Difference between revisions of "Descartes Unknown Letter to Mersenne 1641"
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6 1. The passage of my response to the theologian where you find lack in the sense is Quin imo etiam hic addam, quod tamen ante non scripsi, nequidem ad secundam ullam causam deveniri, sed omnino illam in qua tantùm potentiae est ut rem extra sepositam conservet, tanto magis se ipsam suâ propriâ potentiâ conservare, atque adeo a se esse.? Where ie do not see any lack in the meaning and it is not necessary to possess itself as you beg but simply to be, because this is a question an detur progressus in infinitum inquirendo in causas conservatrices rerum creatarum, and I say that so much that we can go from one cause to another to infinity, that even we can not come from the first to a second, but that this first that has the power to keep something outside of soy aussy <-1a> all the power to preserve and therefore <+is> A se <—esse>,9 that is to say is God. 2. A little after where ie dis quaestio erat utrum in idea quam formamus de Deo aliquid reale contineatur, vel sola rei negatio, ut forte in idea frigoris nihil aliud est quam negatio caloris, qua de re nullum dubium esse potest,10 the meaning is that it is a question of scavoir if there is something real in the idea of God or not as there is perhaps nothing real, <+etc.><—but> and that there can be no doubt or no difficulty in this question, where it seems to me that the strong oste ambiguity, but for the oster II [2r] even more if This is not printed instead of the words qua de re nullum dubium esse potest ie please make meter qua in quaestione nulla est difficulties. 3. For the comparison of corpus infinitumli that you want to be adioustée in the third objection ab amicis Parisiensibus,1213 it seems to me that it can be inserted in this way, At quemadmodum si daretur infinitum corpus, excluderet alia omnia corpora, ita infinitum in omni genere perfectionis excludit quodlibet aliud etc.14 And in this case instead of these words that are in my response Idemque est de reliquis omnibus quae Deo tribuuntur, etiam de potentiâ,15 pleasese it to measure, Atque hic apparet quam parum ad rem compara sitio corporis infiniti; est propriem peculiaris corporumtas quod unumquodque aliud quodli- | 6 1. The passage of my response to the theologian where you find lack in the sense is Quin imo etiam hic addam, quod tamen ante non scripsi, nequidem ad secundam ullam causam deveniri, sed omnino illam in qua tantùm potentiae est ut rem extra sepositam conservet, tanto magis se ipsam suâ propriâ potentiâ conservare, atque adeo a se esse.? Where ie do not see any lack in the meaning and it is not necessary to possess itself as you beg but simply to be, because this is a question an detur progressus in infinitum inquirendo in causas conservatrices rerum creatarum, and I say that so much that we can go from one cause to another to infinity, that even we can not come from the first to a second, but that this first that has the power to keep something outside of soy aussy <-1a> all the power to preserve and therefore <+is> A se <—esse>,9 that is to say is God. 2. A little after where ie dis quaestio erat utrum in idea quam formamus de Deo aliquid reale contineatur, vel sola rei negatio, ut forte in idea frigoris nihil aliud est quam negatio caloris, qua de re nullum dubium esse potest,10 the meaning is that it is a question of scavoir if there is something real in the idea of God or not as there is perhaps nothing real, <+etc.><—but> and that there can be no doubt or no difficulty in this question, where it seems to me that the strong oste ambiguity, but for the oster II [2r] even more if This is not printed instead of the words qua de re nullum dubium esse potest ie please make meter qua in quaestione nulla est difficulties. 3. For the comparison of corpus infinitumli that you want to be adioustée in the third objection ab amicis Parisiensibus,1213 it seems to me that it can be inserted in this way, At quemadmodum si daretur infinitum corpus, excluderet alia omnia corpora, ita infinitum in omni genere perfectionis excludit quodlibet aliud etc.14 And in this case instead of these words that are in my response Idemque est de reliquis omnibus quae Deo tribuuntur, etiam de potentiâ,15 pleasese it to measure, Atque hic apparet quam parum ad rem compara sitio corporis infiniti; est propriem peculiaris corporumtas quod unumquodque aliud quodli- | ||
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Revision as of 15:08, 1 February 2024
