Abstract

Descartes's comments concerning the legitimacy of political power have customarily been viewed as an expression of his agreement with the doctrine of "divine right" of rulers. I argue that Descartes' directives concerning the establishment of political legitimacy are best understood within the context of his larger ethical framework. This interpretation subjects political and social activity to the same moral demands as individual action, the demand that one always put one's best judgments into action "as if" these judgments were metaphysically certain, even though only moral certainty is available in one's practical decisions and actions