On the Role and Function of Augustine’s Inwardness in the
Constitution of Descartes’ Cogito

Teixeira W

doi:10.23880/phij-16000139

Philosophy International Journal Research Article 1 min read

On the Role and Function of Augustine’s Inwardness in the Constitution of Descartes’ Cogito

Teixeira W^*

^* Corresponding author

ISSN: 2641-9130 10.23880/phij-16000139 Received: February 12, 2020 Published: March 03, 2020

— views

16 references

PDF

Keywords

Descartes Augustine Inwardness Introspection Simple Natures Cogito

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to show how ‘Augustinian inwardness’ has played a decisive role in the constitution of Descartes’ cogito. So I will first hold that Descartes has borrowed this inward feature of Augustine’s thought and developed from it a method of introspection which is widely used in his Meditations on first philosophy. Next, I will show that it will be by subordinating the simple natures to the subject of inherence issued from the mind-body distinction undertaken under the influence of Augustinian inwardness that Descartes will shape the metaphysical notion of res cogitans (thinking substance). In the end, it will be clear that Augustine’ inwardness helps us understand not only how ‘thought’ was raised to the ontological role it plays in Descartes’ metaphysics, but also why it has ontological priority among the other intellectual simple natures.

References

Augustine, De vera religione.
Augustine. De Trinitate.
Taylor C (1992) The sources of the self: The making of modern identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Augustine. Soliloquia.
Menn S (1998) Descartes and Augustine. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Descartes R (1996) Oeuvres de Descartes.11th (Vol.), Charles Adam & Paul Tannery, Paris: Vrin.
Rozemond M (2011) Descartes’s Dualism. In: Broughton J, Carriero JP (Eds.), A Companion to Descartes, Malden, MA: Willey-Blackwell, pp: 372-389.
Wilson C (2011) Descartes and Augustine. In: Broughton J, Carriero JP (Eds.), A Companion to Descartes, Malden, MA: Willey-Blackwell, pp: 33-51.
Teixeira W (2017) The Metaphysics of Augustine and the foundation of the Cartesian science. Cadernos Espinosanos. São Paulo, pp: 291-313.
Rozemond M (1998) Descartes’ dualism. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Gaukroger S (1995) Descartes: an intellectual biography. Oxford: Claredon Press.
Boyle D (2009) Descartes on innate ideas: New York: Continuum.
Alquié F (1950) La découverte métaphysique de l’homme chez Descartes. Paris: Presse Universitaire de France.
Marion JL (1992) Cartesian metaphysics and the role of simple natures. In: Cottingham J (Ed.), Cambridge Companion to Descartes, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp: 115-139.
Guéroult M (1953) Descartes selon l’ordre des raisons. Paris: Montaigne.
Gueroult M (1984) Descartes’ philosophy interpreted according to the order of reasons. Roger Ariew (Transl). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

← Previous Article The “Death of God” According To Joseph Moingt in the Work “God Who Comes to Man – From Mourning to Revelation” Next Article → Sympósion: Between Synousía and Aphrodísia in the Symbolic Structures That Support the Individual

On the Role and Function of Augustine’s Inwardness in the Constitution of Descartes’ Cogito

References

Cite this article