Descartes Reinvented

This study rehabilitates unpopular views in analytic philosophy, serving as an interpretation of unreconstructed Cartesianism.

This study seeks to rehabilitate views that are highly unpopular in analytic philosophy. Sorell offers an interpretation of unreconstructed Cartesianism whilst also aiming to bridge the gap between history of philosophy and analytic philosophy, showing for the first time how some contemporary analytic philosophy is deeply Cartesian.In this study, Tom Sorell seeks to rehabilitate views that are often instantly dismissed in analytic philosophy. His book serves as a reinterpretation of Cartesianism and responds directly to the dislike of Descartes in contemporary philosophy. To identify what is defensible in Cartesianism, Sorell starts with a picture of unreconstructed Cartesianism, which is characterized as realistic, antisceptical but respectful of scepticism, rationalist, centered on the first person, dualist, and dubious of the comprehensiveness of natural science and its supposed independence of metaphysics. Bridging the gap between history of philosophy and analytic philosophy, Sorell also shows for the first time how some contemporary analytic philosophy is deeply Cartesian, despite its outward hostility to Cartesianism.