D. van Miert (ed.), Communicating Observations in Early Modern Letters (1500–1675). Epistolography and Epistemology in the Age of the Scientific Revolution , London/Savigliano: The Warburg Institute/Nino Aragno Editore, 2013, pp. 161–177., 2013
Descartes’s name is not usually associated with the idea of exploring nature by way of experiment... more Descartes’s name is not usually associated with the idea of exploring nature by way of experiments. His famous starting point, ego cogito, ego sum, is not very promising in this sense. Moreover, Descartes’s explicit rejection of scientific collaboration seems to amount to a refusal to communicate observations and experiences, and to confirm his picture as an armchair philosopher, isolated from the world he intends to explain. However, in his correspondence we find numerous comments and discussions of experiments and observations. Moreover, he emphatically claims that the experiments on which all his works would be based, not only were executed by himself but that there are as many of them as there are lines in his work. In this article we will first investigate Descartes’s theory of experiment and scientific collaboration, then discuss some of the observations and experiments referred to in the correspondence.
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In 1640 a curious book appeared at The Hague which vehemently attacked Descartes’ Discours de la Méthode. The identity of the author, evidently an adherent of Paracelsian and Hermetic philosophy, remained unknown, until a clear indication was found in the Hartlib Papers. This article discloses the name of the person hiding behind the pseudonym Mercurius Cosmopolita, and sketches his life and works, including the book against Descartes: Pentalogos.
My blog on the find is found here:
https://www.leidenspecialcollectionsblog.nl/articles/an-unknown-latin-manuscript-translation-of-descartes-lhomme.
A news article, by the Leiden Special Collections, here:
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2022/8/discovery-unknown-translation-of-rene-descartes-lhomme-in-leiden-bibliotheca-thysiana.
Recently I have found evidence that casts light on Descartes’ journey to Italy. It compels us to reduce Descartes’ voyage to just six weeks, from late March 1625, when he left Paris, till early May 1625, when he arrived in Lyon. The historical documents that have turned up are an inventaire après décès, and an act drawn up before a notary in Lyon, both dating from 1625. Relevant passages from the first document is discussed below, and the complete text of the second document is given in an appendix. It is clear that Descartes never went to Venice, Loreto, and Rome.
Before the publication of the correspondence between Descartes and Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia by Clerselier in 1657, the philosophically and mathematically interesting letters exchanged between them circulated widely in manuscript. These are the first two letters by Descartes, elaborating on the Princess’ question on “la force qu’a l’âme de mouvoir le corps”, the two mathematical letters to the Princess, and finally Descartes’ letters on morals and the passions. Elisabeth’s part of the correspondence was not published by Clerselier, nor did it circulate in manuscript, but it has nevertheless been preserved in a handwritten copy. I will discus its provenance refuting a recently proposed hypothesis. The second part of my article is devoted to the mystery of the Latin Epistolae edition (1668). The circulation of the two mathematical letters supplies new information on the publishing history of the Latin translation of the first two volumes of Descartes’ correspondence published by Clerselier, a vexed question in Cartesian scholarship.
English version of the article on Academia.eur.
1. Letters to Maarten Schoock from Gisbertus Voetius and Paulus Voet.
In April 1645, Maarten Schoock, professor of philosophy at the university of Groningen, declared that the Utrecht theologian Voetius and his accomplices had been responsible for the libel in Schoock's anti-Cartesian work Admiranda methodus (Utrecht 1643). In a futile attempt to safeguard himself against Voetius's prosecution, Schoock wrote a short defense, entitled Corte Memorie, in which he referred to several letters Voetius had written to him. This defense and four letters to Schoock have been rediscovered in the Utrecht Municipal Archives. They are published in this journal in two parts. In this issue we present Voetius's letter of 9 November 1641 o.s., and a letter by his eldest son Paulus Voet of 27 April 1645 o.s. Much as these two letters were not related to the Admiranda methodus, Schoock put them forward during his lawsuit with Voetius to show that Voetius's interference with the manuscript of the Admiranda methodus had not been an isolated incident. Letters written in Latin are accompanied by our Dutch translation.
2. Letters to Elisabeth and Paulus Reuffert from Deliana van Diest and Gisbertus Voetius.
We present here a letter written by Deliana van Diest, Gisbertus Voetius' wife, and a letter by Voetius. Deliana's letter is addressed to Elisabeth Reuffert and announces the death of her husband Paulus Voet. Voetius's letter is a letter of condolence to Paulus Reuffert (Elisabeth's father) on the death of his wife.
