THE CAMBRIDGE DESCARTES LEXICON · 2017-06-08 · The Cambridge Descartes Lexicon is the defi...

THE CAMBRIDGE DESCARTES LEXICON

The Cambridge Descartes Lexicon is the defi nitive reference source on René Descartes, “the father of modern philosophy” and arguably among the most important philosophers of all time. Examining the full range of Descartes’ achievements and legacy, the lexicon includes 256 in-depth entries that explain key concepts relating to his thought. Cumulatively they uncover interpretative disputes, trace his infl uences, and explain how his work was received by critics and developed by followers. There are entries on topics such as certainty, cogito

ergo sum , doubt, dualism, free will, God, geometry, happiness, human being, knowledge, Meditations on First Philosophy , mind, passion, physics, and virtue, which are written by the largest and most distinguished team of Cartesian schol-ars ever assembled for a collaborative research project – ninety-one contributors from ten countries.

Lawrence Nolan is Professor of Philosophy at California State University, Long Beach. He is the author of numerous articles on the two leading Cartesians, Descartes and Malebranche, and the editor of the highly acclaimed Primary and

Secondary Qualities: The Historical and Ongoing Debate .

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The Cambridge DESCARTES LEXICON

Edited by

Lawrence Nolan California State University, Long Beach






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The Cambridge Descartes lexicon / Lawrence Nolan, California State University, Long Beach. pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-521-19352-8 (hardback)

1. Descartes, René, 1596–1650 – Dictionaries. I. Title. B 1831. N 65 2015

194–dc23c 2015023856

ISBN 978-0-521-19352-8 Hardback

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v

Contents

List of Figures page xiv

List of Contributors xvii Abbreviations xxiii Introduction and Notes on How to Use This Work xxv

Acknowledgments xxix

Chronology xxxi Descartes’ Life and Works xxxv

Annotated Bibliography lxvii

� E N T R I E S 1

Abstraction versus Exclusion 1 Accident, Real ( see Quality, Real ) Action ( see Passion ) Adventitious ( see Idea ) Algebra ( see Geometry ; Mathematics ) Analogy 3 Analysis versus Synthesis 7 Anatomy and Physiology 13 Angel 16 Animal 19 Animal Spirits 26 Aquinas, Thomas 28






vi / Contents

Arnauld, Antoine 31 Astell, Mary 33 Atom 35 Attribute 38 Augustine, Aurelius 44 Automaton 46 Axiom ( see Common Notion ) Bacon, Francis 48 Baillet, Adrien 49 Balzac, Jean-Louis Guez de 50 Basso, Sebastian (Sébastien Basson) 52 Bayle, François 53 Bayle, Pierre 55 Beaugrand, Jean de 56 Beaune, Florimond de ( see Debeaune, Florimond ) Beeckman, Isaac 57 Being, Formal versus Objective 60 Bérulle, Pierre de 65 Beverwijck, Johan Van 67 Blood, Circulation of ( see Harvey, William ; Heart ) Body 68 Body, Human ( see Body ; Human Being ) Body, Proof of the Existence of 70 Bourdin, Pierre 75 Boyle, Robert 77 Brasset, Henri 78 Brégy, Nicolas Léonor Flesselles de 79 Buitendyck 80 Burman, Frans (Franciscus) 81 Calvinism 83 Carcavi, Pierre de 84 Cartesianism 85 Caterus, Johannes (Johan Kater or de Kater) 89 Cause 91 Cavendish, Margaret (Duchess of Newcastle) 98 Cavendish, William (Marquess of Newcastle) 99 Certainty 100 Chanut, Hector-Pierre 103 Charlet, Étienne 105 Charleton, Walter 105 Charron, Pierre 106






Contents / vii

Christina, Queen of Sweden 108 Circle, Cartesian 109 Clarity and Distinctness 118 Clauberg, Johannes 123 Clavius, Christopher 124 Clerselier, Claude 126 Cogito Ergo Sum 128 Color ( see Quality, Sensible ; Rainbow ) Colvius, Andreas 135 Comments on a Certain Broadsheet 136 Common Notion 138 Common Sense 141 Compendium of Music 143 Concurrence versus Conservation, Divine 145 Conimbricenses (Coimbrans) 148 Conservation of Motion, Principle of 150 Containment, Eminent versus Formal 152 Conversation with Burman 154 Conway, Anne 156 Cordemoy, Géraud de 157 Correspondence 158 Cosmological Argument 165 Cosmology 175 Creation ( see Eternal Truth ; God ) Cudworth, Ralph 179 Daniel, Gabriel 181 Debeaune (de Beaune), Florimond 182 Deduction 183 Defi nition 187 Demon, Evil ( see Doubt ) Desargues, Girard 189 Description of the Human Body 190 Desgabets, Robert 192 Determination ( see Force and Determination ) Digby, Kenelm 194 Dinet, Jacques 196 Dioptrics 197 Discourse on Method 199 Distinction (Real, Modal, and Rational) 202 Divisibility 211 Doubt 213






