Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Purifications (frags)', 'The Passions of the Soul' and 'What do powers do when they are not manifested?'

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8 ideas

8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 2. Powers as Basic

17996	Powers are claimed to be basic because fundamental particles lack internal structure [Psillos]
	Full Idea: The argument for fundamental powers is that fundamental particles are simple, without internal structure. Hence they have no parts which can be the bearers of further properties (powers or non-powers) which in turn ground the properties of the particles.
	From: Stathis Psillos (What do powers do when they are not manifested? [2006], p.151), quoted by Anna Marmodoro - Do powers need powers to make them powerful? 'The Problem'
	A reaction: If a power is basic, what has the power? I think the best answer is that at the fundamental level this is a false dichotomy. If you could zoom in, you would say that basic substance is active in a way that everyday stuff doesn't appear to be.

17. Mind and Body / A. Mind-Body Dualism / 2. Interactionism

3654	The pineal gland links soul to body, and unites the two symmetrical sides of the body [Descartes, by PG]
	Full Idea: The soul is united with the body in just one place, a gland (the pineal) in the centre of the brain. It is placed so that its slightest movement will affect the passions, and it plays the essential role of uniting the two symmetrical sides of the body.
	From: report of René Descartes (The Passions of the Soul [1649], §31) by PG - Db (ideas)
	A reaction: See Idea 4862 for Spinoza's nice response to Descartes' proposal. If Descartes had followed brain research for the last four hundred years, at what point would he have wavered? If every single part of the brain seems to 'interact', dualism looks unlikely.

18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 3. Emotions / c. Role of emotions

4015	For Descartes passions are God-given preservers of the mind-body union [Descartes, by Taylor,C]
	Full Idea: Descartes sees passions not as opinions, but as functional devices that the Creator has designed for us to help preserve the body-soul substantial union.
	From: report of René Descartes (The Passions of the Soul [1649]) by Charles Taylor - Sources of the Self §8
	A reaction: I wonder what Descartes would have made of the theory of evolution?

18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 3. Emotions / e. Basic emotions

4313	Are there a few primary passions (say, joy, sadness and desire)? [Descartes, by Cottingham]
	Full Idea: Descartes says there are six primary passions (wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy and sadness); Spinoza says there are just three (joy, sadness and desire).
	From: report of René Descartes (The Passions of the Soul [1649]) by John Cottingham - The Rationalists p.172
	A reaction: A dubious project. However, it is now agreed that there are a few (six?) basic universal facial expressions, to which these passions may correspond.

23989	There are six primitive passions: wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy and sadness [Descartes, by Goldie]
	Full Idea: Descartes said there are six primitive passions, namely wonder, love, hatred, desire, joy and sadness. The others are either species of these, or composed of them.
	From: report of René Descartes (The Passions of the Soul [1649], 353) by Peter Goldie - The Emotions 4 'Evidence'
	A reaction: [not sure about ref] It's a nice touch to add 'wonder', which doesn't make it onto anyone else's list.

20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / b. Volitionism

20037	Merely willing to walk leads to our walking [Descartes]
	Full Idea: Our merely willing to walk has the consequence that our legs move and we walk.
	From: René Descartes (The Passions of the Soul [1649], 18), quoted by Rowland Stout - Action 1 'Volitionism'
	A reaction: Stout attributes this to Descartes' dualism, as if legs are separate from persons. Stout says the idea of a prior mental act is not usually now considered as part of an action, or even to exist at all. If the volition is intentional, there is a regress.

22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / e. Death

16763	We don't die because the soul departs; the soul departs because the organs cease functioning [Descartes]
	Full Idea: We ought to hold, on the contrary, that the soul takes its leave when we die only because this heat ceases and the organs that bring about bodily movement decay.
	From: René Descartes (The Passions of the Soul [1649], I.5), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 24.5
	A reaction: This sounds like a pretty major change in our concept of death, given that we all now agree with Descartes.

23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / a. Virtues

4016	Descartes makes strength of will the central virtue [Descartes, by Taylor,C]
	Full Idea: Descartes makes strength of will the central virtue.
	From: report of René Descartes (The Passions of the Soul [1649]) by Charles Taylor - Sources of the Self §8
	A reaction: Presumably strength of will can serve evil ends, so this is a bit confusing.