Cartesian truth

by Thomas C. Vinci

This book makes a detailed historical and systematic case that Descartes's theory of knowledge is an elegant and powerful combination of a priori, naturalistic, and dialectical elements meriting serious consideration by both contemporary analytic philosophers and postmodern thinkers. In the course of making this case Thomas Vinci develops a broad reinterpretation of Cartesian thought that unlocks novel solutions to many of the most vexed questions in Cartesian scholarship. Cartesian Truth freshly and keenly explores the interplay between Descartes's philosophy and his psychology. Vinci's emphasis on logical analysis and formal arguments generates a superbly clear interpretation and makes possible a precise assessment of the merits of Cartesian philosophy thus interpreted. Descartes scholars, analytic epistemologists, and postmodern thinkers alike will find this book vital and provocative.