viii / Contents

Dreaming ( see Doubt ) Dreams, Descartes’ Three 222 Du Hamel (Duhamel), Jean 225 Dualism 226 Duration ( see Time ) Early Writings ( see Private Thoughts ) Earth, Motion of the 231 Element 233 Elisabeth, Princess of Bohemia 234 Ens Per Se ( see Human Being ; Substance ) Enumeration 237 Error, Theodicies of 240 Essence 247 Essence-Existence Distinction ( see Existence ) Eternal Truth 251 Ethics ( see Virtue ) Eucharist ( see Transubstantiation ) Eustachius a Sancto Paulo (Eustache Asseline) 257 Exclusion ( see Abstraction versus Exclusion ) Existence 259 Experiment 262 Explanation 266 Extension 272 Extrinsic Denomination 276 Factitious ( see Idea ) Faculty 279 Faith, Religious 281 Falsity, Material 284 Fermat, Pierre de 289 Fonseca, Pedro da 291 Force and Determination 292 Form, Substantial 297 Formal Reality ( see Being, Formal versus Objective ) Foucher, Simon 299 Free Will 302 Freinshemius (Johannes Freinsheim) 311 Fromondus, Libertus (Libert Froidment) 312 Galilei, Galileo 314 Gassendi, Pierre 316 Generosity ( see Passion ; Virtue ) Geometrical Exposition 319






Contents / ix

Geometry 321 Geometry 330 Geulincx, Arnold 332 Gibieuf, Guillaume 334 God 335 Golius, Jacob 344 Grandamy, Jacques 345 Gravity 346 Habit 349 Happiness 352 Harvey, William 355 Heart 357 Heaviness ( see Gravity ) Heereboord, Adriaan 360 Hobbes, Thomas 362 Hogelande, Cornelis Van 365 Holenmerism (Holenmerianism) 366 Huet, Pierre-Daniel 368 Human Being 369 Huygens, Christiaan 379 Huygens, Constantijn 380 Hydrostatics 382 Hyperaspistes 384 Idea 387 Illusion, Argument from ( see Doubt ) Image ( see Idea ; Imagination ) Imagination 396 Immortality ( see Soul, Immortality of the ) Indefi nite ( see Infi nite versus Indefi nite ) Individuation 400 Induction ( see Enumeration ) Inertia 405 Infi nite versus Indefi nite 407 Innate ( see Idea ) Intellect 410 Intuition ( see Clarity and Distinctness ; Deduction ) Jansenism 413 Jesuit 414 Judgment 418 Kepler, Johannes 421 Knowledge ( Scientia ) 423






x / Contents

La Flèche, Collège de ( see Jesuit ) La Forge, Louis de 429 La Grange, Jean-Baptiste de 430 Lamy, Bernard 432 Lamy, François 433 Language 434 Law of Nature 440 Le Bossu, René 446 Le Grand, Antoine 447 Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm 449 Light 452 Locke, John 458 Logic ( see Deduction ; Syllogism ) Loyola, Ignatius ( see Jesuit ) Luynes, Duc de (Louis-Charles d’Albert) 460 Machine 462 Magnetism 466 Malebranche, Nicolas 467 Mathematics 470 Mathesis Universalis 475 Matter ( see Body ; Extension ) Mechanics 478 Medicine 483 Meditations on First Philosophy 487 Memory 490 Mersenne, Marin 493 Mesland, Denis 496 Metaphysics 498 Meteors 506 Method 508 Meyssonnier, Lazare 513 Mind 514 Mind-Body Interaction ( see Cause ; Human Being ) Mind-Body Union ( see Human Being ) Mode 520 Morality ( see Virtue ) More, Henry 524 Morin, Jean-Baptiste 526 Motion 527 Music ( see Compendium of Music ) Mydorge, Claude 531






