Single Idea 21800

[catalogued under 15. Nature of Minds / C. Capacities of Minds / 1. Faculties]

Full Idea

Although Descartes accepted a variety of cognitive faculties like the intellect, will, power of judgement, imagination, memory, and perception, he took them all to be ultimately reducible to different operations of the will and intellect.

Gist of Idea

Descartes mentions many cognitive faculties, but reduces them to will and intellect

Source

report of René Descartes (Meditations [1641], 4) by Stephan Schmid - Faculties in Early Modern Philosophy 2

Book Reference

'The Faculties: a history', ed/tr. Perler,Dominic [OUP 2015], p.159


A Reaction

In Med 4, it is most clear, when he reduces 'judgement' to will and intellect, which enable his to assent to an idea. Nietzsche saw Descartes' view as simplistic.

Related Idea

Idea 2857 Since Plato all philosophers have followed the herd, except Descartes, stuck in superficial reason [Nietzsche on Descartes]