Enlightenment and Action from Descartes to Kant: Passionate Thought
Cambridge University Press, 8/13/2001
EAN 9780521806121, ISBN10: 0521806127
Hardcover, 240 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
Kant believed that true enlightenment is the use of reason freely in public. This book systematicaaly traces the philosophical origins and development of the idea that the improvement of human understanding requires public activity. Michael Losonsky focuses on seventeenth-century discussions of the problem of irresolution and the closely connected theme of the role of volition in human belief formation. This involves a discussion of the work of Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Spinoza and Leibniz. Challenging the traditional views of seventeenth-century philosophy and written in a lucid, non-technical language, this book will be eagerly sought out by historians of philosophy and students of the history of ideas.
Preface
List of abbreviations
1. Introduction
the enlightened mind
2. Descartes
willful thinking
3. Hobbes
passionate thinking
4. Locke
uneasy thinking
5. Enthusiasm
inspired thinking
6. Spinoza
resolute thinking
7. Leibniz
trained thinking
8. Conclusion
the public mind
Bibliography
Index.