Descartes: A Biography

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The Principles of Philosophy() 

know what readers say about it, I can assure you however that it concerns

me very little. Indeed, I think I know the ability of most of those who pass

forlearned so well that I would think little of my views if they approved

them.’Having dismissed the significance of his critics, Descartes offered

a defence of the empirical character of his work and, as in earlier letters to

the Jesuits, of the extent to which his new physics complemented that of

the ancients.

What I find most surprising is the conclusion of the evaluation that you sent me,

namely, that what will prevent my principles from being accepted in the schools is

that they are not sufficiently confirmed by experiences and that I have not refuted the

explanations of others. For I am amazed that, despite the fact that I have demonstrated

in detail almost as many experiences as there are lines in my writings and, having offered

a general explanation, in myPrinciples,ofall the phenomena of nature, I explained

in the same way all the experiences that could be performed on inanimate bodies,

whereas in contrast no one has ever explained any of them by using the principles

of school philosophy, those who follow the latter accuse me of a lack of empirical

support.

I also find it very surprising that they want me to refute the reasoning of the

scholastics....Because those who have most at stake here are the Jesuit fathers, the

esteem of Father Charlet – who is a relative of mine and is currently the superior

of their company...– and that of Father Dinet and of some of the other prominent

members of their order, whom I believe are genuinely my friends, was the reason

why I refrained from doing so to date. I even composed myPrinciplesin such a

way that one could say that they do not in any way contradict scholastic philosophy,

butthat they merely enriched it with many things that it lacked. Since they accept

indefinitely many views that are mutually inconsistent, why could they not also accept

mine? (iv.–)

Descartes’ hopes for a rapprochement with the Jesuits and for the adoption

of hisPrinciplesas a philosophical textbook was not about to be satisfied

in the short term. His impatience for recognition, despite his explicit

comments to the contrary, caused him to recede even further into seclusion

in Egmond-Binnen.

The Hermitage

In the immediate aftermath of publishing thePrinciplesand the ini-

tially promising reception he received in Paris, Descartes returned to

the refuge in Egmond-Binnen that he called his ‘hermitage’, to continue

the research required to complete his account of all natural phenomena.

He concentrated on two projects: cultivating plants for research purposes