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The Resource Descartes and Augustine, Stephen Menn

Descartes and Augustine, Stephen Menn

Creator
Summary
This book is the first systematic study of Descartes' relation to Augustine. It offers a complete re-evaluation of Descartes' philosophy, and of the philosophical ideas in Augustine that were Descartes' starting point. Descartes and Augustine will engage the attention of historians of medieval, neo-Platonic, and early modern philosophy. That Descartes was indebted to Augustine is not in itself a fresh discovery. What distinguishes Stephen Menn's book is his detailed demonstration that the key to the Meditations is Descartes' use of Augustine's method for establishing a knowledge of God and the soul independent of any theory of the physical world. This method gives Descartes an independent starting point for reconstructing the system of the sciences. Where the scholastics had tried to show that Augustine's metaphysics of God and the soul is compatible with an Aristotelian physics of matter and form, Descartes argues that they are not compatible, and that Augustinian metaphysics provides the foundation for an anti-Aristotelian mechanistic physics. Menn gives a detailed analysis of the Meditations, showing how the novel form of Descartes' argument arises from the challenge of presenting Augustine's metaphysics in a way that makes it suitable for its new foundational task. Descartes and Augustine includes a complete reading of the Meditations, a historical and philosophical introduction to Augustine's thought and to Plotinian neo-Platonism, and a discussion of the contemporary context of Descartes' earlier and later philosophical projects
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
xvi, 415 pages
Note
Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1989
Contents
  • C.
  • Descartes: Augustine against Aristotle.
  • D.
  • Outline of research
  • pt. 1.
  • Augustinian Wisdom.
  • 3.
  • Plotinus.
  • A.
  • Augustine and the Platonists.
  • 1.
  • B.
  • Platonism, anti-Stoicism, and the method of ascent.
  • C.
  • Soul and Nous.
  • D.
  • Soul in bodies.
  • 4.
  • Augustine.
  • A.
  • True and false wisdom.
  • Descartes and the history of philosophy.
  • B.
  • The soul and God.
  • C.
  • Whence evil?
  • D.
  • Christianity and philosophy
  • pt. 2.
  • Descartes' Metaphysics.
  • 5.
  • The design of the Meditations.
  • 2.
  • A.
  • From the Rules to the Meditations.
  • B.
  • The uses of scepticism: withdrawing the mind from the senses
  • Descartes' project for a new philosophy.
  • A.
  • The expectation of a new philosophy.
  • B.
  • Descartes: science and wisdom.
Isbn
9780521417020
Instance
Label
Descartes and Augustine
Title
Descartes and Augustine
Statement of responsibility
Stephen Menn
Creator
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
This book is the first systematic study of Descartes' relation to Augustine. It offers a complete re-evaluation of Descartes' philosophy, and of the philosophical ideas in Augustine that were Descartes' starting point. Descartes and Augustine will engage the attention of historians of medieval, neo-Platonic, and early modern philosophy. That Descartes was indebted to Augustine is not in itself a fresh discovery. What distinguishes Stephen Menn's book is his detailed demonstration that the key to the Meditations is Descartes' use of Augustine's method for establishing a knowledge of God and the soul independent of any theory of the physical world. This method gives Descartes an independent starting point for reconstructing the system of the sciences. Where the scholastics had tried to show that Augustine's metaphysics of God and the soul is compatible with an Aristotelian physics of matter and form, Descartes argues that they are not compatible, and that Augustinian metaphysics provides the foundation for an anti-Aristotelian mechanistic physics. Menn gives a detailed analysis of the Meditations, showing how the novel form of Descartes' argument arises from the challenge of presenting Augustine's metaphysics in a way that makes it suitable for its new foundational task. Descartes and Augustine includes a complete reading of the Meditations, a historical and philosophical introduction to Augustine's thought and to Plotinian neo-Platonism, and a discussion of the contemporary context of Descartes' earlier and later philosophical projects
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
1964-
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Menn, Stephen Philip
Index
index present
LC call number
B1875
LC item number
.M38 1998
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Descartes, René
  • Augustine
  • Descartes, René
  • Descartes, René
  • Augustin
  • Descartes, René
  • Augustine
  • Descartes, René
  • Descartes, René (1596-1650)
  • Augustin
  • Descartes, René
  • Augustin
  • Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.)
  • Meditationes de prima philosophia (Descartes)
  • Beïnvloeding
Label
Descartes and Augustine, Stephen Menn
Instantiates
Publication
Note
Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1989
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 405-407) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
  • C.
  • Descartes: Augustine against Aristotle.
  • D.
  • Outline of research
  • pt. 1.
  • Augustinian Wisdom.
  • 3.
  • Plotinus.
  • A.
  • Augustine and the Platonists.
  • 1.
  • B.
  • Platonism, anti-Stoicism, and the method of ascent.
  • C.
  • Soul and Nous.
  • D.
  • Soul in bodies.
  • 4.
  • Augustine.
  • A.
  • True and false wisdom.
  • Descartes and the history of philosophy.
  • B.
  • The soul and God.
  • C.
  • Whence evil?
  • D.
  • Christianity and philosophy
  • pt. 2.
  • Descartes' Metaphysics.
  • 5.
  • The design of the Meditations.
  • 2.
  • A.
  • From the Rules to the Meditations.
  • B.
  • The uses of scepticism: withdrawing the mind from the senses
  • Descartes' project for a new philosophy.
  • A.
  • The expectation of a new philosophy.
  • B.
  • Descartes: science and wisdom.
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xvi, 415 pages
Isbn
9780521417020
Lccn
97007878
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
  • (OCoLC)36498991
  • (OCoLC)ocm36498991
Label
Descartes and Augustine, Stephen Menn
Publication
Note
Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1989
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 405-407) and index
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
  • nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
  • txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
  • C.
  • Descartes: Augustine against Aristotle.
  • D.
  • Outline of research
  • pt. 1.
  • Augustinian Wisdom.
  • 3.
  • Plotinus.
  • A.
  • Augustine and the Platonists.
  • 1.
  • B.
  • Platonism, anti-Stoicism, and the method of ascent.
  • C.
  • Soul and Nous.
  • D.
  • Soul in bodies.
  • 4.
  • Augustine.
  • A.
  • True and false wisdom.
  • Descartes and the history of philosophy.
  • B.
  • The soul and God.
  • C.
  • Whence evil?
  • D.
  • Christianity and philosophy
  • pt. 2.
  • Descartes' Metaphysics.
  • 5.
  • The design of the Meditations.
  • 2.
  • A.
  • From the Rules to the Meditations.
  • B.
  • The uses of scepticism: withdrawing the mind from the senses
  • Descartes' project for a new philosophy.
  • A.
  • The expectation of a new philosophy.
  • B.
  • Descartes: science and wisdom.
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
xvi, 415 pages
Isbn
9780521417020
Lccn
97007878
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
  • n
System control number
  • (OCoLC)36498991
  • (OCoLC)ocm36498991

Subject

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