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Willensfreiheit und Aufmerksamkeit bei Descartes


Schulte, Peter (2017). Willensfreiheit und Aufmerksamkeit bei Descartes. Zeitschrift für philosophische Forschung, 71(1):5-36.

Abstract

The claims about free will that Descartes makes in his writings seem, at first glance, to be inconsistent. In recent years, several authors have argued that we can dissolve the apparent contradiction by taking a closer look at the role that attention plays in Descartes's theory of the processes of judging and deciding. Prima facie, this exegetical approach seems promising, thus its considerable influence is understandable. Nevertheless, I aim to show that the approach is doomed to failure, since its proponents are committed to ascribe incoherent or otherwise unacceptable doctrines to Descartes, thereby violating the principle of charity. This result raises interesting methodological questions, which I discuss in the concluding section of the paper

Abstract

The claims about free will that Descartes makes in his writings seem, at first glance, to be inconsistent. In recent years, several authors have argued that we can dissolve the apparent contradiction by taking a closer look at the role that attention plays in Descartes's theory of the processes of judging and deciding. Prima facie, this exegetical approach seems promising, thus its considerable influence is understandable. Nevertheless, I aim to show that the approach is doomed to failure, since its proponents are committed to ascribe incoherent or otherwise unacceptable doctrines to Descartes, thereby violating the principle of charity. This result raises interesting methodological questions, which I discuss in the concluding section of the paper

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Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:06 Faculty of Arts > Institute of Philosophy
Dewey Decimal Classification:100 Philosophy
Scopus Subject Areas:Social Sciences & Humanities > Philosophy
Language:German
Date:March 2017
Deposited On:05 Apr 2017 14:39
Last Modified:17 Nov 2023 02:40
Publisher:Vittorio Klostermann
ISSN:0044-3301
OA Status:Closed
Free access at:Official URL. An embargo period may apply.
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.3196/004433017820875828
Official URL:http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/klos/zphf/2017/00000071/00000001/art00001