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178Proofs for the Existence of GodIn Stephen Gaukroger (ed.), The Blackwell to Descartes’ Meditations, Blackwell. pp. 104--121. 2006.We argue that Descartes’s theistic proofs in the ’Meditations’ are much simpler and straightforward than they are traditionally taken to be. In particular, we show how the causal argument of the "Third Meditation" depends on the intuitively innocent principle that nothing comes from nothing, and not on the more controversial principle that the objective reality of an idea must have a cause with at least as much formal reality. We also demonstrate that the so-called ontological "argument" of the …Read more
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110The Correspondence Between Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia and René Descartes (review) (review)Journal of the History of Philosophy 46 (4): 642-643. 2008.Descartes’s correspondence with Elisabeth is among the most important we have for understanding the philosophical thought of a canonical figure. Elisabeth’s perspicacious queries drew forth Descartes’s very famous elaboration of mind/body union. The correspondence also contains the bulk of Descartes’s important statements on morality—a topic touched on only briefly in his books. It seems likely that this part of the correspondence helped set Descartes on the course that resulted in his last book…Read more
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94Some issues surrounding the reduction of macroeconomics to microeconomicsPhilosophy of Science 51 (4). 1984.This paper examines the relationship between modern theories of microeconomics and macroeconomics and, more generally, it evaluates the prospects of theoretically reducing macroeconomics to microeconomics. Many economists have shown strong interest in providing "microfoundations" for macroeconomics and much of their work is germane to the issue of theoretical reduction. Especially relevant is the work that has been done on what is called The Problem of Aggregation. On some accounts, The Problem …Read more
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92Cartesian Actualism in the Leibniz-Arnauld CorrespondenceCanadian Journal of Philosophy 23 (4). 1993.The correspondence between Leibniz and Arnauld was judged by Leibniz himself to be very useful for understanding his philosophy. Historians have concurred in this judgment. Leibniz did not find any philosophy of independent interest in the letters Arnauld sent him. Historians have, for the most part, also concurred in this finding. I shall argue that on one set of issues at least — modal metaphysics and free will — Arnauld accomplished more than facilitating Leibnizian elucidations. He held his …Read more
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89How Many Worlds?British Journal for the History of Philosophy 19 (6). 2011.British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Volume 19, Issue 6, Page 1201-1212, December 2011
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81A Companion to Rationalism (edited book)Wiley-Blackwell. 2005.This book is a wide-ranging examination of rationalist thought in philosophy from ancient times to the present day. Written by a superbly qualified cast of philosophers Critically analyses the concept of rationalism Focuses principally on the golden age of rationalism in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries Also covers ancient rationalism, nineteenth-century rationalism, and rationalist themes in recent thought Organised chronologically Various philosophical methods and viewpoints are …Read more
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63Qualities and Simple Ideas: Hume and his Debt to BerkeleyIn Lawrence Nolan (ed.), Primary and secondary qualities: the historical and ongoing debate, Oxford University Press. pp. 216-238. 2011.
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63Book Review:The Construction of Social Reality. John R. Searle (review)Ethics 108 (1): 208-. 1997.
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59Substance and Individuation in Leibniz (review)Philosophical Review 113 (1): 136-139. 2004.Everyone interested in Leibniz ought to read this fine, stimulating book. It is admirably written in the tradition exemplified by the references below and will especially appeal to those familiar with the analytical exposition in those works.
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50Conceptual Distinctions and the Concept of Substance in DescartesProtoSociology 30 192-205. 2013.Descartes’s interrelated theories of attributes and conceptual distinction (or rational distinction) are developed. This follows Nolan (1997) in identifying substances and their attributes as they exist apart from the mind’s concepts. This resource is then used to articulate a solution to a famous problem about Descartes’s concept of substance. The key is that the concept of substance is itself to be regarded as an attribute of independently existing things.
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46Descartes on the limited usefulness of mathematicsSynthese 196 (9): 3483-3504. 2019.Descartes held that practicing mathematics was important for developing the mental faculties necessary for science and a virtuous life. Otherwise, he maintained that the proper uses of mathematics were extremely limited. This article discusses his reasons which include a theory of education, the metaphysics of matter, and a psychologistic theory of deductive reasoning. It is argued that these reasons cohere with his system of philosophy.
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43Argument and Persuasion in Descartes' Meditations, by David CunningMind 121 (484): 1056-1059. 2012.
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40Meditations on First Philosophy with Selections from the Objections and Replies (review)Teaching Philosophy 10 (4): 353-355. 1987.
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40Review of Alexander Rosenberg: Economics: mathematical politics or science of diminishing returns? (review)Ethics 104 (3): 637-639. 1994.
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38Equilibrium and Macroeconomics, Frank Hahn, Cambridge: MIT Press, 1984, viii + 397pp (review)Economics and Philosophy 2 (1): 148. 1986.
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36Meaning in Spinoza's Method (review)Journal of the History of Philosophy 43 (1): 118-119. 2005.In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:Meaning in Spinoza’s MethodAlan Nelson and Noa SheinAaron V. Garrett. Meaning in Spinoza’s Method. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Pp. xii + 240. Cloth, $60.00.This is a book about some fundamental aspects of Spinoza's mature metaphysics. The principal focus is on Part I of the Ethics concerning infinite substance, and on Part V concerning the intuitive knowledge that is the goal of philosophy. Within this foc…Read more
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34Cognitive economy: An inquiry into the economic dimension of knowledgePhilosophia 23 (1-4): 323-331. 1994.
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32Book Review:The Philosophy of Economics: On the Scope of Reason in Economic Inquiry. Subroto Roy (review)Ethics 101 (4): 883-. 1991.
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30Review of John R. Searle: The Construction of Social Reality (review)Ethics 108 (1): 208-210. 1995.
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