Level 37
1 day < 1 min
LeaderboardGuest · Log in
Modern Philosophy

Cartesian Rationalism and Continental Metaphysics

Descartes's foundational quest for certainty and the rival rationalist systems of Spinoza and Leibniz that reworked his method into competing metaphysics of substance.

60-Second Review

Express review

A condensed, point-by-point summary of the module, for reviewing right before a test or exam.

  1. Descartes's Method of Doubt and the Cogito. Descartes used radical, systematic doubt to strip away all uncertain belief and find one indubitable truth.
  2. Cartesian Dualism and the Mind-Body Problem. Descartes split reality into thinking and extended substance, then struggled to explain their interaction.
  3. Spinoza's Ethics: Substance, God, and Nature. Spinoza's geometrically argued Ethics identifies God with a single infinite substance coextensive with Nature.
  4. Spinoza on Freedom, Affects, and the Geometrical Method. Spinoza redefined freedom as rational self-understanding of necessity, analyzing the emotions with geometrical rigor.
  5. Leibniz's Monadology and the Theory of Pre-Established Harmony. Leibniz analyzed reality into simple, windowless monads whose perceptions are coordinated by pre-established harmony.
  6. Leibniz on the Best of All Possible Worlds and Theodicy. Leibniz argued God necessarily chose, among infinite possible worlds, the single best one compatible with logic.
  7. The Cartesian Circle and Its Critics. Critics charged that Descartes's proof of God and his criterion of clear and distinct ideas presuppose each other.
  8. Malebranche and Occasionalism. Malebranche made God the sole real cause of all events, with created things merely "occasions" for divine action.

This module continues after "The Enlightenment and Kantian Philosophy" in the syllabus. If you haven't reviewed it yet, it may help set the context.

Key points

Visual module map

1Descartes's Method of Doubt and the Cogito
2Spinoza's Ethics: Substance, God, and Nature
3Leibniz's Monadology and the Theory of Pre-Established Harmony
4Leibniz on the Best of All Possible Worlds and Theodicy
5Malebranche and Occasionalism

Alternative visual view: a simplified sequence of some of the module's key points, in their order within the syllabus.

Your module mastery

0% (overall measurement)
Approximate breakdown by skill
Understanding of historiographical debate0%

A rough estimate based on the key points reviewed, not an exact measurement of actual mastery.

Final test

You need to review all key points to unlock the final test.

Optional mini-games

Extra practice, with no penalty, to reinforce the module's content.

Review Flashcards

Review each key point with cards that flip to reveal the summary.

Memory

Match each concept with its definition in as few attempts as possible.

Time Attack

Answer true or false statements before time runs out.

Chronological Order

Put the module's key points back in their original order.

Further reading

Bibliography and cited sources used to create this module.

  • Descartes, R. (1641/1996). Meditations on First Philosophy, with Selections from the Objections and Replies (J. Cottingham, Trans. and Ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Spinoza, B. (1677/1994). A Spinoza Reader: The Ethics and Other Works (E. Curley, Trans. and Ed.). Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  • Leibniz, G.W. (1714/1989). Philosophical Essays (R. Ariew and D. Garber, Trans. and Ed.). Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
  • Rozemond, M. (1998). Descartes's Dualism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Nadler, S. (2006). Spinoza's Ethics: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Jolley, N. (2005). Leibniz. London: Routledge.