Theology and the Cartesian doctrine of freedom / Étienne Gilson ; translated by James G. Colbert.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gilson, Étienne, 1884-1978.

Contributor:

Anne and Joseph Trachtman Memorial Book Fund.

Standardized Title:

Doctrine cartésienne de la liberté et la théologie. English

Language:

English

French

Subjects (All):

Descartes, René, 1596-1650.

Descartes, René.

Descartes, René, 1596-1650.

Free will and determinism.

Philosophy and religion.

Theology, Doctrinal--History--17th century.

Theology, Doctrinal.

History.

Jansenists.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

viii, 331 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

South Bend, Indiana : St. Augustine's Press, [2015]

Summary:

"Theology and the Cartesian Doctrine of Freedom, now for the first time available in English, was Étienne Gilson's doctoral thesis and part of a larger project to show the medieval roots of Descartes at a time when the very existence of medieval philosophy was often ignored. Young Descartes was sent to La Flèche, one of the Jesuits schools that offered a complete philosophical program, and Descartes would have had the same philosophical training as a Jesuit. There is some controversy about the exact dates of Descartes's stay at La Flèche and consequently about his philosophy instructor. By Gilson's calculations François Véron taught Descartes for three years. Véron eventually left the Jesuits to be free to engage in extraordinarily aggressive anti-Calvinist polemics. If anything, Véron's overbearing manner may have contributed to Descartes antipathy toward Scholastic philosophy. (Whatever Descartes's objections to its philosophy curriculum, later in life he recommended la Flèche as the best school in France.) Descartes, s great intellectual mission in life was not his mathematics but his physics, which was understood as a part of philosophy. We see him navigate the shoals of heated theological and religious strife in his attempt to articulate the metaphysical foundations(and in particular a philosophical vision of God) for his physics or theory of nature. As a layman, he always pleaded ignorance in technically theological matters. He presented himself as a loyal Catholic, quite sincerely in the portrait Gilson paints."-- Provided by publisher.

"Theology and the Cartesian Doctrine of Freedom, now for the first time available in English, was Étienne Gilson's doctoral thesis and part of a larger project to show the medieval roots of Descartes at a time when the very existence of medieval philosophy was often ignored. Young Descartes was sent to La Flèche, one of the Jesuits schools that offered a complete philosophical program, and Descartes would have had the same philosophical training as a Jesuit. There is some controversy about the exact dates of Descartes's stay at La Flèche and consequently about his philosophy instructor. By Gilson's calculations François Véron taught Descartes for three years. Véron eventually left the Jesuits to be free to engage in extraordinarily aggressive anti-Calvinist polemics. If anything, Véron's overbearing manner may have contributed to Descartes antipathy toward Scholastic philosophy. (Whatever Descartes's objections to its philosophy curriculum, later in life he recommended la Flèche as the best school in France.) Descartes, s great intellectual mission in life was not his mathematics but his physics, which was understood as a part of philosophy. We see him navigate the shoals of heated theological and religious strife in his attempt to articulate the metaphysical foundations(and in particular a philosophical vision of God) for his physics or theory of nature. As a layman, he always pleaded ignorance in technically theological matters. He presented himself as a loyal Catholic, quite sincerely in the portrait Gilson paints."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part I Divine Freedom p. 5

Chapter 1 Descartes and Education at La Flèche. The Texts p. 7

Chapter 2 Descartes' Adversaries p. 28

Chapter 3 Final Causes and the Idea of Infinity p. 57

Chapter 4 The Sources: Duns Scotus and Mersenne p. 93

Chapter 5 The Cartesian Doctrine of Divine Freedom and Oratorian Theology p. 113

Part II Human Freedom p. 151

Chapter 1 Error p. 153

Chapter 2 The Relations of Understanding and Will. Judgment p. 170

Chapter 3 The Critique of Freedom of Indifference. Its Sources p. 204

Chapter 4 Human Freedom in the Principia Pbilosophia p. 226

Chapter 5 Freedom of Indifference from De Libertate to Augustinus p. 240

Chapter 6 Descartes and Nascent Jansenism p. 262

Chapter 7 Descartes and Fr. Petau's Dogmata Theologica p. 281.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Machine generated contents note: Table of Contents Translator's Preface Introduction Part I Divine Freedom Chapter one Descartes and Education at La Flèche. The Texts Chapter two Descartes's Adversaries Chapter three Final Causes and the Idea of Infinity Chapter four The Sources: Duns Scotus and Mersenne Chapter five The Cartesian Account of Divine Freedom and Oratorian Theology Part II Human Freedom Chapter one Error Chapter two The Relations of Understanding and Will. Judgment Chapter three The Critique of Freedom of Indifference. Its Sources Chapter four Human Freedom in the Principia Philosophiae Chapter five Freedom of Indifference from De Libertate to Augustinus Chapter six Descartes and Nascent Jansenism Chapter seven Descartes and Dogmata Theologica of Fr. Petau Conclusion Bibliography Index of Names.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Anne and Joseph Trachtman Memorial Book Fund.

ISBN:

9781587318580

158731858X

OCLC:

898424338