Abstract

The essay scrutinizes the medial preconditions of Descartes' notions of truth and certainty. The metaphorical exchange between Descartes' epistemology and his contributions to optical theory is conceived as a both-way traffic. Just as imaginations from the realm of visual perception affect the philosophical notion of truth, so the epistemological demand of a »clear and distinct« perception regulates the fashioning of the physical theories of vision and light