1 Introduction 143 5.2 The Soul in Scholastic Physics 145 5.3 Divine Conservation of Souls: Silhon 150 5.4 Gassendi’s Theory 153 5.5 Descartes’s Theory of Mind 157 5.6 Consciousness 165 5.7 Substance Dualism 168 5.8 Conclusion 172 Chapter 6: Ethics: The Good Life and the Moral Law 174 6.1 Introduction 174 6.2 Natural Law 178 6.3 Stoic Ethics and the Will 180 6.4 Passions as Moral Guides: La Chambre 184 6.5 Descartes and the Will 185 6.6 Epicureanism: Pierre Gassendi 191 6.7 Ethics for Women 197 6.8 Blaise Pascal: Ethics for a Corrupt Nature 199 6.9 Justifying Ethical Norms 203 Chapter 7: Political Philosophy: The Source and Limits of State Authority 208 7.1 Introduction 208 7.2 Reformation Political Theory 210 7.3 François Hotman and Théodore de Bèze 214 7.4 Jean Bodin: Absolute Sovereignty 219 7.5 The Vindiciae contra Tyrannos 224 7.6 Natural Law 228 7.7 Biblical Politics in the Seventeenth Century 230 7.8 Religious Toleration 233 Chapter 8: The Equality of the Sexes 237 8.1 Introduction 237 8.2 Marie de Gournay 239 8.3 Women’s Education: Van Schurman 245 8.4 Poulain de la Barre 253 8.5 Conclusion: Equality and Difference 262 Afterword 266 Appendix: Brief Biographies 270 Bibliography 274 Primary Sources 274 Secondary Literature 282 Index 290 "Desmond M. Clarke presents a thematic history of French philosophy from the middle of the sixteenth century to the beginning of Louis XIV's reign. While the traditional philosophy of the schools was taught throughout this period by authors who have faded into permanent obscurity, a whole generation of writers who were not professional philosophers--some of whom never even attended a school or college--addressed issues that were prominent in French public life. Clarke explores such topics as the novel political theory espoused by monarchomachs, such as Bèze and Hotman, against Bodin's account of absolute sovereignty; the scepticism of Montaigne, Charron, and Sanches; the ethical discussions of Du Vair, Gassendi, and Pascal; innovations in natural philosophy that were inspired by Mersenne and Descartes and implemented by members of the Académie royale des sciences; theories of the human mind from Jean de Silhon to Cureau de la Chambre and Descartes; and the novel arguments in support of women's education and equality that were launched by De Gournay, Du Bosc, Van Schurman, and Poulain de la Barre. The writers involved were lawyers, political leaders, theologians, and independent scholars and they acknowledged, almost unanimously, the authority of the Bible as a source of knowledge that was claimed to be more reliable than the fragile powers of human understanding. Since they could not agree, however, on which books of the Bible were canonical or how they should be understood, their discussions raised questions about faith and reason that mirrored those involved in the infamous Galileo affair"-- Source other than Library of Congress Desmond M. Clarke presents a thematic history of French philosophy from the middle of the sixteenth century to the beginning of Louis XIV's reign. While the traditional philosophy of the schools was taught throughout this period by authors who have faded into permanent obscurity, a whole generation of writers who were not professional philosophers—some of whom never even attended a school or college—addressed issues that were prominent in French public life. Clarke explores such topics as the novel political theory espoused by monarchomachs, such as Bèze and Hotman, against Bodin's account of absolute sovereignty; the scepticism of Montaigne, Charron, and Sanches; the ethical discussions of Du Vair, Gassendi, and Pascal; innovations in natural philosophy that were inspired by Mersenne and Descartes and implemened by members of the Académie royale des sciences; theories of the human mind from Jean de Silhon to Cureau de la Chambre and Descartes; and the novel arguments in support of women's education and equality that were launched by De Gournay, Du Bosc, Van Schurman and Poulain de la Barre. The writers involved were lawyers, political leaders, theologians, and independent scholars and they acknowledged, almost unanimously, the authority of the Bible as a source of knowledge that was claimed to be more reliable than the fragile powers of human understanding. Since they could not agree, however, on which books of the Bible were canonical or how that should be understood, their discussions raised questions about faith and reason that mirrored those involved in the infamous Galileo affair. Desmond M. Clarke Presents A Thematic History Of French Philosophy From The Middle Of The Sixteenth Century To The Beginning Of Louis Xiv's Reign. While The Traditional Philosophy Of The Schools Was Taught Throughout This Period By Authors Who Have Faded Into Permanent Obscurity, A Whole Generation Of Writers Who Were Not Professional Philosophers--some Of Whom Never Even Attended A School Or College--addressed Issues That Were Prominent In French Public Life.clarke Explores Such Topics As The Novel Political Theory Espoused By Monarchomachs Against Bodin's Account Of Absolute Sovereignty; The Scepticism Of Montaigne, Charron, And Sanches; The Ethicaldiscussions Of Du Vair, Gassendi, And Pascal; Innovations In Natural Philosophy; Theories Of The Human Mind From Jean De Silhon To Cureau De La Chambre And Descartes; And Novel Arguments In Support Of Women's Education And Equality. The Writers Involved Were Lawyers, Political Leaders, Theologians, And Independent Scholars Who Acknowledged The Authority Of The Bible As A Source Of Knowledge, While Raising Questions About Faith And Reason. Desmond M. Clarke presents a thematic history of French philosophy from the middle of the sixteenth century to the beginning of Louis XIV's reign. He explores the thought of lawyers, political leaders, theologians, and scholars, in relation to topics ranging from political theory, scepticism, and ethics, to philosophy of mind and women's equality.