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The ScientificEssays and the

Discourse on Method

(–)

I also noticed, about experiences, that the more we advance in knowledge the

more necessary they become.

(Discourse on Method: vi.)

D

 the years immediately following the condemnation of

Galileo, Descartes held fast to his initial view that the cardinals had

made a mistake, though one that was potentially dangerous for himself. His

fundamental idea was that the decision involved a misunderstanding of

the role of the Bible as a source of scientific knowledge. He also argued that

he was not bound to accept the Roman decision as a matter of faith, and he

hoped that it would be reversed in due course so that he could publish his

Worldwithout fear of censure. He had to concede, however, that as long

as there was no change of mind about Galileo by the church, theWorld

would remain ‘out of season’ (i.). Descartes’ refusal to publishThe

Worldwas therefore not as definitive as it seemed to people like Mersenne,

to whom he wrote: ‘If the reasons that prevent me from publishing it were

to change, I could make a different decision without thereby being fickle’

(i.). We know now, in retrospect, that there was no change in Rome’s

censure, and that there was none either in Descartes’ decision. His first

book remained unpublished throughout his lifetime.

In these circumstances, the next-best option was to consider ways in

which parts of his work that were not theologically sensitive could be

released to the public. Accordingly, during the years fromto,

Descartes spent most of his time on this project. His efforts came to

fruition with the publication of theDiscourse on the Method for Guiding one’s

Reason and Searching for Truth in the Sciences, together with the Dioptrics,

the Meteors, and the Geometry, which are samples of this Method().

Descartes was then forty-one years old. There may be signs of the author’s

