Descartes: A Biography

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Metaphysics in a Hornet’s Nest (–) 

philosophers to defend. Richeome’s book was merely one example of how

it could be done. The question for Descartes was whether, having aban-

doned scholastic philosophy, he could find any acceptable way of describ-

ing the soul and defending its immortality within the scope of his natural

philosophy.

This question was highlighted by another book that appeared in Paris

in.Franc ̧ois La Mothe le Vayer’sASmall Christian Discourse on the

Immortality of the Soulreviewed the arguments for the soul’s immortal-

ity developed by philosophers and mentioned once again the decree of

the Lateran Council. Having surveyed many philosophical arguments, La

Mothe le Vayer concluded that it would be preferable to rely on faith

rather than philosophy to support the doctrine of immortality. ‘Rather

than attempt to compel the more incredulous to acknowledge such an

important truth by the power of reason alone, I believe it would be bet-

ter to acknowledge frankly its weakness and to capture their acceptance

gently by obedience to the Faith.’Despite its explicit deviation from the

expectations of the Lateran Council, this libertine book won the official

approval of the theology faculty at the Sorbonne, which was subsequently

denied to Descartes.

Descartes joined this debate about the human soul that had intermit-

tently dominated theological concerns in Paris since thes.In doing so,

he adverted explicitly to the Lateran Council, in the “Letter of Dedication”

that introduced theMeditations:

As regards the soul, many people thought that its nature cannot easily be investi-

gated, and some have even dared to say that human reason shows us that the soul

dies with the body and that the contrary view is held by faith alone. However,

the Lateran Council, held under Leo X (Session), condemns them and explic-

itly commands Christian philosophers to defeat their arguments and prove the truth

to the best of their abilities, and therefore I too have not hesitated to take on this

challenge. (vii.–)

Thus the author of theMeditationspresents himself as a Catholic philoso-

pher who assumes the invitation of the Lateran Council to construct

arguments in support of the soul’s immortality.This unwise intru-

sion into theologically sensitive questions, contrary to a rule of thumb

bywhich Descartes had avoided controversy in the past, was encouraged

byasuspicion that the Jesuits, collectively, had targeted him for special

criticism.