Contents / xi

Native Intelligence ( Ingenium ) 534 Natural Light ( see Clarity and Distinctness ; Reason ) Nature 535 Newcastle, Duchess of ( see Cavendish, Margaret ) Newcastle, Marquess of ( see Cavendish, William ) Newton, Isaac 537 Noël, Étienne 539 Notes against a Program ( see Comments on a Certain Broadsheet ) Objections and Replies 541 Objective Reality ( see Being, Formal versus Objective ) Omnipotent Deceiver Hypothesis ( see Doubt ; God ) Ontological Argument 544 Optics 550 Optics ( see Dioptrics ) Oratorian 560 Order ( see Analysis versus Synthesis ) Pascal, Blaise 562 Passion 563 Passions of the Soul 569 Pelagianism 572 Perception 574 Person 579 Persuasio ( see Knowledge ) Petau, Denis 581 Phantom Limb Phenomenon ( see Sensation ) Philosophy 582 Physico-Mathematics 585 Physics 587 Physiology ( see Anatomy and Physiology ) Picot, Claude 592 Pineal Gland 593 Place, External versus Internal 597 Plempius (Plemp), Vopiscus Fortunatus 600 Plenum 601 Poisson, Nicolas-Joseph 603 Pollot, Alphonse 603 Preconceived Opinion ( see Prejudice ) Prejudice 604 Primitive Notion 607 Principles of Philosophy 614 Private Thoughts 617






xii / Contents

Proof of the Existence of the External World ( see Body, Proof of the Existence of ) Quality, Real 620 Quality, Sensible 621 Quantity 625 Rainbow 627 Rarefaction and Condensation 633 Real Distinction ( see Distinction [Real, Modal, and Rational] ) Reason 636 Refraction ( see Light ) Régis, Pierre-Sylvain 639 Regius, Henricus (Hendrik de Roy) 641 Reneri, Henricus (Henri Regnier) 644 Representation 645 Res Cogitans ( see Mind ; Thought ) Res Extensa ( see Extension ) Roberval, Gilles Personne de 655 Rohault, Jacques 657 Rosicrucian 659 Rubius, Antonius (Rubio, Antonio) 660 Rule for Truth ( see Clarity and Distinctness ) Rules for the Direction of the Mind 661 Scholasticism 664 Schoock, Martinus 668 Schooten, Frans Van ( see Geometry ) Scientia ( see Knowledge ) Scotus, John Duns 669 Search for Truth by the Natural Light 672 Sensation 673 Senses, External versus Internal ( see Sensation ) Shape 678 Silhon, Jean de 682 Simple Nature 683 Skepticism ( see Doubt ) Soul ( see Mind ) Soul, Immortality of the 686 Space ( see Extension ) Species, Intentional 690 Spinoza, Benedict (Baruch) 692 Spontaneity ( see Free Will ) The Stampioen Affair 695






Contents / xiii

Suárez, Francisco 697 Substance 699 Subtle Matter 708 Supremely Perfect Being ( see God ) Surface ( see Place, External versus Internal ; Shape ; Transubstantiation ) Syllogism 709 Synthesis ( see Analysis versus Synthesis ) Theodicy ( see Error, Theodicies of ) Theology ( see Faith, Religious ) Theorem ( see Common Notion ) Thought 712 Time 717 Toletus, Franciscus (Francisco de Toledo) 721 Transubstantiation 722 Treatise on Light (see The World ) Treatise on Man 725 True and Immutable Nature 727 Truth 731 Union of Mind and Body ( see Human Being ) Universal 735 Unum Per Se ( see Human Being ; Substance ) The Utrecht Controversy ( see Regius, Henricus ; Reneri, Henricus ; Schoock, Martinus ; Voetius, Gysbertus ) Vacuum 743 Vanini, Giulio Cesare 744 Vatier, Antoine 745 Villebressieu (Ville-Bressieu, Ville-Bressieux), Étienne de 747 Virtue 747 Voetius, Gysbertus (Gisbert Voët) 754 Volition ( see Free Will ; Judgment ) Vorstius, Adolph 756 Vortex 757 Wax 762 Will ( see Free Will ; Judgment ) The World (or Treatise on Light ) 764

Index 769






xiv

Figures

1. Pineal gland and fl ow of animal spirits in a mindless machine ( Treatise on Man , 1667) page 23

2. Analogy for associative memory in the brain ( Treatise on Man , 1667) 24 3. Animal spirits ( Treatise on Man , 1667) 27 4. Celestial vortices ( The World , 1677) 176 5. Comets and the two-rivers analogy ( The World , 1677) 177 6. The Pappus problem ( Geometry , 1637) 323 7. The spiral of Archimedes 325 8. The conchoids ( Geometry , 1637) 325 9. The proportional compass ( Geometry , 1637) 326

10. Combination ruler and slide ( Geometry , 1637) 327 11. Brain and heart ( Treatise on Man , 1664) 358 12. Descartes’ interpretation of Stevin’s hydrostatics paradox (modifi ed from

AT X 69) 383 13. Descartes’ dynamics of the sling in Treatise on Light (modifi ed from

AT X 47) 453 14. Descartes’ fi gure for refraction of light (tennis ball) (modifi ed from

AT VI 100) 454 15. Refraction of light using Descartes’ dynamics and real theory of light

(Source: John Schuster) 455 16. Thomas Harriot’s cosescant form of the law of refraction (Source: John