Descartes's Unknown Letter to Mersenne
Mon Reverend Pere, le viens de recevoir vostre letre avec les obiections de Mr Gassendi et 4 feuilles impri-mees de mes Meditations. Mais la premiere feuille n'y est pas, et si vous me l'aviez en-voyée auparavant ainsy que vous m'aviez mandé que vous feriez, par la lettre que i'ay receue il y a 15 iours, elle aura esté perdué car ie n'ay point receu de vos letres il y a 8 iours. L'impression est fort belle, et la forme du livre fort convenable, seulement la marge auroit pû estre un peu plus grande, et i'aurois pû avoir icy de meilleur papier, mais ie n'aurois iamais sceu faire que les distinctions3 y eussent pû estre si bien mises. le remarque bien que c'est vous qui en avez pris le soin, et que ie vous ay en cela comme en une infinité d'autres choses beaucoup d'obligation. Il est vray que ie ne puis dire s'il n'y a point de fautes à l'impression à cause que ie ne les ay pas toutes leuès, n'ayant encore eu de tems depuis vos letres receuës que pour parcourir les longues obiections de M' Gassendi, lesquelles ie suis fort ayse d'avoir, et elles seront ce me semble fort propres pour estre imprimées en leur rang comme les autres, car son style et ses conceptions se-ront agreables au lecteur, et il a plusieurs pensées qui pourroient peutestre venir à d'au-tres, et i'espere que les responses que i'y feray serviront beaucoup à faire qu'on entende mon sens et qu'on remarque combien il est esloigné des opinions de ceux qui me repre-nent. I'y respondray le plus brievement que ie pourray mais elles sont si longues que ie ne croy pas que ie doive prendre moins de 15 iours ou 3 semaines II [1v] de terme pour cela.4 Et ie vous prie de me mander s'il sera necessaire que ie vous renvoye ses obiec-tions car elles grossiroient fort le pacquet, et Mr de Zuylichem estant maintenant en l'armée ie ne vous le puis envoyer par luy.5 En tout cas ie vous prie d'avoir soin qu'on 3 The textual mark-up, cf. Descartes to Mersenne, 23 June 1641, AT III, 386/CM X, 672. 4 Descartes sent the last part of his reply to Gassendi's objections to Mersenne on 23 June. The first part of his reply was sent on 16 June presumably (cf. AT III, 384/CM X, 672).
Receive at home in 2 or 3 weeks the package as big as it can be, and to use you about the enclosed ticket in this letter.
6 1. The passage of my response to the theologian where you find lack in the sense is Quin imo etiam hic addam, quod tamen ante non scripsi, nequidem ad secundam ullam causam deveniri, sed omnino illam in qua tantùm potentiae est ut rem extra sepositam conservet, tanto magis se ipsam suâ propriâ potentiâ conservare, atque adeo a se esse.? Where ie do not see any lack in the meaning and it is not necessary to possess itself as you beg but simply to be, because this is a question an detur progressus in infinitum inquirendo in causas conservatrices rerum creatarum, and I say that so much that we can go from one cause to another to infinity, that even we can not come from the first to a second, but that this first that has the power to keep something outside of soy aussy <-1a> all the power to preserve and therefore <+is> A se <—esse>,9 that is to say is God. 2. A little after where ie dis quaestio erat utrum in idea quam formamus de Deo aliquid reale contineatur, vel sola rei negatio, ut forte in idea frigoris nihil aliud est quam negatio caloris, qua de re nullum dubium esse potest,10 the meaning is that it is a question of scavoir if there is something real in the idea of God or not as there is perhaps nothing real, <+etc.><—but> and that there can be no doubt or no difficulty in this question, where it seems to me that the strong oste ambiguity, but for the oster II [2r] even more if This is not printed instead of the words qua de re nullum dubium esse potest ie please make meter qua in quaestione nulla est difficulties. 3. For the comparison of corpus infinitumli that you want to be adioustée in the third objection ab amicis Parisiensibus,1213 it seems to me that it can be inserted in this way, At quemadmodum si daretur infinitum corpus, excluderet alia omnia corpora, ita infinitum in omni genere perfectionis excludit quodlibet aliud etc.14 And in this case instead of these words that are in my response Idemque est de reliquis omnibus quae Deo tribuuntur, etiam de potentiâ,15 pleasese it to measure, Atque hic apparet quam parum ad rem compara sitio corporis infiniti; est propriem peculiaris corporumtas quod unumquodque aliud quodli-