39:
358:
564:
598:. Descartes had made the thinking subject the foundation of objective certainty in his famous statement, "I think, therefore I am". It was on this system that he based the possibility of knowing and understanding the world. In allowing that the passions could disrupt the process of reasoning within a human, he allowed for an inherent flaw in this proof – and if man was forced to doubt the truth of his own perceptions, on what could he base his understanding of the natural world?
471:, Descartes defines the passions as "the perceptions, sensations, or commotions of the soul which we relate particularly to the soul and are caused, maintained, and strengthened by some movement of the spirits" (art. 27). The "spirits" mentioned in this definition are "animal spirits", a notion central to understanding Descartes' physiology. These spirits function in a capacity similar to modern medicine's
708:'s, while Descartes' remains more closely tied to Aristotle. The confusion which ties Ryle so closely to Descartes arises from a confusing mix of metaphors; Descartes and his contemporaries conceptualized of the mind as a thing of physical (if inconceivable) proportions, which allowed for a differentiation between "inner" and "outer" sense. This ties back to Descartes'
503:
But there aren't many simple and basic passions... you'll easily see that there are only six: wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy, sadness. All the others are either composed from some of these six or they are species of them. So I'll help you to find your way through the great multitude of passions by
482:
Descartes does not reject the passions in principle; instead, he underlines their beneficial role in human existence. He maintains that humans should work to better understand their function in order to control them rather than be controlled by them. Thus, "ven those who have the weakest souls could
391:
asserts that the examination of the passions present in
Descartes' work plays a significant role in illustrating the development of the perception of the cognitive mind in western society. According to her article "From Passions to Emotions and Sentiments", Descartes' need to reconcile the influence
431:
In the context of the mechanistic view of life which was gaining popularity in seventeenth century science, Descartes perceived the body as an autonomous machine, capable of moving independently of the soul. It was from this physiological perception of the body that
Descartes developed his theories
645:
At the same time, Descartes' modernity must also be appreciated. Even while outlining the passions and their effect, he never issues an overarching interdiction against them as fatal human defects to be avoided at all costs. He recognizes them as an inherent aspect of humanity, not to be taken as
632:
The passions that
Descartes studies are in reality the actions of the body on the soul (art. 25). The soul suffers the influence of the body and is entirely subject to the influence of the passions. In the manner by which Descartes explains the human body, the animal spirits stimulate the pineal
641:
The passions attack the soul and force the body to commit inappropriate actions. It was therefore necessary for
Descartes to study in the second part of his treatise the particular effects of each separate passion and its manners of manifestation. The study of the passions permits one to better
463:
The passions such as
Descartes understood them correspond roughly to the sentiments now called emotions, but there exist several important distinctions between the two. The principle of these is that passions, as is suggested by the word’s etymology, are by nature suffered and endured, and are
671:
understanding of reality, however, he indicated that it is necessary to know the passions, and learn to control them in order to put them to the best possible use. It is also necessary, therefore, that a man strive to master the separation which exists between the corporeal body and the mind.
670:
For
Descartes, nothing could be more damaging to the soul and therefore the thought-process, which is its primary function (art. 17), than the body (art. 2). He maintained that the passions are not harmful in and of themselves. To protect the independence of the thoughts and guarantee a man’s
475:. Descartes explains that these animal spirits are produced in the blood and are responsible for the physical stimulation which causes the body to move. In affecting the muscles, for example, the animal spirits "move the body in all the different ways it is capable of" (
427:
traditions which defined the passions as the illnesses of the soul and which dictate that they be treated as such. Descartes thus affirmed that the passions "are all intrinsically good, and that all we have to avoid is their misuse or their excess" (art. 211).
609:. While Descartes argues against the existence of a final cause in physics, the nature of his work on examining the origins and functions of desires in the human soul necessitates the existence of a final goal towards which the individual is working.
646:
aberrations. Furthermore, the role of the passions on the body is not insignificant. Descartes indicates that they must be harnessed in order to learn which are good and bad for the body, and therefore for the individual (art. 211 and 212).
584:
is one of the most important of
Descartes' published works. Descartes wrote the treatise in response to an acute philosophical anxiety, and yet in doing so, he risked destroying the entirety of his previous work and the
415:. "My design is not to explain the passions as an Orator", he wrote in a letter to his editor dated August 14, 1649, "nor even as a Philosopher, but only as a Physicist." In doing so, Descartes broke not only from the
649:
Thus the majority of the work is devoted to enumerating the passions and their effects. He begins with the six basic passions and then touches on the specific passions which stem from their combination. For example,
464:
therefore the result of an external cause acting upon a subject. In contrast, modern psychology considers emotions to be a sensation which occurs inside a subject and therefore is produced by the subject themselves.