Schuster) 456 17. Mydorge’s (and Descartes’) cosecant form of the law of refraction

(Source: Correspondance de Mersenne I 405) 457






Figures / xv

18. Clean force conversion (modifi cation of a woodcut from Franz Reuleaux’s Kinematics of Machinery , 1875–76) 463

19. Descartes’ tennis ball analogy for refl ection ( Dioptrics , 1637) 552 20. Descartes’ tennis ball analogy for refraction ( Dioptrics , 1637) 553 21. Retinal images and the convergence of light ( Dioptrics , 1637) 555 22. Tube fi lled with water ( Dioptrics , 1637) 556 23. Solid tube ( Dioptrics , 1637) 557 24. The geometry of the rainbow ( Meteors , 1637) 558 25. Visual angles for the perceiver (P) for objects A and B at different

distances. 576 26. The triangle of distance perception for eyes L and M viewing object N

( Treatise on Man , 1667) 577 27. Pineal gland ( Treatise on Man , 1664) 594 28. The geometry of the rainbow ( Meteors , 1637) 627 29. Descartes’ prism ( Meteors , 1637) 629 30. Spectrum with a pencil-point aperture (photograph by J. Z. Buchwald) 630 31. Descartes’ prism (modifi ed from Meteors , 1637) 632 32. Size, speed, and force of motion distribution of particles of the second

element in a stellar vortex (Source: John Schuster) 758 33. Size, speed, and force of motion distribution of particles of the second

element, prior to existence of central star (Source: John Schuster) 759 34. Agitation due to existence of central star (Source: John Schuster) 759






xvii

Contributors

Fred Ablondi , Hendrix College : Bérulle, Pierre de; Cavendish, William; Cordemoy, Géraud de; Du Hamel, Jean; Lamy, Bernard; Lamy, François; Oratorian; Philosophy; Poisson, Nicolas-Joseph; Silhon, Jean de

Lilli Alanen , Uppsala universitet : Mind, Thought

Vlad Alexandrescu , Universitatea din București : Dinet, Jacques; Foucher, Simon; Vatier, Antoine

Delphine Antoine-Mahut , École Normale Supérieure, Lyon : Clerselier, Claude; Meyssonnier, Lazare

Roger Ariew , University of South Florida : Discourse on Method ; Fromondus, Libertus; Huet, Pierre-Daniel; Mesland, Denis; Morin, Jean-Baptiste; Objections and Replies ; Picot, Claude

Richard T. W. Arthur , McMaster University : Atom, Time

Annette Baier , late of University of Otago and University of Pittsburgh : Wax

Philip Beeley , Oxford University : Carcavi, Pierre de; Debeaune, Florimond de; Desargues, Girard; Fermat, Pierre de; Geometry ; Mydorge, Claude; Roberval, Gilles Personne de

Stefano di Bella , Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa : Language

Annie Bitbol-Hespériès , Université Paris-Sorbonne, Paris IV : Anatomy and Physiology; Christina, Queen of Sweden; Description of the Human Body ; Pineal Gland; La Forge, Louis de

Erik-Jan Bos , École normale supérieure de Lyon : Correspondence (with Theo Verbeek), Search for Truth by the Natural Light (with Theo Verbeek), Treatise on Man (with Theo Verbeek)






xviii / Contributors

John Brandau , Johns Hopkins University : Spinoza, Benedict (with Yitzhak Melamed)

Deborah Brown , University of Queensland : Being, Formal versus Objective; Passion

Jed Z. Buchwald , California Institute of Technology : Rainbow

Jill Buroker , California State University, San Bernardino : Quality, Sensible

Frédéric de Buzon , Université de Strasbourg : Compendium of Music , Mathesis Universalis

Harold Cook , Brown University : Medicine

Monte Cook , University of Oklahoma : Desgabets, Robert

Timothy Crockett , University of California, Berkeley : Shape

David Cunning , University of Iowa : Analysis versus Synthesis; Digby, Kenelm; True and Immutable Nature

Edwin Curley , University of Michigan : Law of Nature

Peter Dear , Cornell University : Mersenne, Marin; Vacuum

Dennis Des Chene , Washington University : Automaton, Quantity

Mihnea Dobre , Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen : Rohault, Jacques

Mary Domski , University of New Mexico : Physics (with Peter Machamer)

Patricia Easton , Claremont Graduate University : Bayle, François; Cartesianism; Habit (with Lawrence Nolan)

Brian Embry , University of Toronto : Fonseca, Pedro da

Alan Gabbey , Barnard College, Columbia University : Dreams, Descartes’ Three; Explanation; Force and Determination; Mechanics; Person

Claudiu Gaiu , Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai : Charron, Pierre

