Descartes and the Danger of Irresolution
Essays in Philosophy 14 (2):162-178 (2013)
Abstract
Descartes's approach to practical judgments about what is beneficial or harmful, or what to pursue or avoid, is almost exactly the opposite of his approach to theoretical judgments about the true nature of things. Instead of the cautious skepticism for which Descartes is known, throughout his ethical writings he recommends developing the habit of making firm judgments and resolutely carrying them out, no matter how doubtful and uncertain they may be. Descartes, strikingly, takes irresolution to be the source of remorse and repentance, of vice, and of a weak soul. In order to explain its dangerousness, this essay offers an analysis of irresolution as a failure of the will to determine itself to follow a judgment in the face of ignorance or uncertainty. This analysis connects irresolution to weakness of will and explains why Descartes regards resolution as an essential component of virtue.Author's Profile
DOI
10.7710/1526-0569.1470
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Citations of this work
Never Let the Passions Be Your Guide: Descartes and the Role of the Passions.Shoshana Brassfield - 2012 - British Journal for the History of Philosophy 20 (3):459-477.
Generosity, the Cogito, and the Fourth Meditation.Saja Parvizian - 2016 - Res Philosophica 93 (1):219-243.
On the Systematicity of Descartes' Ethics: Generosity, Metaphysics, and Scientia.Saja Parvizian - 2018 - Dissertation, University of Illinois at Chicago
References found in this work
The Philosophical Writings of Descartes: Volume 1.René Descartes - 1984 - Cambridge University Press.
The Abuse of Casuistry: A History of Moral Reasoning.Albert R. Jonsen & Stephen Toulmin - 1988 - University of California Press.
The Abuse of Casuistry: A History of Moral Reasoning.Kenneth W. Kemp - 1988 - Philosophy and Rhetoric 24 (1):76-80.
Never Let the Passions Be Your Guide: Descartes and the Role of the Passions.Shoshana Brassfield - 2012 - British Journal for the History of Philosophy 20 (3):459-477.
Freedom and strength of will: Descartes and Albritton. [REVIEW]Paul Hoffman - 1995 - Philosophical Studies 77 (2-3):241 - 260.