Abstract

The Sacrament of Being: An Attempt to Reconcile Cartesian Metaphysics with the Doctrine of Eucharistic Transubstantiation. ABSTRACT In 1988, Steven Nadler claimed that “the question of the real presence proved to be the most serious difficulty for seventeenth-century Cartesianism.”[1] With this doctrinal difficulty in mind, it is often hard to gauge whether Descartes himself or other early modern Cartesians were genuinely committed to defending the dogmatic elements of the Catholic faith. Many of them simply adopted an attitude of appeasement toward the Holy Office. Initially, this creates a skeptical reading of Descartes’ Eucharistic texts. If he did not genuinely believe, perhaps his arguments are, at best, attempts at appeasement and, at worst, fraudulent. This paper, however, will attempt to give a Cartesian account of transubstantiation, not in order to challenge the Thomistic account, but to enlarge the possibilities for understanding the sacred mysteries. The traditional metaphysical language that surrounds the Eucharist easily creates a barrier for those seeking to understand the doctrine. Perhaps a Cartesian account of the sacrament will lessen that barrier by employing a language that is more accessible in everyday speech, or at the very least create a new forum for discussion. The ultimate hope is that more of the faithful may take part in the critical exploration of the doctrines of the faith. This investigation will examine first the metaphysical implications of the Council of Trent’s definition of Eucharist transubstantiation in the Decree Concerning the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist and then seek to give a Cartesian account of the dogma. This account will engage what Descartes himself said about the Eucharist in a series of letters to Mesland, a letter to Clerselier, an unaddressed letter, and in his Reply to the Fourth Set of Objections. Finally, this paper will attempt to engage some of Descartes’ other correspondence, and the main body of his philosophical works, Meditations, Principles of Philosophy, etc.) in order to arrive at a Cartesian account of transubstantiation that does not merely seek to appease the Church, but one that is solid and sincere. [Word Count: 375] [1] Steven M. Nadler, “Arnauld, Descartes, and Transubstantiation: Reconciling Cartesian Metaphysics and Real Presence,” Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 49, No. 2 : 246.