Geoffrey Gorham , Macalester College : Bacon, Francis; Body; Extension; Infi nite versus Indefi nite; Mode

Sean Greenberg , University of California, Irvine : Free Will

Emily Grosholz , Pennsylvania State University : Meditations on First Philosophy

Gary Hatfi eld , University of Pennsylvania : Animal, Nature, Perception

Helen Hattab , University of Houston : Basso, Sebastian; Jesuit; Rubius, Antonius; Toletus, Franciscus

John Henry , University of Edinburgh : Boyle, Robert; Rosicrucian

Michael Hickson , University of Santa Clara : Bayle, Pierre; Soul, Immortality of

Graeme Hunter , University of Ottawa : Pascal, Blaise; Pelagianism

Sarah Hutton , Aberystwyth University, Wales : Cavendish, Margaret; Conway, Anne; Cudworth, Ralph; More, Henry

Andrew Janiak , Duke University : Newton, Isaac






Contributors / xix

Douglas Jesseph , University of South Florida : Clavius, Christopher; Geometry

Nicholas Jolley , University of California, Irvine : God

Denis Kambouchner , Université Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris I : Simple Nature

Xavier Kieft , Université Paris-Sorbonne, Paris IV : Conversation with Burman

Hylarie Kochiras , École Normale Supérieure de Paris (ENS) – Centre national de recherche scientifi que (CNRS) – Collège de France : Inertia, Subtle Matter

Charles Larmore , Brown University : Intellect, Reason

Marcy Lascano , California State University, Long Beach : Elisabeth, Princess of Bohemia

Thomas M. Lennon , University of Western Ontario : Balzac, Jean-Louis Guez de; Beaugrand, Jean de; Charlet, Étienne; Clarity and Distinctness; Daniel, Gabriel; Freinshemius; Grandamy, Jacques; Individuation; Noël, Étienne; Petau, Denis; Villebressieu, Étienne de

Paul Lodge , Oxford University : Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm

Antonia LoLordo , University of Virginia : Charleton, Walter; Gassendi, Pierre

Peter Machamer , University of Pittsburgh : Galilei, Galileo; Physics (with Mary Domski)

Gideon Manning , California Institute of Technology : Analogy, Extrinsic Denomination

Gareth Matthews , late of University of Massachusetts, Amherst : Augustine, Aurelius

Jeffrey McDonough , Harvard University : Dioptrics , Optics

Yitzhak Melamed , Johns Hopkins University : Method; Spinoza, Benedict (with John Brandau)

Murray Miles , Brock University : Common Notion, Deduction, Essence, Existence

Denis Moreau , Université de Nantes : Arnauld, Antoine

Katherine Morris , Oxford University : Certainty, Dualism, Sensation

Dugald Murdoch , Stockholms universitet : Abstraction versus Exclusion

Noa Naaman-Zauderer , Tel Aviv University : Faculty, Passions of the Soul , Virtue

Alan Nelson , University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill : Circle, Cartesian; Idea; Primitive Notion

Lex Newman , University of Utah : Cogito Ergo Sum ; Doubt; Error, Theodicies of; Judgment

Lawrence Nolan , California State University, Long Beach : Cosmological Argument, Defi nition, Habit (with Patricia Easton), Metaphysics, Syllogism (with Al Spangler), Universal

Walter Ott , University of Virginia : Locke, John

Carla Rita Palmerino , Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen : Cosmology; Element; Place, External versus Internal; Rarefaction and Condensation






xx / Contributors

Sarah Patterson , Birkbeck, University of London : Prejudice

Dominik Perler, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Philosophie : Distinction (Real, Modal, and Rational), Eustachius a Sancto Paulo, Human Being

David Rabouin , Université Paris Diderot, Paris VII : Mathematics

Jasper Reid , King’s College London : Malebranche, Nicolas; Régis, Pierre-Sylvain

Laurence Renault , Université Paris-Sorbonne, Paris IV : Aquinas, Thomas; Happiness; Principles of Philosophy

Marleen Rozemond , University of Toronto : Divisibility; Form, Substantial; Holenmerism; Quality, Real; Scholasticism; Substance

Tad M. Schmaltz , University of Michigan : Cause; Concurrence versus Conservation, Divine; Conservation of Motion, Principle of; Containment, Eminent versus Formal; Eternal Truth; Jansenism; Suàrez, Francisco

John A. Schuster, University of Sydney : Hydrostatics; Kepler, Johannes; Light; Magnetism; Physico-Mathematics; Vortex

Emanuela Scribano , Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia : Angel; Ontological Argument; Scotus, John Duns

Dennis L. Sepper , University of Dallas : Animal Spirits; Common Sense; Imagination; Native Intelligence; Rules for the Direction of the Mind ; Species, Intentional

