Descartes: A Biography

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 Descartes: A Biography

will certainly be robbed on the journey while, on the contrary, we could take the other
route without any danger, we should still not be indifferent about the choice we make,
nor should we fall back on the immutable fatality of this decree. Reason dictates that
we choose the route that is usually safer, and our desire should be satisfied by doing
so, no matter what evil may befall us. (xi.–)

Although Descartes does not mention, in this context, the fact that we
have no way of knowing the decrees of divine Providence, his argument
assumes such ignorance on our part. He concludes, therefore, that we
should always follow what seems, on the evidence available, to be the most
reasonable course of action. In doing so, we govern our own desires in
accordance with our reason, even if the unpredictable outcome turns out
to be worse than what would have resulted from a different choice.
This framework of divine Providence and natural determinism still left
some room for the interplay of human emotions and desires, which was
the primary topic ofThe Passions of the Soul. One desire that was readily
recognized by anyone familiar with royal families and the trappings of
court life was the desire to be esteemed by others. According to thePassions,
self-esteem is based on goods such as ‘intelligence, beauty, riches, honours,
etc. which are usually valued more in proportion to their scarcity among
people’ (xi.). Descartes defined vanity or pride as unjustified self-
esteem. He conceded that vain people might have some genuine basis for
thinking highly of themselves. However, they would still fall into the vice of
vanity if they thought more highly of themselves than their achievements
deserved.
Descartes’ communications with other scholars during the previous two
decades do not suggest that he suffered fools gladly. Quite the opposite.
When engaged in controversy, he tended to present himself as merely
defending his reputation, searching for the truth impartially, or being
dutiful toward those whom God had established as lawful governors. There
was no hint of recognition, on his part, that he was haughty, arrogant,
or excessively sensitive to criticism. Thus if he had been pressed for an
explanation of the manifestly unreasonable decision to spend the winter in
Sweden, in relatively poor health, Descartes would almost certainly have
offered a morally commendable motive for an adventure that bordered
onrecklessness. For example, he might have appealed to the concept of
duty. Yet it is unclear how an ageing French philosopher could have had
any genuine duty to provide philosophy lessons to a foreign queen who
showed little understanding or appreciation of his work. He might have
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