Abstract

Weber believes that we err in studying the Regulae as though it were composed with the same "homogeneity and rigor" as the Meditations and Principles. Prior to philosophic interpretation, it is necessary to assign each piece of the text to the historical "phase" in which it was written, that is, to trace the evolution of Descartes' thoughts on method. That this procedure is not barren of consequences for the understanding of the Regulae may be seen from the fact that Weber discovers no less than ten phases of thought and ten methods, and declares that the mathesis universalis has nothing to do with the method. Since Descartes tells us that his posthumous works are written with the "same care" as the published works, we seem bound to conclude that the published works, upon the application of Weber's method, will reveal themselves to be composed as arbitrarily as the Regulae.—H. C.