Noa Shein , Ben Gurion University of the Negev : Geometrical Exposition

Alison Simmons , Harvard University : Representation

Edward Slowik , Winona State University : Earth, Motion of the; Gravity; Motion; Plenum

Kurt Smith , Bloomsburg University : Enumeration; Falsity, Material; Hyperaspistes; Vanini, Giulio Cesare

Jean-Luc Solère , Boston College : Bourdin, Pierre; Conimbricenses; Gibieuf, Guillaume; La Grange, Jean-Baptiste de; Le Bossu, René

Tom Sorell , University of Birmingham : Hobbes, Thomas; Knowledge

Alice Sowaal , San Francisco State University : Astell, Mary; Attribute

Al Spangler , California State University, Long Beach : Syllogism (with Lawrence Nolan)

Gary Steiner , Bucknell University : Faith, Religious

John Sutton , University of Macquarie : Memory

Klaas Van Berkel , Rijksuniversiteit Groningen : Beeckman, Isaac

Willem Van Hoorn , Universiteit van Amsterdam : Harvey, William; Heart

J. A. Van Ruler , Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam : Geulincx, Arnold; Private Thoughts ; The World

Theo Verbeek , Universiteit Utrecht : Baillet, Adrien; Beverwijck, Johan Van; Brasset, Henri; Brégy, Nicolas Léonor Flesselles de; Buitendyck; Burman, Frans; Calvinism;






Contributors / xxi

Caterus, Johannes; Chanut, Hector-Pierre; Clauberg, Johannes; Colvius, Andreas; Comments on a Certain Broadsheet ; Correspondence (with Erik-Jan Bos); Experiment; Golius, Jacob; Heereboord, Adriaan; Hogelande, Cornelis Van; Huygens, Christiaan; Huygens, Constantijn; Luynes, Duc de; Meteors ; Plempius, Vopiscus Fortunatus; Pollot, Alphonse; Regius, Henricus; Reneri, Henricus; Schoock, Martinus; Search for Truth by the Natural Light (with Erik-Jan Bos); The Stampioen Affair; Treatise on Man (with Erik-Jan Bos); Voetius, Gysbertus; Vorstius, Adolph

Thomas Vinci , University of Dalhousie : Body, Proof of the Existence of; Truth

Richard A. Watson , Washington University : Le Grand, Antoine; Transubstantiation

Mark Wilson , University of Pittsburgh : Machine






xxiii

Abbreviations

The following abbreviations of editions of Descartes’ works are used in this volume:

AT Oeuvres de Descartes , 11 vols., ed. Charles Adam and Paul Tannery (Paris: Librairie Philosophique J. Vrin, 1996). Cited by volume num-ber (roman) and page numbers (arabic) (e.g., AT VII 64).

B Descartes’ Conversation with Burman , trans. John Cottingham (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1976). Cited by page numbers.

CSM The Philosophical Writings of Descartes , vols. I and II, trans. John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, and Dugald Murdoch (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985). Cited by volume number (roman) and page numbers (arabic) (e.g., CSM II 44).

CSMK The Philosophical Writings of Descartes , vol. III, trans. John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, Dugald Murdoch, and Anthony Kenny (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991). Cited by page numbers.

G The World and Other Writings , ed. and trans. Stephen Gaukroger (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998). Cited by page numbers.

H Treatise of Man: René Descartes , trans. and ed. Thomas Steele Hall (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press 1972). Cited by page numbers.






xxiv / Abbreviations

MM Principles of Philosophy , trans. Valentine Rodger Miller and Reese P. Miller (Boston: D. Reidel, 1983). Cited by page numbers.

O Discourse on Method, Optics, Geometry, and Meteorology , trans. Paul J. Olscamp. Library of Liberal Arts (New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1965). Cited by page numbers.

Passages from the English translations in the preceding list are typically quoted verba-tim, but contributors to this volume sometimes deviate from these in order to stress par-ticular points of interpretation. In addition to the editions in the preceding list, citations from some works such as the Principles of Philosophy are sometimes made to the original part (roman) and article number (arabic), separated by a period (e.g., Principles I.34).

The eleven volumes of AT contain the authoritative edition of Descartes’ writ-ings in the original French and Latin. The combined three volumes of CSM and CSMK contain the standard English translations of Descartes’ works. (Note: the translators use diamond brackets [<, >] to distinguish material added in the French translation from the original Latin and daggers [†, †] when translating French in a Latin context or vice versa.) Most citations in this volume are from AT and CSM(K), but the authors of the scientifi c entries sometimes cite G, MM, or O, instead of CSM(K), since these translations of works such as The World , the Treatise on Man , and the Principles of Philosophy are more complete.

