Radical Cartesianism : The French Reception of Descartes

This is a book-length study of two of Descartes's most innovative successors, Robert Desgabets and Pierre-Sylvain Regis, and of their highly original contributions to Cartesianism. The focus of the book is an analysis of radical doctrines in the work of these thinkers that derive from arguments in Descartes: on the creation of eternal truths, on the intentionality of ideas, and on the soul-body union. As well as relating their work to that of fellow Cartesians such as Malebranche and Arnauld, the book also establishes the important though neglected role played by Desgabets and Regis in the theologically and politically charged reception of Descartes in early modern France. This is a major contribution to the history of Cartesianism that will be of special interest to historians of early modern philosophy and historians of ideas. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 9 Preface......Page 11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 12 A Note on Citation and Translation......Page 14 Abbreviations......Page 15 Introduction......Page 17 I.1 DESGABETS AND REGIS......Page 19 I.2 FRENCH CARTESIANISMS......Page 25 I.3 A MAP OF RADICAL CARTESIANISM......Page 35 PART I ROBERT DESGABETS......Page 41 1 Desgabets’s Considérations, Arnauld, and Cartesianism......Page 43 1.1 THE 1671 DECREE AND THE CONSIDÉRATIONS......Page 45 1.2.1 Descartes on the Eucharist......Page 50 1.2.2 The Road to the Considérations......Page 53 1.2.3 The Considérations and After......Page 58 (1) The Annihilation of Matter......Page 63 (2) Quantity without Substance......Page 67 (3) The Soul–Body Union......Page 68 1.4.1 Cartesian Eucharistic Theology......Page 69 1.4.2 Arnauld’s “Examen”......Page 70 1.4.3 Impenetrability and Species......Page 75 1.4.4 Theologia Cartesiana......Page 79 1.5 LA VILLE ON CARTESIANISM AND DESGABETS......Page 84 PART II THREE RADICAL DOCTRINES......Page 91 2 The Creation Doctrine......Page 93 2.1.1 The Scope Problem......Page 96 2.1.2 The Ontological Problem......Page 99 2.1.3 The Similarity Problem......Page 102 2.2.1 Desgabets’s Critique......Page 104 2.2.2 Necessary Truths and God’s Essence......Page 106 2.3 THE INDEFECTIBILITY OF SUBSTANCE......Page 110 2.4.1 Cartesian Physics......Page 113 2.4.2 Revolutionary Metaphysics......Page 115 2.5 QUASI-SPINOZISTIC INDIVISIBILITY......Page 118 2.6 REGIS'S USAGE: CREATION AND INDEFECTIBLE MOTION......Page 123 2.7 QUASI-SPINOZISTIC CAUSAL DISSIMILARITY......Page 129 2.8 MALEBRANCHE, SPINOZISM, AND GOD'S SUPERSUBSTANTIALITY......Page 137 2.9 RADICAL SOLUTIONS TO DESCARTES'S PROBLEMS......Page 143 3 The Intentionality Doctrine......Page 146 3.1 DESGABETS'S CRITIQUE: IDEAS, ESSENCES, AND EXTENSION......Page 148 3.2 THE INTENTIONALITY PRINCIPLE......Page 153 3.3 OBJECTIVE REALITY AND THE OBJECT ARGUMENT......Page 156 3.4 PURE POSSIBILITIES AND THE ESSENCE ARGUMENT......Page 163 3.5 QUASI-SPINOZISTIC CONNECTIONS TO THE CREATION DOCTRINE......Page 166 3.6 "THE FIRST FAULT OF DESCARTES"......Page 172 3.7 CARTESIAN REALISM: THE FIRST STEP......Page 178 4 The Union Doctrine......Page 183 4.1 DESGABETS'S CRITIQUE: PURE INTELLECT AND MEMORY......Page 185 4.2 "THE SECOND FAULT OF DESCARTES"......Page 190 4.3 NIHIL EST IN INTELLECTU......Page 195 4.4 CONTINUOUS TIME AND THE UNION WITH MOTION......Page 198 4.5 ANGELIC INTELLECT AND HUMAN THOUGHT......Page 202 4.6.1 The Cogito and the Union with Motion......Page 210 4.6.2 The Cogito and Continuous Time......Page 215 4.7 CARTESIAN REALISM: THE SECOND STEP......Page 222 PART III PIERRE-SYLVAIN REGIS......Page 229 5 Huet’s Censura, Malebranche, and Platonism......Page 231 5.1 THE 1691 FORMULARY AND THE CENSURA......Page 233 5.2.1 Huet on Doubt and the Cogito......Page 239 5.2.2 Regis’s Réponse to Huet......Page 243 5.2.3 The Du Hamel–Regis Exchange......Page 249 5.3 REGIS'S USAGE: FAITH AND REASON......Page 253 5.4 REGIS–MALEBRANCHE–LELEVEL: PLATONIC THEMES......Page 257 5.4.1 “The Most Celebrated Cartesians”......Page 258 5.4.2 Malebranche and Regis on Ideas......Page 261 5.4.3 The Lelevel–Regis Exchange......Page 267 5.5 PLATONISM IN GENEST'S "LETTRE À REGIS"......Page 272 Conclusion......Page 277 Works Cited......Page 283 Index......Page 296 This Is The First Book-length Study Of The Highly Original Form Of Cartesianism In The Work Of Two Of Descartes's French Successors, Robert Desgabets (1610-78) And Pierre-sylvain Regis (1632-1707). The Book Focuses On Radical Doctrines In These Cartesians Concerning The Creation Of The Eternal Truths, The Intentionality Of Ideas, And The Soul-body Union, Three Issues That Descartes Broached But Did Not Fully Explore. In Addition To Relating Their Discussion Of These Issues To The Views Of Descartes And Of Cartesians Such As Malebranche And Arnauld, The Book Establishes That Desgabets And Regis Played An Important, Though Neglected, Role In The Theologically And Politically Charged Reception Of Descartes In Early Modern France. A Major Contribution To The History Of Cartesianism, This Study Will Be Of Special Interest To Historians Of Early Modern Philosophy And Historians Of Ideas.--cover. Introduction: Radical Cartesianism In Context -- Robert Desgabets. Desgabets's Considérations, Arnauld, And Cartesianism -- Three Radical Doctrines. The Creation Doctrine: Indefectible Material Substance And God ; The Intentionality Doctrine: Ideas And Extra-mental Objects ; The Union Doctrine: Temporal Human Thought And Motion -- Pierre-sylvain Regis. Huet's Censura, Malebranche, And Platonism -- Conclusion: 'a Forgotten Branch Of Cartesianism'. Tad M. Schmaltz. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 267-279) And Index. This is the first book-length study of two of Descartes's most innovative successors; Robert Desgabets and Pierre-Sylvain Regis; and of their highly original contributions to Cartesianism. Relating their work to that of fellow Cartesians such as Malebranche and Arnauld, the book establishes the important though neglected role played by Desgabets and Regis in the theologically and politically charged reception of Descartes in early-modern France. This major contribution to the history of Cartesianism is of interest to historians of early-modern philosophy and historians of ideas. The Descartes most familiar to twentieth-century philosophers is the Descartes of the first two Meditations, someone preoccupied with hyperbolic doubt of the material world and the certainty of knowledge of the self that emerges from the famous cogito argument. An examination of Cartesianism looks at the political and theological reception of Descartes in early-modern France, and discusses the contributions to Cartesianism made by Robert Desgabets and Pierre-Sylvain Regis.