Descartes on the Power of ‘Ideas’

Authors

Stephen I. Wagner, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1996

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Philosophy | Philosophy of Mind

Abstract

Descartes’ discussion of ideas in Meditation III is often seen as the most problematic element in his metaphysical project. A previous paper in this journal offers a reading of Meditation II which attributes to Descartes a conception of the mind as an active power. That view can provide a range of clarifications to Descartes’ Meditation III theory of ideas. This paper will spell out the most central of those clarifications.

Comments

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27744708

Recommended Citation

Wagner, Stephen I. "Descartes on the Power of ‘Ideas.’" History of Philosophy Quarterly 13, no. 3 (July 1996): 287-97. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27744708.