For ease of reference, Descartes’ main writings can be found in the following volumes of AT and CSM(K):

AT I–V, X CSMK Correspondence AT V CSMK Conversation with Burman AT VI CSM I Discourse on Method and “Essays” (see O for complete

translations of Dioptrics , Geometry , and Meteors ) AT VII CSM II Meditations on First Philosophy and Objections and Replies

(Latin) AT VIIIA CSM I Principles of Philosophy (Latin) (see MM for complete

translation) AT VIIIB CSM I Comments on a Certain Broadsheet AT IXA CSM II Meditations on First Philosophy and Objections and Replies

(French) AT IXB CSM I Principles of Philosophy (French) AT X CSM I Rules for the Direction of the Mind AT X CSM II Search for Truth by the Natural Light AT XI CSM I The World (or Treatise on Light ), Treatise on Man ,

Description of the Human Body , Passions of the Soul (see G for complete translations of fi rst three works)






xxv

Introduction and Notes on How to Use This Work

René Descartes (1596–1650) is the most important French philosopher who ever lived and, arguably, among the top fi ve philosophers of all time. He is known as “the father of modern philosophy” in part because of the infl uence he con-tinues to exert over the way the discipline is practiced. But he was much more than a philosopher; he was a universal genius whose writings range over anatomy and physiology, astronomy, biology, epistemology, ethics, mathematics, medicine, metaphysics, meteorology, music, optics, psychology, and physics. There is a very long tradition of Cartesian studies but over the past thirty years there has been an explosion of academic works devoted to Descartes’ ideas, and the rate of produc-tion is accelerating. An insatiable appetite for all things Cartesian is being fed by a steady diet of new monographs, guidebooks, biographies, anthologies of essays, translations, journal articles, and other scholarly works. One of the primary aims of this volume is to help the reader digest this vast literature, while also introduc-ing him or her to the breadth of Descartes’ thought.

The Cambridge Descartes Lexicon is more like an encyclopedia or a compen-dium than a traditional dictionary, both in its scope and in its content. Many of the entries are fairly lengthy, especially those devoted to important subject terms such as “ Cogito Ergo Sum ,” “Free Will,” “God,” “Human Being,” “Idea,” “Law of Nature,” and “Representation.” Most of the subject entries are also “scholarly” in the sense that they introduce readers to debates in the secondary literature. The authors of these entries sometimes present these debates without defending their own views, but in many cases they take an interpretive stand. Authors of overlapping entries were encouraged to stake out opposing positions (see, e.g., “ Body ,” “ Individuation ,” and “ Substance ”). The result is that by reading just a few pages readers can familiar-ize themselves with almost any given scholarly dispute and get a sense of the argu-ments and textual evidence for various interpretations.






xxvi / Introduction and Notes on How to Use This Work

In perusing the Lexicon , readers will fi nd articles on all of the familiar topics, such as “Certainty,” “Clarity and Distinctness,” “Doubt,” “Dualism,” “Geometry,” “Knowledge,” “Method,” and “Mind,” as well as entries on several unexpected and perhaps unfamiliar topics such as “Language,” “Physico-Mathematics,” “Rosicrucian,” and “The Stampioen Affair.” Among the subject entries, prefer-ence was generally given to topics that are broader and more encompassing, so that authors would be able to probe more deeply, but great efforts were also made to ensure comprehensiveness. There is a wealth of terms devoted not just to Descartes’ philosophy in the contemporary sense of that term but also to his sci-entifi c work, such as “Anatomy and Physiology,” “Animal,” “Body,” “Cosmology,” “Experiment,” “Explanation,” “Force and Determination,” “Gravity,” “Heart,” “Hydrostatics,” “Inertia,” “Machine,” “Mechanics,” “Optics,” “Physics,” and “Vortex.” Given the recent interest in Descartes’ ethics and treatment of the pas-sions, readers will also be pleased to fi nd entries such as “Habit,” “Happiness,” “Passion,” “Pineal Gland,” and “Virtue.” Those who are curious about Descartes’ religious commitments and about the relation between his philosophy and var-ious theological doctrines and movements should consult “Calvinism”; “Faith, Religious”; “Jansenism”; “Jesuit”; “Oratorian”; “Pelagianism”; “Soul, Immortality of the”; and “Transubstantiation.” The theological controversies he faced at Utrecht and Leiden are detailed in the entries “Heereboord, Adriaan”; “Regius, Henricus”; “Schoock, Martinus”; and “Voetius, Gysbertus”; and in the biography at the beginning of the volume.