538:) that Descartes begins his investigation on their physiological effects and their influence on human behavior. He then follows by combining the six passions to create a holistic picture of the passions.
592:
The problem arises from the fact that the passions, inextricably based in human nature, threaten the supremacy of the thinking subject on which
Descartes based his philosophical system, notably in
400:
In the context of the development of scientific thought in the seventeenth century which was abandoning the idea of the cosmos in favor of an open universe guided by inviolable laws of nature (see
499:
to moral philosophy, Descartes represented the problem of the passions of the soul in terms of its simplest integral components. He distinguishes between six fundamentally distinct passions:
411:
It was in this context that
Descartes wished to speak of the passions, neither as a moralist nor from a psychological perspective, but as a method of exploring a fundamental aspect of
704:", completely separating the physical body and from the metaphysical "mind" which actually encapsulates the spirit as well. Alanen argues that this philosophy is more akin to that of
625:. In the first part of his work, Descartes ponders the relationship between the thinking substance and the body. For Descartes, the only link between these two substances is the
392:
of the passions on otherwise rational beings marks a clear point in the advancement of human self-estimation, paralleling the increasingly rational-based scientific method.
440:
The treatise is based on the philosophy developed by
Descartes in his previous works, especially the distinction between the body and the soul: the soul thinks (
38:
432:
on the passions of the soul. Formerly considered to be an anomaly, the passions became a natural phenomenon, necessitating a scientific explanation.
555:
The work is further divided, within the three greater parts, into 212 short articles which rarely exceed a few paragraphs in length.
658:
are two of the passions derived from the basic passion of admiration (art. 150). The passion which Descartes valued the most is
601:
Additionally, a further distinction between Descartes' writings on physics and those on human nature such as can be found in
182:
278:
177:
949:
483:
acquire absolute mastery over all their passions if they worked hard enough at training and guiding them" (art. 50).
642:
understand and account for these elements which may otherwise disturb a human's rational reasoning capabilities.
202:
404:), human actions no longer depended on understanding the order and mechanism of the universe (as had been the
449:
366:
306:
130:
115:
230:
712:, which derived knowledge and understanding of external realities on the basis of internal certainty.
696:(1949), is commonly associated with a modern-day application of Descartes' philosophy as put forth in
457:
22:
245:
100:
749:
207:
732:
594:
496:
448:) but does not think and is primarily defined by its form and movement. This is what is known as
271:
192:
918:
325:
period – that had been a subject of debate among philosophers and theologians since the time of
68:
738:
721:
419:
tradition (according to which the movements of the body originate in the soul), but also the
314:
187:
105:
701:
504:
treating the six basic ones separately, and then showing how all the others stem from them.
332:
Notable precursors to Descartes who articulated their own theories of the passions include
8:
944:
692:
235:
125:
743:
337:
333:
264:
250:
95:
401:
726:
622:
374:
197:
140:
110:
563:
310:
30:
954:
865:
849:
833:
804:
515:
405:
151:
120:
84:
682:
In her examination of the popular modern misconceptions of Descartes' philosophy,
416:
412:
298:
135:
73:
63:
548:
The Number and Order of the Passions and explanations of the six basic passions;
388:
472:
240:
78:
938:
341:
313:
contributes to a long tradition of philosophical inquiry into the nature of "
357:
687:
683:
626:
586:
424:
145:
53:
889:
Robert Rethy, "The Teaching of Nature and the Nature of Man in Descartes'
787:
655:
158:
58:
322:
90:
782:
606:
370:
369:, in which he answered her moral questions, especially the nature of
768:
Amélie Oksenberg Rorty, "From Passions to Emotions and Sentiments",
395:
880:, René Descartes LGF, coll. « Poche », Paris, 1990, p. 5.
659:
651:
612:
420:
926:
408:), but instead on understanding the essential workings of nature.
545:
The Passions in General and incidentally the whole nature of man;
535:
318:
902:
Lilli Alanen, "Descartes's dualism and the philosophy of mind",
633:
gland and cause many troubles (or strong emotions) in the soul.
527:
378:
365:
In 1643 Descartes began a prolific written correspondence with
495:
is indicative of the author's philosophy. Applying his famous
705:
662:
for the positive effect it has on the individual (art. 153).
629:(art. 31), the place where the soul is attached to the body.
