Descartes's Dualism [Paperback]

Descartes, an acknowledged founder of modern philosophy, is identified particularly with mind-body dualism--the view that the mind is an incorporeal entity. But this view was not entirely original with Descartes, and in fact to a significant extent it was widely accepted by the Aristotelian scholastics who preceded him, although they entertained a different conception of the nature of mind, body, and the relationship between them. In her first book, Marleen Rozemond explicates Descartes's aim to provide a metaphysics that would accommodate mechanistic science and supplant scholasticism.

Her approach includes discussion of central differences from and similarities to the scholastics and how these discriminations affected Descartes's defense of the incorporeity of the mind and the mechanistic conception of body. Confronting the question of how, in his view, mind and body are united, she examines his defense of this union on the basis of sensation. In the course of her argument, she focuses on a few of the scholastics to whom Descartes referred in his own writings: Thomas Aquinas, Francisco Su?rez, Eustachius of St. Paul, and the Jesuits of Coimbra. This new systematic account of Descartes's dualism amply demonstrates why he still deserves serious study and respect for his extraordinary philosophical achievements.

[Descartess Dualismis] a thorough and careful study of Descartess account of the mind/soul.[Rozemonds] discussion of the scholastic context of Descartes arguments is exceedingly clear and informative, and should be read by anyone who really wishes to understand the context and meaning of Descartes argument.[Descartess Dualism] is a brilliant book. Rozemond provides an excellent articulation of the dualism of Descartes. Her analytic skills are very high, and her references to the medieval background of Descartess theory of knowledge are crisp and secure& Rozemonds interest in the medievals also leads to a most informative, andl3"