In addition to the 149 subject entries – which include articles on Descartes’ individual works such as the Discourse on Method and the Principles of Philosophy – there are 107 intellectual biographies of various fi gures, including offi cial objectors to the Meditations such as Arnauld, Gassendi, and Hobbes; notable contemporaries and immediate successors such as Leibniz, Locke, Newton, and Spinoza; medie-val and Scholastic predecessors such as Augustine, Aquinas, Eustachius, Scotus, and Suárez; important correspondents such as Princess Elisabeth, Constantijn Huygens, and Mersenne; and followers such as Desgabets and Régis. The intellec-tual biographies briefl y sketch each fi gure’s life and accomplishments and then dis-cuss the relation of that person’s thought to Descartes’. They also trace Descartes’ infl uences, record the reception of his ideas by critics, and discuss the ways in which his acolytes developed or adapted his views. All of the entries are written in a lucid style and thus accessible to a wide audience, including philosophers gen-erally, those working in related disciplines, and students. Written by the largest and most distinguished team of Cartesian scholars ever assembled for a collabora-tive research project (ninety-one contributors from ten countries), the Cambridge

Descartes Lexicon aspires to serve as the defi nitive and most comprehensive refer-ence source on Descartes and Cartesianism.






Introduction and Notes on How to Use This Work / xxvii

This volume also contains the following resources:

• Bibliographies: Each entry includes a short list of suggested sources (where relevant, both primary and secondary) to help facilitate further research.

• Biography and Annotated Bibliography: The biography is intended to give readers a broad sense of Descartes’ ambitions, character, and motivations and to discuss the challenges that he faced. It includes an annotated bibliography for those interested in investigating Descartes’ life further.

• Cross-References: The entries in this lexicon are meticulously cross-referenced. The fi rst time an entry is mentioned within the body of another, it is highlighted in bold. There is also a select list of the most impor-tant cross-references at the end of each entry (“ See also . . .”).

• Translations: Many of the entries quote liberally from Descartes’ writ-ings, and most refer to passages from his works. For a quick reference guide linking Descartes’ works in the canonical original-language edi-tion (by Adam and Tannery) to various English translations, see the Abbreviations page.

• Index: To enhance usability, the volume includes a detailed index.






xxix

Acknowledgments

I have innumerable debts both to the authors themselves for their superb entries and to countless others who aided in the production of this work. I fi rst wish to thank Roger Ariew, Dave Cunning, Patricia Easton, Paul Hoffman, Tom Lennon, Alan Nelson, Alison Simmons, and Theo Verbeek, who helped guide the project in its early stages, offering advice on its format and content, potential entries, and possible contributors.

Almost all of the entries in this lexicon are products of multiple drafts, which were polished in light of comments from myself and numerous other readers, many of whom are contributors themselves. I cannot hope to name everyone here, but some readers are deserving of special mention for the sheer number of drafts on which they commented and for the depth of their remarks, namely, Roger Ariew, Philip Beeley, Annie Bitbol-Hespériès, Deb Brown, Patricia Easton, Alan Gabbey, Geoff Gorham, Gary Hatfi eld, Helen Hattab, John Henry, Sarah Hutton, Nick Jolley, Tom Lennon, Steve Nadler, Alan Nelson, Lex Newman, Noa Naaman-Zauderer, Marleen Rozemond, John Schuster, Dennis Sepper, Kurt Smith, Al Spangler, Willem Van Hoorn, Theo Verbeek, and Red Watson. Among these, Roger Ariew, Nick Jolley, John Schuster, and Al Spangler were extremely gracious in allowing me to call upon them on innumerable occasions. I also thank Al for his indispensable assistance with countless other tasks both great and small.

Cheers to Steve Fleck, Rudolf Rasch, and especially Nick Jolley for aid in trans-lating some of the entries by French-speaking authors; they have tremendous facility in capturing the letter and spirit of the original pieces in graceful English. Nick also offered sage advice about many other matters.

Thanks to Patricia Easton, Noa Naaman-Zauderer, Alan Nelson, Tad Schmaltz, and Dennis Sepper for agreeing to write some entries with a short deadline. I am also grateful to Alan for encouraging me to pursue this project from the beginning.






xxx / Acknowledgments

Working with Cartesian scholars from around the world produced several new friendships. Foremost among those have been the ones forged with John Schuster and Theo Verbeek. Thanks very kindly John and Theo for your tireless and expert advice.

Thanks to my colleagues, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and the pro-vost at California State University, Long Beach, for awarding me with a sabbatical to work on this volume.

It has been a pleasure working with Beatrice Rehl, Isabella Vitti, and Brian MacDonald at Cambridge University Press; I appreciate their professionalism.

I would also like to thank two of my graduate students, Kevin Watson and David Ybarra, for their help with various clerical and editorial duties.

Last but not least, I thank Heidi Grant – amour de ma vie – for enduring my many long absences while working on the Cambridge Descartes Lexicon and for her constant encouragement, support, and love.






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