Descartes: An Analytical and Historical Introduction

365 Pages·2013·1.51 MB·English

by  Georges Dicker

Descartes
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Descartes
An Analytical and Historical Introduction
SECOND EDITION
GEORGES DICKER

1
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© Georges Dicker 2013
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dicker, Georges, 1942–
Descartes: an analytical and historical introduction / Georges Dicker. -2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-19-538032-3 (pbk : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-19-970160-5 (updf)
1. Descartes, René, 1596–1650. Meditationes de prima philosophia. 2. First philosophy.
3. God-Proof, Ontological. 4. Methodology. 5. Knowledge, Th eory of. I. Title.
B1854.D53 2013
194—dc23 2012030580
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To Alvina,
Beloved wife and best friend
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PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
In the two decades since the fi rst edition of this book appeared, I have
continued to think about and regularly to teach Descartes’s Meditations .
I have also had the benefi t of discussing my ideas about the Meditations
and related Cartesian texts with many colleagues and students, and of
reading some fi ne recent work on Descartes. My continued engagement
with that ever-fascinating thinker has led to an expansion of knowledge,
to some changes of judgment, and to a deeper understanding. In this new
edition, I share these fruits of my journey.
Th e most signifi cant expansion is a new chapter on the Fourth Medita-
tion . In the fi rst edition, I only summarized very briefl y that M editation ’s
main theme before moving on to the F ifth Meditation . Here, I off er a full-
scale treatment, targeting especially the issue of how assent to a clearly
and distinctly perceived truth can be, as Descartes maintains, a free act
of will if, as he also maintains, such assent is unavoidable. In light of the
theodicean concerns of the Fourth Meditation , and of the partly peda-
gogical aims of the book, I also provide a substantial discussion of the
traditional problem of evil.
Th e most signifi cant change of judgment comes in my treatment
of Descartes’s cogito . In the fi rst edition, I argued that this most-famous
of Descartes’s demonstrations could in the end not avoid the dilemma of
being either question-begging or invalid. Here, partly as a result of an
extended correspondence with Gary Iseminger, I defend a more sympa-
thetic assessment of the cogito, while still incorporating important ele-
ments of my earlier discussion such as Descartes’s grounding of the
cogito (or at least one version of it) in the theory of substance.
Th e main exegetical, interpretative, and evaluative themes of other
parts of the book are in general the same as in the fi rst edition. But
vii
viii Preface to the Second Edition
throughout, I have tried to pass the text through the fi lter of my current
thinking and to make needed revisions without comprising the integrity
of the original work. Th e result is that in virtually every section, some
material has been reworked or updated, usually with a view to currency,
accuracy, clarifi cation, or completeness. For example, for currency’s sake
I have eliminated the account of the now-discredited “memory defense”
against the accusation of the Cartesian Circle, and substituted for it a
more plausible counterpart that sees the mere pastness of a clear and
distinct perception as the source of its doubtfulness absent the divine
guarantee of the truth of clear and distinct perceptions; for accuracy’s
sake, I have provided what I regard as more faithful analyses of Des-
cartes’s rationale for dismissing the insanity hypothesis in the F irst Med-
itation and of his notion of eminent containment in the Th ird and S ixth
Meditations; for clarity’s sake, I have streamlined the presentation of the
problem of the Circle and sharpened the defense of the solution to it that
I favor; for completeness’s sake, I have enriched my discussion of the sub-
stance theory and of the alternatives to it in chapter  , discussed the
question of whether the unreconstructed cogito needs an additional,
general premise, added a more text-based discussion of Kant’s objection
to the Ontological Argument and some discussion of Descartes’s “modal”
version of that argument in chapter  , and enriched the discussion of
primary and secondary qualities and of mind-body issues in chapter  .
Another diff erence is that this edition no longer includes the text of
the bulk of the Meditations . Given the availability of numerous inex-
pensive editions of that work, and the augmented length and expense
involved in reprinting the premier English translation of it by John
Cottingham, this change seemed advisable.
Th e passage of time has not erased my debt to the many teachers,
mentors, colleagues, students, and friends, some of whom are now sadly
gone, who gave me advice, support, or inspiration in writing the fi rst edi-
tion. Th ey included William H. Hay and Marjorie H. Stewart, to whom
the fi rst edition was dedicated, as well as Jonathan Bennett, José Bernar-
dete, Arthur Bierman, Roland P. Blum, Roderick M. Chisholm, Fred
Dretske, Richard Feldman, Robert Gemmett, Jack Glickman, Eli Hirsch,
Brian O’Neil, Ingmar Persson, William L. Rowe, Marcus G. Singer,
Ellen Suckiel, George J. Stack, James Syfers, James Van Cleve, Rudolph
H. Weingartner, and Paul Ziff . To these I must now add people who have
given me valuable comments in writing or in conversation since the ap-
pearance of the fi rst edition, including Jean-Marie Beyssade, Krasimira
Preface to the Second Edition ix
Filcheva, Richard Glauser, Gary Iseminger, Marie Jayasekera, and Peter
Millican, and people whose kind remarks encouraged me to work on a
new edition, including Gordon Barnes, Andrew Chignell, Gary Hatfi eld,
James Mahon, Catherine McKeen, Keith McPartland, Peter Ohlin, Elliott
Sober, and Margaret Wilson. I also thank my beloved wife, Alvina Green-
berg, for her unwavering support and for preparing the line drawings
that grace several pages of this book. Finally I am grateful to my caring
and loyal son, Keith.
Pittsford, New York G. D.
October 