3. Inventory of the correspondence of Gisbertus Voetius.
This provisional inventory of Voetius's correspondence, mostly based on published sources, comprises 164 letters. Not included are open letters to Voetius, Voetius's letters of dedication and the letters published in J. Cramer (1932).
Follows an addition to the inventory of Voetius’s correspondence.
In 1640 a curious book appeared at The Hague which vehemently attacked Descartes’ Discours de la Méthode. The identity of the author, evidently an adherent of Paracelsian and Hermetic philosophy, remained unknown, until a clear indication was found in the Hartlib Papers. This article discloses the name of the person hiding behind the pseudonym Mercurius Cosmopolita, and sketches his life and works, including the book against Descartes: Pentalogos.
My blog on the find is found here:
https://www.leidenspecialcollectionsblog.nl/articles/an-unknown-latin-manuscript-translation-of-descartes-lhomme.
A news article, by the Leiden Special Collections, here:
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2022/8/discovery-unknown-translation-of-rene-descartes-lhomme-in-leiden-bibliotheca-thysiana.
Recently I have found evidence that casts light on Descartes’ journey to Italy. It compels us to reduce Descartes’ voyage to just six weeks, from late March 1625, when he left Paris, till early May 1625, when he arrived in Lyon. The historical documents that have turned up are an inventaire après décès, and an act drawn up before a notary in Lyon, both dating from 1625. Relevant passages from the first document is discussed below, and the complete text of the second document is given in an appendix. It is clear that Descartes never went to Venice, Loreto, and Rome.
Before the publication of the correspondence between Descartes and Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia by Clerselier in 1657, the philosophically and mathematically interesting letters exchanged between them circulated widely in manuscript. These are the first two letters by Descartes, elaborating on the Princess’ question on “la force qu’a l’âme de mouvoir le corps”, the two mathematical letters to the Princess, and finally Descartes’ letters on morals and the passions. Elisabeth’s part of the correspondence was not published by Clerselier, nor did it circulate in manuscript, but it has nevertheless been preserved in a handwritten copy. I will discus its provenance refuting a recently proposed hypothesis. The second part of my article is devoted to the mystery of the Latin Epistolae edition (1668). The circulation of the two mathematical letters supplies new information on the publishing history of the Latin translation of the first two volumes of Descartes’ correspondence published by Clerselier, a vexed question in Cartesian scholarship.
English version of the article on Academia.eur.
1. Letters to Maarten Schoock from Gisbertus Voetius and Paulus Voet.
In April 1645, Maarten Schoock, professor of philosophy at the university of Groningen, declared that the Utrecht theologian Voetius and his accomplices had been responsible for the libel in Schoock's anti-Cartesian work Admiranda methodus (Utrecht 1643). In a futile attempt to safeguard himself against Voetius's prosecution, Schoock wrote a short defense, entitled Corte Memorie, in which he referred to several letters Voetius had written to him. This defense and four letters to Schoock have been rediscovered in the Utrecht Municipal Archives. They are published in this journal in two parts. In this issue we present Voetius's letter of 9 November 1641 o.s., and a letter by his eldest son Paulus Voet of 27 April 1645 o.s. Much as these two letters were not related to the Admiranda methodus, Schoock put them forward during his lawsuit with Voetius to show that Voetius's interference with the manuscript of the Admiranda methodus had not been an isolated incident. Letters written in Latin are accompanied by our Dutch translation.
2. Letters to Elisabeth and Paulus Reuffert from Deliana van Diest and Gisbertus Voetius.
We present here a letter written by Deliana van Diest, Gisbertus Voetius' wife, and a letter by Voetius. Deliana's letter is addressed to Elisabeth Reuffert and announces the death of her husband Paulus Voet. Voetius's letter is a letter of condolence to Paulus Reuffert (Elisabeth's father) on the death of his wife.
3. Inventory of the correspondence of Gisbertus Voetius.
This provisional inventory of Voetius's correspondence, mostly based on published sources, comprises 164 letters. Not included are open letters to Voetius, Voetius's letters of dedication and the letters published in J. Cramer (1932).
Follows an addition to the inventory of Voetius’s correspondence.
The research for this article was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The published French translation of the article (ENS Lyon 2013) can be found at
https://books.openedition.org/enseditions/8832
Paris, 10 octobre 2014.
Cambridge, Sidney Sussex College, 26 September 2014.
The Philosopher, the Priest, and the Painter: A Portrait of Descartes
By Steven Nadler
Princeton University Press, 2013
Rotterdam, 7 and 8 June 2022.
Organised by Erasmus School of Philosophy, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.