History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 492 Changing By Degrees: French Scholasticism
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May 3, 2026 University philosophy adapting to Cartesianism and the new science. Longstanding scholastic debates on being, forms, essence, individuation, and matter without form. Tensions over heliocentrism, the Tychonic alternative, and responses to Descartes. Institutional shifts: Oratorian trials, Paris Academy experiments, and the move from unified scientia to specialized empirical science.
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Descartes Tried To Persuade Not Alienate Scholastics
- Descartes sought to engage scholastic audiences, using scholastic terminology and soliciting objections from university scholars.
- He consulted Mersenne and praised Eustachius' Compendium, showing effort to persuade rather than simply oppose scholastics.
Two Jean-Baptistes Show Mixed Responses To Cartesianism
- Peter Adamson contrasts two Parisian Jean-Baptistes: Morin who warned against new doctrines yet praised experimentation, and Duhamel who endorsed mechanistic explanations while upholding ancient teachings.
- Both exemplify the mixed, conciliatory attitudes toward Cartesianism in Paris.
Religious Institutions Split Over Cartesian Teaching
- Institutional reactions varied: the Oratory initially embraced Cartesian thought but later banned Descartes' physics in 1678 after internal controversy.
- Bernard Lamy praised Descartes, yet the Oratory disciplined colleagues and formally restricted Cartesian teaching.