326:
674:
700:. According to Alanen, Ryle describes the true man as the "
523:
519:
531:
347:
317:". The passions were experiences – now commonly called
541:
The work is itself divided into three parts, titled:
636:
444:) but is incorporeal, while the body is physical (
876:According to Michel Meyer in his introduction to
396:Relationship between moral philosophy and science
936:
906:94e. Année no. 3 (July–September 1989): 391–395.
864:. Translated by Jonathan Bennett. October 2010.
848:. Translated by Jonathan Bennett. October 2010.
832:. Translated by Jonathan Bennett. October 2010.
803:. Translated by Jonathan Bennett. October 2010.
613:The relationship between the body and the spirit
486:
385:was written as a synthesis of this exchange.
272:
665:
279:
265:
558:
575:
562:
435:
356:
514:It is with these six primary passions (
937:
605:is their relationship to Aristotelian
352:
305:), completed in 1649 and dedicated to
291:In his final philosophical treatise,
348:Origins and organization of the text
178:Rules for the Direction of the Mind
13:
922:, philosophy for descartes Letters
904:Revue de MĂ©taphysique et de Morale
456:, Descartes further explores this
14:
966:
912:
621:treatise is also the problem of
37:
896:
893:", 53.3 (March, 2000): 657–683.
637:The combination of the passions
491:The organization of Descartes'
203:Meditations on First Philosophy
883:
870:
854:
838:
822:
809:
793:
775:
772:57.220 (April, 1982): 159–172.
762:
1:
930:, modified for easier reading
756:
367:Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia
307:Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia
487:Organization of the treatise
7:
715:
580:According to Michel Meyer,
361:Elisabeth of Bohemia (1636)
10:
971:
231:Christina, Queen of Sweden
246:Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
101:Causal adequacy principle
750:Principles of Philosophy
677:The Passions of the Soul
666:Controlling the passions
406:philosophy of the Greeks
294:The Passions of the Soul
208:Principles of Philosophy
950:Works by René Descartes
733:Discourse on the Method
595:Discourse on the Method
193:Discourse on the Method
819:, meaning "suffering".
572:
559:Philosophical problems
512:
362:
302:
878:Les Passions de l'âme
722:Passions (philosophy)
576:Status of the subject
566:
501:
436:The notion of passion
360:
303:Les Passions de l'âme
928:Passions of the Soul
920:Passions of the Soul
862:Passions of the Soul
846:Passions of the Soul
830:Passions of the Soul
801:Passions of the Soul
702:ghost in the machine
508:Passions of the Soul
477:Passions of the Soul
469:Passions of the Soul
458:mysterious dichotomy
383:Passions of the Soul
213:Passions of the Soul
183:The Search for Truth
693:The Concept of Mind
617:The problem of the
353:Origins of the book
236:Nicolas Malebranche
106:Mind–body dichotomy
74:Doubt and certainty
744:Implicit cognition
573:
567:Title page of the
551:Specific Passions.
460:of mind and body.
363:
338:St. Thomas Aquinas
251:Francine Descartes
96:Trademark argument
891:Passions de l'Ă‚me
860:Descartes, René.
844:Descartes, René.
828:Descartes, René.
799:Descartes, René.
739:Mind–body problem
727:Balloonist theory
675:The influence of
623:Cartesian dualism
450:Cartesian dualism
289:
288:
141:Balloonist theory
116:Coordinate system
111:Analytic geometry
962:
907:
900:
894:
887:
881:
874:
868:
858:
852:
842:
836:
826:
820:
813:
807:
797:
791:
779:
773:
766:
281:
274:
267:
121:Cartesian circle
85:Cogito, ergo sum
41:
18:
17:
970:
969:
965:
964:
963:
961:
960:
959:
935:
934:
915:
910:
901:
897:
888:
884:
875:
871:
859:
855:
843:
839:
827:
823:
815:From the Latin
814:
810:
798:
794:
780:
776:
767:
763:
759:
718:
680:
668:
639:
615:
578:
561:
505:
489:
438:
413:natural science
