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The modern view of causation can be traced back to the mechanistic science of Descartes, whose rejection of Aristotelian physics, with its concept of substantial forms, in favour of mechanical explanation was a turning point in the history of philosophy. However, the reasoning which led Descartes and other early moderns in this direction is not well understood. For the first time, this book traces Descartes' groundbreaking theory of scientific explanation back to the mathematical demonstrations of Aristotelian mechanics and interprets these advances in light of the available arguments for and against substantial forms. It also examines how Descartes' new theory led him to develop a metaphysical foundation for his science that could avoid skeptical objections. It will appeal to a wide range of readers interested in the philosophy and science of the early modern period.
Acknowledgments viii
List of abbreviations x
Introduction 1
Part I Resurrecting The Substantial Form 15
1 Descartes' arguments against the substantial form 16
2 Aquinas' introduction of the substantial form 31
3 Suarez's defense of the substantial form 40
Part II Challenging The Substantial Form 65
4 Sanchez's skeptical humanist attack 69
5 The mechanical alternative to substantial forms 85
6 Cartesian science and the principles of Aristotelian mechanics 120
Part III Eliminating Substantial Forms 155
7 Atoms, modes, and other heresies 160
8 Descartes' metaphysical alternative to substantial forms 186
Conclusion 221
Works cited 226
Index 232
Overview
The modern view of causation can be traced back to the mechanistic science of Descartes, whose rejection of Aristotelian physics, with its concept of substantial forms, in favour of mechanical explanation was a turning point in the history of philosophy. However, the reasoning which led Descartes and other early moderns in this direction is not well understood. For the first time, this book traces Descartes' groundbreaking theory of scientific explanation back to the mathematical demonstrations of Aristotelian ...