The Light of the Soul: Theories of Ideas in Leibniz, Malebranche, and DescartesAnnotation. The concept of an idea plays a central role in seventeenth-century theories of mind and knowledge. However, philosophers of the period were seriously divided over the nature of ideas. The Light of the Soul examines the important but neglected debate on this issue between Leibniz, Malebranche, and Descartes. In reaction to Descartes, Malebranche argues that ideas are not mental but abstract, logical entities. Leibniz in turn replies to Malebranche by reclaiming ideas for psychology. Nicholas Jolley explores the theological dimension of the debate by showing how the three philosophersmake use of biblical and patristic teaching. The debate has important implications for such major issues in early modern philosophy as innate ideas, self-knowledge, scepticism, the mind-body problem, and the creation of the eternal truths. Jolley goes on to consider the relevance of theseventeenth-century controversy to modern discussions of the relation between logic and psychology. 'This is an excellent book about a variety of themes in seventeenth-century philosophy ... an engaging and stimulating tour of a series of fascinating philosophical debates which constitute central dimensions of the seventeenth-century philosophical tradition. ... Jolley has a finephilosophical sense, an excellent knowledge of the texts, and a rich appreciation of the secondary literature.' Michael L. Morgan, Review of Metaphysics 'Jolley has written a rich and useful book. Its concerns are important and he presents them in a remarkably accessible fashion. ... Very seldom does a book like this appear that will be of serious interest both to the most advanced, sophisticated researchers in the field and to those with onlypassing knowledge of the basic texts ... It is an engaging book, in both senses of the term. Its style and method of argument are not only prepossessing, but they also draw one into the dialectic, and in a philosophically productive way.' Thomas M. Lennon, Canadian Philosophical Reviews 'careful and perceptive ... lucid and wide-ranging' John Cottingham, Times Literary Supplement 'A significant study of a central topic in modern philosophy ... Without losing sight of his central theme, Jolley manages to illuminate a host of related topics in epistemology and the philosophy of mind, and succeeds quite admirably in offering a philosophically stimulating, historically richdiscussion of the nature of ideas. Consequently, this book should be purchased by every academic library supporting undergraduate degree programs in philosophy.' C.J. Shields, Choice. |
Contents
The Theory of Ideas | 12 |
Innate Ideas | 32 |
The Theory of Ideas | 55 |
Vision in God | 81 |
Vision in God | 102 |
Ideas and SelfKnowledge 114 | 114 |
Ideas and Illumination | 132 |
The Defence of Innate Ideas | 153 |
Innate Ideas Reflection | 173 |
Some Further Developments | 189 |
203 | |
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Common terms and phrases
abstract entities Antoine Arnauld argue argument Arnauld Augustinian Berkeley Cartesian causal cause claim colour concepts conflation course Descartes seems Descartes's Discourse on Metaphysics distinction divine illumination doctrine of innate doctrine of vision Essays eternal truths Euclidean geometry explain expression fact faculty geometrical God's human mind Hyperaspistes Ibid idea of extension ideas are innate immutable innate ideas intellectual interpretation issue Kenny least Leibniz seems Locke Locke's Malebranche's doctrine Malebranche's ideas Malebranche's theory McCracken mental disposition mental events mind-body problem modifications nature of ideas necessary truths occurrent thought ontology perceive philosophical philosophy of mind position pre-established harmony priori knowledge problem psychological reply representational content representative theory scepticism scholastic scholasticism Search after Truth secondary qualities self-knowledge sensations sense sense-perception sensory ideas simply soul Spinoza substance suppose term idea theory of ideas theory of innate theory of perception thesis things Third Meditation triangle true visual perception