402:Alexandre Koyré
398:
355:
350:
285:
256:
255:
226:
218:
217:
173:
165:
164:
136:Cartesian diver
64:Foundationalism
49:
12:
11:
5:
968:
958:
957:
952:
947:
933:
932:
924:
914:
913:External links
911:
909:
908:
895:
882:
869:
853:
837:
821:
808:
792:
774:
760:
758:
755:
754:
753:
746:
741:
736:
729:
724:
717:
714:
679:
673:
667:
664:
638:
635:
614:
611:
577:
574:
560:
557:
553:
552:
549:
546:
488:
485:
473:nervous system
437:
434:
397:
394:
354:
351:
349:
346:
311:René Descartes
287:
286:
284:
283:
276:
269:
261:
258:
257:
254:
253:
248:
243:
241:Baruch Spinoza
238:
233:
227:
224:
223:
220:
219:
216:
215:
210:
205:
200:
195:
190:
185:
180:
174:
171:
170:
167:
166:
163:
162:
155:
148:
143:
138:
133:
128:
123:
118:
113:
108:
103:
98:
93:
88:
81:
79:Dream argument
76:
71:
66:
61:
56:
50:
47:
46:
43:
42:
34:
33:
31:René Descartes
27:
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
967:
956:
953:
951:
948:
946:
943:
942:
940:
931:
929:
925:
923:
921:
917:
916:
905:
899:
892:
886:
879:
873:
866:
863:
857:
850:
847:
841:
834:
831:
825:
818:
812:
805:
802:
796:
790:
789:
784:
778:
771:
765:
761:
752:
751:
747:
745:
742:
740:
737:
735:
734:
730:
728:
725:
723:
720:
719:
713:
711:
707:
703:
699:
695:
694:
689:
685:
678:
672:
663:
661:
657:
653:
647:
643:
634:
630:
628:
624:
620:
610:
608:
604:
599:
597:
596:
590:
588:
583:
570:
565:
556:
550:
547:
544:
543:
542:
539:
537:
533:
529:
525:
521:
517:
511:
509:
500:
498:
494:
484:
480:
478:
474:
470:
465:
461:
459:
455:
451:
447:
443:
433:
429:
426:
422:
418:
414:
409:
407:
403:
393:
390:
386:
384:
380:
376:
372:
368:
359:
345:
343:
342:Thomas Hobbes
339:
335:
334:St. Augustine
330:
328:
324:
320:
316:
312:
308:
304:
300:
296:
295:
282:
277:
275:
270:
268:
263:
262:
260:
259:
252:
249:
247:
244:
242:
239:
237:
234:
232:
229:
228:
222:
221:
214:
211:
209:
206:
204:
201:
199:
196:
194:
191:
189:
186:
184:
181:
179:
176:
175:
169:
168:
161:
160:
156:
154:
153:
149:
147:
144:
142:
139:
137:
134:
132:
131:Rule of signs
129:
127:
124:
122:
119:
117:
114:
112:
109:
107:
104:
102:
99:
97:
94:
92:
89:
87:
86:
82:
80:
77:
75:
72:
70:
67:
65:
62:
60:
57:
55:
52:
51:
45:
44:
40:
36:
35:
32:
29:
28:
24:
20:
19:
16:
927:
919:
903:
898:
890:
885:
877:
872:
861:
856:
845:
840:
829:
824:
816:
811:
800:
795:
786:
777:
769:
764:
748:
731:
709:
697:
691:
690:, author of
688:Gilbert Ryle
686:argues that
684:Lilli Alanen
681:
676:
669:
648:
644:
640:
631:
627:pineal gland
618:
616:
602:
600:
593:
591:
581:
579:
568:
554:
540:
513:
510:, article 69
507:
506:—Descartes,
502:
492:
490:
481:
476:
468:
466:
462:
453:
445:
442:res cogitans
441:
439:
430:
417:Aristotelian
410:
399:
389:Amélie Rorty
387:
382:
364:
331:
315:the passions
293:
292:
290:
212:
198:La Géométrie
157:
152:Res cogitans
150:
146:Wax argument
83:
54:Cartesianism
15:
788:On the Soul
446:res extensa
159:Res extensa
59:Rationalism
945:1649 books
939:Categories
770:Philosophy
757:References
660:generosity
479:art. 10).
91:Evil demon
48:Philosophy
783:Aristotle
710:Discourse
607:teleology
587:Cartesian
425:Christian
371:happiness
188:The World
69:Mechanism
716:See also
698:Passions
652:contempt
619:Passions
603:Passions
589:system.
582:Passions
569:Passions
493:Passions
454:Passions
375:passions
319:emotions
23:a series
21:Part of
955:Emotion
536:sadness
321:in the
817:passio
656:esteem
534:, and
528:desire
516:wonder
497:method
379:ethics
377:, and
323:modern
299:French
225:People
126:Folium
706:Plato
452:. In
421:Stoic
327:Plato
172:Works
785:and
781:See
654:and
524:hate
520:love
423:and
340:and
532:joy
467:In
941::
530:,
526:,
522:,
518:,
381:.
373:,
344:.
336:,
329:.
309:,
301::
25:on
867:.
851:.
835:.
806:.
571:.
297:(
280:e
273:t
266:v
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
.png)