467. Written in Mathematics: Descartes’ Physics
For Descartes body is purely geometrical. So how does he understand features we can perceive, like color, and causation between bodies?
Themes:
• D. Des Chene, Physiologia: Natural Philosophy in Late Aristotelian and Cartesian Thought (Ithaca: 1996).
• D. Garber, Descartes’ Metaphysical Physics (Chicago: 1992).
• S. Gaukroger (ed.), Descartes: Philosophy, Mathematics and Physics (Sussex: 1980).
• S. Gaukroger, Descartes’ System of Natural Philosophy (Cambridge: 2002).
• S. Gaukroger, J. Schuster and J. Sutton (eds), Descartes’ Natural Philosophy (London: 2000).
• H. Hattab, Descartes on Forms and Mechanisms (Cambridge: 2009).
• W. Ott, Causation and Laws of Nature in Early Modern Philosophy (Oxford: 2009).
• A. Sowaal, “Cartesian Bodies,” Canadian Journal of Philosophy 34 (2004), 217–40.
• R.S. Westfall, The Construction of Modern Science: Mechanisms and Mechanics (Cambridge: 1977).
• M.D. Wilson, Ideas and Mechanism: Essays on Early Modern Philosophy (Princeton: 1999).
Comments
Wrong audio episode attached (Dualism instead)
Professor you attached the following audio 'Cartesian Dualism' instead of Descartes on Mathematics and Physics.
Also Mathematics tag would need to be attached to this episode.
In reply to Wrong audio episode attached (Dualism instead) by DukeofEthereal
Wrong audio
Got it, thanks!
wrong episode?
Hello Prof. Adamson,
It seems that the posted episode is "469 Ghost in the Machine: Cartesian Dualism," instead of advertised 467. Thanks.
Y.P.
Marvelous Episode
Absurdly great episode! As an engineer by profession and training, it's great to have an episode where I don't feel completely blind going in... Descartes (and the period) is a brief breath of fresh air before we delve again into those pesky germans and I feel lost again...
Giraffes in the Gulf of Mexico
I love the image of giraffes swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, which combines one of your favorite subjects with a little slap at someone's renaming of that body of water!
Wrong audio
Oops! Yes I just put in the wrong link here on the website, the right episode went out on the feed fortunately. I have fixed it, so you can listen to the physics one here now on this page. Hope those of you who listened early here on the website enjoyed the sneak preview of the dualism episode!
In reply to Wrong audio by Peter Adamson
Transmigration
I like that the dualism episode is only contingently attached to its podcast webpage, and may even survive its death.
Earth at rest
Descartes' reasoning for why the Earth is technically at rest was a real "listen here you little shit" moment.
Musings on space
The discussion about view of space made me thinking. To me, space is something that we abstract in our mind during our experience of finite objects which begins at a point and ends at another point and space is understood to separate it from those around it. So, I don't hold to a physical understanding of space. Same with the time. I think passage of time is abstracted in our mind as we constantly experience change around us. Now we can use some physical things to objectively document the passage of time for our convenience but the time itself is something we abstract in our mind from our experience in my opinion, not a physical entity. I was wondering who all in history (if anyone) held to this understanding of space and time.
In reply to Musings on space by John Thomas
Space
Well, the obvious answer would be Kant, who has a somewhat similar view: space and time structure our experience but are not necessarily features of mind-independent reality. We’ll get to him eventually!
Your website
Hey Prof. Adamson, this is Talha Ahsan from the Abbasid History Podcast.
First, I've only recently been listening to HOPWAG seriously in the last few months along with a mate. I'm on around 240ish in medieval era. You are literally the first voice I hear in the morning and in my ear throughout the day and night when commuting, shopping or walking.
Second, I want to know what you're using for the setup of this website. It's a better way to communicate with listeners. I want to leave Twitter because it's become a deluge of AI slop and obnoxiousness. In the past, it was an effective way to connect with others sharing niche interests.
Best wishes.
In reply to Your website by Talha Ahsan
Website
Hi Talha! That’s great to hear that you are still listening to the series.
I’ll put you in touch with Julian Rimmer who could give you some advice, he is my website designer.
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