Rene Descartes; "Les Meditations Methaphysiques"
- Artist/Author/Producer: Rene Descartes(1596-1650)
- Confronting Bodies: The Jesuits
- Dates of action: 1633
- Location: Italy, Soviet Union
- Description of the Art Work
- "Les Meditations Methaphysiques," 1641: a more elaborate development of
the fourth part of the "Discourse," his metaphysical doctrine since the
science of the physical world must, in his view, be based on the absolute
certainty of the real world. Constructed as a single argument, each link
is dependent on the previous in an elaborate "order of reasons."
- Description of incident
- 1633, Holland: Descartes, a devoted Catholic, abandoned his treatise on
Copernican beliefs when he learned that Galileo's treatise had been
suppressed in Rome for supporting Copernicus's hypothesis of the earth
revolving around the sun.
Rome, Italy: Through the influence of Jesuits, this author's work
containing Copernican theories were placed on the Index, and forbidden in
many institution of learning until corrected or expurgated.
- Results of incident
- 1665 Italy-Rome: "Les Meditations Methaphysiques" was placed on the Index
until corrected, as the whole system was opposed of Aristotle.
1926 Soviet Union: All philosophical works suppressed.
1948 Italy-Rome: "Les Meditations Methaphysiques" and six other books
remained on the Index.
Source: Banned Books 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D., by Anne Lyon Haight, and Chandler B.
Grannis, R.R. Bowker Co, 1978.
Record no 162