The fundamental argument in Cartesian metaphysics. Towards a dialectical interpretation

Abstract

This paper intends to sketch an initial rationale for reading in a dialectical way the “proofs of God’s existence” in Descartes’ Meditations, III and V. As a start, antecedents are mentioned for this kind of interpretation among the commentators, and a remote source for this approach towards basic philosophical problems is traced to the Greek classics. In the second place, I try to show how this argumentative procedure can in principle afford a solution to the well-known riddle of the “Cartesian circle” among other, related, issues (however, no claim is made to provide a detailed reconstruction of the putatively cartesian, dialectical solution to that problem). Finally, a small set of textual points are discussed, to show that attributing a dialectical character to Descartes’ main metaphysical arguments shouldn’t be taken to be implausible at all. I conclude that interpretations of this kind deserve more careful exploration.