Descartes: A Biography

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 Descartes: A Biography

the text suggested by Arnauld, to facilitate the approval of the Sorbonne.

‘Even if we do not receive it, I am certain that it will not bother me

very much’ (iii.). Two months later, after theMeditationshad been

published, he again thanked Mersenne for his assistance, and then added

the following characteristic comment. ‘For my part, I have known for a

long time that there are fools in the world, and I have such little respect

fortheir judgments that I would be very sorry to lose one moment of my

leisure or my rest in thinking about them’ (iii.). It seems strange that,

only one month after the book was published and before he had even seen

a copy, he claims to have put it completely out of his mind.

However, despite such face-saving denials, the failure to obtain the

Sorbonne’s approval continued to weigh on his mind. Four months later

(January), he wrote to Father Gibieuf, whom he had hoped might

swaythe Sorbonne in his favour, about the small number of theologians

who had supported his cause, including Arnauld. ‘My hope was not to

get their collective approval. I knew very well and I predicted, a long time

ago,that my thoughts would not be to the liking of the multitude and

that, wherever a majority rules, my ideas would be promptly condemned’

(iii.). Neither claim is true. Had Descartes received an ecclesiastical

endorsement, there is no doubt that he would have exploited it fully when

the second edition was published.

The first edition of theMeditationswas published by Michael Soly in

Paris. The complexity of the publishing project is reflected in the final

product. While Descartes was in Leiden and Mersenne was soliciting

sets of objections from his friends in Paris, the author lost control of the

book. This applies especially to the many detailed corrections that would

normally have been done, in the seventeenth century, by showing page

proofs to the author in the course of printing. The most obvious feature

of the Soly edition is the number of printer’s errors. Descartes claimed

that he was not very concerned about them, but he cannot have been

happy with the final product.The publisher seems to have experienced

financial problems in the course of completing the work, which may explain

the extraordinary delay in providing Descartes with copies of his book.

Soly had promised to supply one hundred copies, but five months after

publication Descartes had still not received even one copy.They were to

arrive eventually only in May.Longbefore then, however, Descartes

had decided to have a second edition printed ‘in this country’ (iii.),

and he agreed to have it done by Elzevier in Amsterdam and Leiden.