Descartes's Method

The Formation of the Subject of Science

Tarek R. Dika

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Hardback

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English

Oxford University Press
27 April 2023

Philosophy; Western philosophy: Enlightenment; Philosophy: logic; History of ideas; History of science

Descartes's Method develops an ontological interpretation of Descartes's method as a dynamic and, within limits, differentiable problem-solving cognitive disposition or habitus, which can be actualized or applied to different problems in various ways, depending on the nature of the problem. Parts I-II develop the foundations of an habitual interpretation of Descartes's method, while Parts III-V demonstrate the fruits of such an interpretation in metaphysics, natural philosophy, and mathematics. The first book to draw on the recently discovered Cambridge manuscript of Descartes's Rules for the Direction of the Mind, Descartes's Method concretely demonstrates the efficacy of Descartes's method in the sciences and the underlying unity of Descartes's method from Rules for the Direction of the Mind to Principles of Philosophy (1644).

By: Tarek R. Dika
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 163mm, Spine: 24mm
Weight: 732g
ISBN: 9780192869869
ISBN 10: 0192869868
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 27 April 2023
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

"Preface Abbreviations Introduction Descartes's Method: Universality without Uniformity Part I The Habitual Unity of Science: Aquinas to Descartes 1: The Habitual Unity of Individual Sciences: Aquinas to Suárez 2: The Habitual Unity of Science: Descartes Part II The Operations and Culture of the Method 3: The Operations of the Method: Intuition, Deduction, and Enumeration 4: The Culture of the Method: The Methodological Function of Mathesis universalis Part III The First Problem of the Method: The ""Noblest Example"" 5: Defining the Problem of the Limits of Knowledge in Rules 6: Descartes's Theory of the Faculties in Rules 7: Descartes's Theory of Simple Natures in Rules 8: The Origins of Cartesian Dualism in Rule 12 Part IV Applications: Perfectly and Imperfectly Understood Problems 9: Perfectly Understood Problems: Method and Mathematics in Rules 13-21 10: Imperfectly Understood Problems: Descartes's Deduction of the Law of Refraction and the Shape of the Anaclastic Lens in Rule 8 Part V Beyond Rules 11: Descartes's Method after Rules Conclusion Appendix Bibliography Index"

Tarek Dika is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. In 2016-2021, he was an Assistant Professor in the Program of Liberal Studies and a Faculty Member in the Program in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Notre Dame, where he was also a Fellow in the Medieval Institute and a Concurrent Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy. In 2013-2016, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Michigan Society of Fellows. Dika currently serves on the Comité de Lecture of Revue de Métaphysique et de Morale.

Reviews for Descartes's Method: The Formation of the Subject of Science

No question in Descartes's thought is more difficult than his method. The Rules for the Direction of the Mind, an unfinished treatise on method left unpublished in Descartes's lifetime has given rise to numerous inconsistent interpretations, nor is it easy to see how it is reflected in his later work. Tarek Dika's new book takes account of startling new manuscript discoveries about the Rules and offers a bold and unified new reading of the text and the project of method in Descartes's thought. It changes the way in which we see Descartes, and will open up new conversations about this canonical figure in the history of philosophy and science. * Daniel Garber, Princeton University * The discussion in Descartes's Method is well-sourced throughout and exhibits an impressive command of Descartes's writings as well as of the relevant context, including the historical background required to understand properly illustrative treatments in the Rules of mathematics and optics. * Tad Schmaltz, University of Michigan * Many scholars have tried to identify Descartes's method with this or that technique, without convincing results. In the most comprehensive study ever written on this topic, Tarek Dika shows that, far from being a uniform procedure, Descartes's method is an acquired habit (habitus) closely related to Aristotelian phronesis. The change of focus is illuminating. The width of views, the clarity of exposition, the breadth of the underlying culture, the search for the highest precision on each point: this is undoubtedly a great book. * Denis Kambouchner, University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne *