Vadana Mihai-Dragos | University of Bucharest (original) (raw)

Papers by Vadana Mihai-Dragos

Meditation, sensing and the knowledge of material things in Descartes' sixth Meditation. Descarte... more Meditation, sensing and the knowledge of material things in Descartes' sixth Meditation. Descartes' metaphysics exposed in Meditationes de prima philosophia (1641) could be seen as a circular arc that begins and ends with the sense experience. In the first two Meditationes, the meditating subject doubts the validity of sense experience and negates the existence of material things. In the last Meditatio, the existence of material things is clearly demonstrated through the senses while their knowledge is attributed to the intellect alone. This paper focuses on Meditatio sexta and reconstructs it on the basis of the exercise of metaphysical meditation. In this light, I will show how this exercice functions in emphasizing the sensing of material things phenomenon. The phenomenon of sensing is, I shall argue, Descartes' clear demonstration for the existence of material things. Secondly, I examine various subjects Descartes treats in Meditatio sexta and explain why his redefinition of knowledge of material things as intellectual knowledge involves an exercise of metaphysical meditation. Meditation and sensing, meditation and intellectual knowledge are two premises that establish the meditative character of the ending part of Descartes' metaphysical arc.

In his major metaphysical oeuvre from 1641, Meditationes de Prima Philosophia, Descartes insisted... more In his major metaphysical oeuvre from 1641, Meditationes de Prima Philosophia, Descartes insisted numerous times on the need to meditari and abducere mentem a sensibus et ab praejudiciis for anyone willing to read his book. Modern scholars still debate on how meditari and abducere function in the Meditationes, even though it is generally held that meditari refers to a certain spiritual exercise, whereas abducere is an act intended to give access to metaphysical objects. Meditari and abducere are thus seen as distinct and separated. This paper proposes a perspective on meditari and abducere as both distinct and integrated within Descartes' metaphysical meditation. I focus on Descartes' Meditatio Quinta and I address the question whether it engages a specific exercise of metaphysical meditation. My thesis is that the different modes of attention exercised by the one who meditates fulfill the characteristics of an exercise of metaphysical meditation. In this respect, I reveal the acts and the modes of attention through which the meditating subject determines the essence of material things. Secondly, I rely on those modes of attention to argue for a functional analogy between the idea of Ens summe perfectum and mathematical ideas. Along the way, I emphasize why the modes of attention in Meditatio Quinta function in the sense of a metaphysical meditation.

The theological aspect of the dispute between the modern philosopher René Descartes, and the Calv... more The theological aspect of the dispute between the modern philosopher René Descartes, and the Calvinist theologian, Gisbertus Voetius, remains a chapter insufficiently explored in Cartesian studies. This paper highlights a set of objections on natural theology addressed by Descartes and Voetius to each other. It shows and expands the common ground Descartes and Voetius held within natural theology. It argues that their contrasting views revolved mainly around the limits of natural theology. For Voetius, natural theology is extrinsically limited by the revealed God, the external principle of faith. For Descartes, metaphysics or natural theology is intrinsically limited by the incomprehensible idea of the Infinite.

In Mircea Florian’s philosophy, the object of traditional metaphysics is critically disqualified ... more In Mircea Florian’s philosophy, the object of traditional metaphysics is critically disqualified in order to establish the given in general as a new beginning for philosophical thinking. In spite of this explicit departure, Florian’s philosophy of given is still being interpreted as a metaphysical thinking. This paper analyzes Florian’s concept of given and establishes several distinct figures of this concept. It compares them with the ontological and theological objects of traditional metaphysics. It shows that the figures of given work with an ontological postulate while removing an ontological project. On this basis, the author argues that the philosophy of given is both dependent and different from traditional metaphysics. Moreover, the author confirms his thesis with regard to the ontological conception of knowledge, one of Florian’s main theme of interest.

Recessivity as hypostasis of the regulative judicative. The constitutive judicative and the regul... more Recessivity as hypostasis of the regulative judicative. The constitutive judicative and the regulative judicative are two concepts introduced by Viorel Cernica in Judgment and time. The phenomenology of the judicative (2013). The constitutive judicative analyzes the formal structure of judgment (S-P) and its constitutive function for every subject of experience. The regulative judicative explores the judicative discourse in order to identify logical rules, patterns, structures which are not originated in the formal structure of judgment. The regulative judicative pretends also to open a new chapter in the current philosophical research. This present study adds a contribution to this chapter. Its main purpose is to interpret the concept of recessivity within the domain of regulative judicative. The recessivity, itself, is introduced by Mircea Florian in Recessivity as structure of world (1983, 1987), and it refers to a structure or relation specific to a certain set of notions. The first part of this study identifies the logical topos of those notions and it describes them in relation to other types of notions belonging to that topos. The second part describes the synthesis or the unity of those notions. The last part applies the concept of recessivity to the notions of finite and infinite. Contributions to regulative judicative deal with: the “intemporal” characteristic of the recessive notions, the recessive unity as phenomenon of coupling through affectivity of absence and the recessive notion of infinite and non-judicative finite-infinite experience.

The meditation of abstineo in Descartes' Fourth Meditation. This study addresses the question whe... more The meditation of abstineo in Descartes' Fourth Meditation. This study addresses the question whether Descartes' Fourth Meditation engages a specific exercise of meditation. In spite of a wide interpretation held within the Cartesian Studies which views the Fourth Meditation rather as a treatise, I argue that the act of abstineo is the meditative exercise that one can find in Descartes' Fourth Meditation. The first part of this study describes what is to be required in order to search for an exercise of meditation in Descartes' Meditations. The second part shows that abstineo is a judicative-volitional act that confirms the exercise of a meditation. Moreover, the judicative-volitional abstineo is shown to be a part of the general rule of truth established in the Fourth Meditation. In the third part, I argue that the Descartes' approach on error in relation to the divine veracity is not formulated in terms of theodicy. Descartes' approach is one of submission and gratitude, inspired by the meditative act of abstineo. All these premises emphasize the meditative character of Descartes' Fourth Meditation. Keywords: abstineo, abducere, the general rule of truth, the divine veracity, Descartes.

On the Meaning and the Role of Descartes' Meditations. Ever since 1930, Étienne Gilson drew atten... more On the Meaning and the Role of Descartes' Meditations. Ever since 1930, Étienne Gilson drew attention to the discrepancy between Descartes' abstract metaphysics and the form of meditation in which it is exposed. Through meditation, Descartes' metaphysics tends to become an exercise that engages the whole subjectivity of someone willing to pursue it on its own. Subsequent studies have confirmed or rejected this observation. On Gilson's side, in this article I aim to redefine the meaning and the role of Descartes' meditations. I take as a starting point Descartes' explicit reference to the "meditation" as "abducere mentem a sensibus et ab praejudiciis". I show that doubt, negation, admiration are truly exercises of abducere. I show that Descartes uses these exercises in order to conceive the fundaments of his metaphysics.

Această scurtă lucrare a rezultat din participarea mea la cursul doctoral Etica nicomahică a lui ... more Această scurtă lucrare a rezultat din participarea mea la cursul doctoral Etica nicomahică a lui Aristotel, ţinut de dl prof. Valentin Mureşan. Aş dori să îi mulţumesc pe această cale. Ţin să îi mulţumesc, de asemenea, dlui prof. Viorel Cernica pentru sugestiile fine oferite pe marginea celor scrise aici. Precizez însă că orice neajuns trebuie pus pe seama mea.

Book Reviews by Vadana Mihai-Dragos

Stă, pesemne, în felul de a fi al vieţii omeneşti de a cuprinde, în chip unitar, practicile, gând... more Stă, pesemne, în felul de a fi al vieţii omeneşti de a cuprinde, în chip unitar, practicile, gândurile, rostirile, laolaltă cu fel de fel de reguli, motivaţii, mijloace, rezultate. Nu poate fi greu de crezut că unele practici îşi dovedesc eficienţa sporită în faţa altor practici, ceea ce stârneşte într-o oarecare măsură gândirea să de-a seama de ele, să le justifice. Acest interes al gândirii se dovedeşte a fi, în fapt, un veritabil fenomen. Gândirea, prinsă iniţial în unităţile de viaţă, alături de practici şi rostiri, se desprinde de acestea şi se întoarce asupra sa, se ia pe sine drept obiect. Gândire a gândirii sau gândire trecută în registru reflexiv – aceasta devine formală. Instituirea gândirii formale este fenomenul întoarcerii gândirii asupra sa pentru a impune, ulterior, propriile condiţii de preluare şi prelucrare a oricărui fapt uman. În termeni presocratici, cel care adună la sine gândirea, rostirea şi făptuirea este logos-ul. În aceiaşi termeni, instituirea gândirii formale echivalează trecerii logos-ului în condiţia logos-ului formal. Dacă logos-ul neîmpărţit este originea originară ce constituie şi reglează orice fapt al vieţii omului în propriul orizont de manifestare, logos-ul formal se substituie acestuia şi devine origine non-originară care, odată instituit, prelucrează şi autorizează orice fapt uman. Odată consumată această trecere, această veritabilă împărţire, logos-ul formal constituie adevărata " viaţă omenească " , numai că ceea ce rămâne în afara sa, neautorizat fiind, nu este mai puţin omenesc.

Translations by Vadana Mihai-Dragos

Books by Vadana Mihai-Dragos

Descartes présente sa métaphysique de Meditationes de Prima Philosophia (1641) sous la forme d'un... more Descartes présente sa métaphysique de Meditationes de Prima Philosophia (1641) sous la forme d'une méditation. Une simple lecture nous montre, en effet, un texte divisé en six unités thématiques et temporelles, un auteur engagé en son discours et plusieurs indications sur la durée ou la manière de parcourir le texte. Mais ce qui attire l'attention de l'exégète cartésien reste plutôt l'association entre l'acte de méditer (meditari), l'acte de détacher sa pensée par rapport aux sens et aux préjugés (abducere mentis a sensibus et ab praejudiciis) et les objets métaphysiques. Meditari, abducere et métaphysique sont des termes introduits solidairement par Descartes dans la Praefatio ad Lectorem de Meditationes, et leur occurrence descend dans la correspondance cartésienne suscitée par la publication du Discours de la méthode, dans la quatrième partie métaphysique du Discours (1637), dans la correspondance métaphysique de 1630, jusqu'à « un petit traité » commencé par Descartes en 1629, pendant les premiers neuf mois obscurs de son retrait aux Pays-Bas.