Descartes and the Passionate Mind

An important and original reading of Descartes' account of mind-body unity and his theory of mind.

Deborah J. Brown (Author)

9780521088091, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 11 December 2008

244 pages
21 x 15.1 x 1.4 cm, 0.36 kg

".... Brown's book is a welcome shot across the bow of numerous (mis)readings of Descartes, particularly those that assume that the 'Cartesian' theory of mind supposedly advanced by the second installment of the Meditations on First Philosophy represents a fully realized conception of the human person and human lived experience. I applaud this entry into a field that is not crowded enough; Brown's work is apropos, historically informed and philosophically ingenious. It's also full of delightful asides that I wish I had written myself, such as the description of the pedagogy driving many detractors to continue 'to feed Descartes to our children' as akin to 'that of the conscientious parent whose idea of moral instruction is a family outing at a public flogging'."
-Amy M. Schmitter, University of Alberta, Canadian Journal of Philosophy

Descartes is often accused of having fragmented the human being into two independent substances, mind and body, with no clear strategy for explaining the apparent unity of human experience. Deborah Brown argues that, contrary to this view, Descartes did in fact have a conception of a single, integrated human being, and that in his view this conception is crucial to the success of human beings as rational and moral agents and as practitioners of science. The passions are pivotal in this, and in a rich and wide-ranging discussion she examines Descartes' place in the tradition of thought about the passions, the metaphysics of actions and passions, sensory representation, and Descartes' account of self-mastery and virtue. Her study is an important and original reading not only of Descartes' account of mind-body unity but also of his theory of mind.

Acknowledgements
Note on references
Introduction
1. Volo ergo sum: the unity and significance of Les Passions de l'âme
2. Perturbations or sweet pleasures? Descartes' place in two traditions regarding the passions
3. The natural integration of reason and passion
4. Representing and referring
5. Action and passion: metaphysical integrationism
6. Wonder and love: extending the boundaries of the Cartesian knower and the Cartesian self
7. Several strange passages on desire and fortune
8. Generosity breeds content: self-mastery through self-esteem
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], Philosophy of mind [HPM], Western philosophy: c 1600 to c 1900 [HPCD], History of Western philosophy [HPC]