Does Descartes belong to metaphysics? What do we mean when we say
metaphysics? These questions form the point of departure for Jean-Luc
Marion's groundbreaking study of Cartesian thought. Analyses of
Descartes' notion of the ego and his idea of God show that if
Descartes represents the fullest example of metaphysics, he no less
transgresses its limits. Writing as philosopher and historian of
philosophy, Marion uses Heidegger's concept of metaphysics to interpret
the Cartesian corpus--an interpretation strangely omitted from
Heidegger's own history of philosophy. This interpretation complicates
and deepens the Heideggerian concept of metaphysics, a concept that has
dominated twentieth-century philosophy. Examinations of Descartes'
predecessors (Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, and Suarez) and his
successors (Leibniz, Spinoza, and Hegel) clarify the meaning of the
Cartesian revolution in philosophy.
Expertly translated by Jeffrey Kosky, this work will appeal to
historians of philosophy, students of religion, and anyone interested in
the genealogy of contemporary thought and its contradictions.