Enlightenment and action from Descartes to Kant : passionate thought / Michael Losonsky.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Losonsky, Michael, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Enlightenment.

Philosophy, Modern--17th century.

Philosophy, Modern.

Reason--Social aspects--History--17th century.

Reason.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 221 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Enlightenment & Action from Descartes to Kant

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Kant believed that true enlightenment is the use of reason freely in public. This book systematicaaly traces the philosophical origins and development of the idea that the improvement of human understanding requires public activity. Michael Losonsky focuses on seventeenth-century discussions of the problem of irresolution and the closely connected theme of the role of volition in human belief formation. This involves a discussion of the work of Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Spinoza and Leibniz. Challenging the traditional views of seventeenth-century philosophy and written in a lucid, non-technical language, this book will be eagerly sought out by historians of philosophy and students of the history of ideas.

Contents:

Introduction: the enlightened mind

Descartes: willful thinking

Hobbes: passionate thinking

Locke: uneasy thinking

Enthusiasm: inspired thinking

Spinoza: resolute thinking

Leibniz: trained thinking

Conclusion: the public mind.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-211) and index.

ISBN:

1-107-12394-1

0-521-03978-9

0-511-49824-1

0-511-15447-X

0-511-04409-7

0-511-17453-5

0-511-32837-0

1-280-43349-3

OCLC:

191035507