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Cartesian Questions

Method and Metaphysics

Jean-Luc Marion is one of the most prominent young philosophers working today and one of the best contemporary Descartes scholars. Cartesian Questions, his fifth book on Descartes, is a collection of seven essays on Descartes’ method and its relation to his metaphysics. Marion reads the philosopher’s Discourse on Method in light of his Meditations, examining how Descartes’ metaphysics changed from one book to the other and pursuing such questions as the status of the ontological argument before and after Descartes. The essays touch on the major themes of Marion’s career, including the connection between metaphysics and method, the concept of God, and the constitution of the thinking subject. In their range, the essays are an excellent introduction to Marion’s thought as well as a subtle and complex interpretation of Descartes. The collection is a crucial work not only for scholars of Descartes but also for anyone interested in the state of contemporary French philosophy.

"Besides the impact of their content, the clarity and reach of these essays force one to consider foundational questions concerning philosophy and its history."—Richard Watson, Journal of the History of Philosophy


230 pages | 2 tables | 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 | © 1999

Philosophy: General Philosophy, History and Classic Works

Table of Contents

Publisher’s Note
Foreword by Daniel Garber
1. Does Thought Dream? The Three Dreams, or The Awakening of the Philosopher
2. What Is the Metaphysics within the Method? The Metaphysical Situation of the Discourse on the Method
3. What Is the Method in the Metaphysics? The Role of the Simple Natures in the Meditations
4. What Is the Ego Capable of? Divinization and Domination: Capable/Capax
5. Does the Cogito Affect Itself? Generosity and Phenomenology: Remarks on Michel Henry’s Interpretation of the Cartesian Cogito
6. Does the Ego Alter the Other? The Solitude of the Cogito and the Absence of Alter Ego
7. Is the Argument Ontological? The Anselmian Proof and the Two Demonstrations of the Existence of God in the Meditations
Notes
Index

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