FICTIONS OF THE WORLD IN DESCARTES’ AND GASSENDI’S PHYSICS Both Gassendi and Descartes used fables in order to
account for the formation of the world. The first aim of this paper is to argue
that, in both cases, the use of fiction does not merely wish to avoid
competing with the account of Genesis. On the contrary, fiction appears to
be a proper conceptual tool. Subsequently, I will claim that Gassendi’s and
Descartes’ fables of the world, in spite of their resemblances, serve rather
different goals: Gassendi used the fictional account to underline the limits of
the physical explanation in cosmology, while Descartes used his fable to
account for the functioning of the world.
FICTIONS OF THE WORLD IN DESCARTES’ AND GASSENDI’S PHYSICS.

SOCIETATE ŞI POLITICĂ

Volum 5 | Număr 10 | Publicat la 15/11/2011 | ISSN  1843-1348 | eISSN  2067-7812

Autori:
Alexandra TORERO-IBAD [1]
[1] Université de Liège, Département de philosophie, Place du XX Août, 7, 4000 Liège, Belgium
Rezumat
Both Gassendi and Descartes used fables in order to
account for the formation of the world. The first aim of this paper is to argue
that, in both cases, the use of fiction does not merely wish to avoid
competing with the account of Genesis. On the contrary, fiction appears to
be a proper conceptual tool. Subsequently, I will claim that Gassendi’s and
Descartes’ fables of the world, in spite of their resemblances, serve rather
different goals: Gassendi used the fictional account to underline the limits of
the physical explanation in cosmology, while Descartes used his fable to
account for the functioning of the world.
Cuvinte cheie:
Fable of the world, René Descartes, The World, Discourse in the Method, Principles of philosophy, Pierre Gassendi, Syntagma philosophicum
©   UEFISCDI 2010
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