Abstract

This essay explores the question of a possible difference between innate and implanted ideas in the Regulae ad directionem ingentii. I maintain that, in this work, in order to avoid metaphysical difficulties in his account of error, Descartes introduces intothe mind an implanted ability which, while allowing for universal science, does not inherently rely on external objects for verification. Such a solution suspends metaphysicsin favor of epistemology