Descartes — Reader of St. Augustine

Abstract

As I show in the previous chapters, some of the problems of Cartesian metaphysics that have traditionally been considered to be insoluble or contradictory disappear when examined through the prism of Augustinian categories. The claim that Descartes’ philosophy can be properly understood against the background of Augustinian metaphysics is, however, tantamount to saying that there exists a genetic link between the two thinkers, not merely a conceptual resemblance. If so, it is natural to wonder whether Descartes in fact built and developed his metaphysics along the lines of St. Augustine’s theology.¹

If you know something, it is completely yours, even if you have learnt it from someone else. Descartes, Letter to Beekman