from the dark dungeon of a despicable body. On

from the dark dungeon of a despicable body. On the
contrary, Descartes seems to have been a man of comparatively broad and sober and down-to-earth nature in several
respects. For instance in his 'Lettre à Elisabeth' of Nov. 3,
1645, we discern the practical citizen of some kind of
Renaissance community, as it were - encouraging a fellow
citizen not to be too punctiiious on certain doctrinary quev
tions. In fact, no one, he admits, has any âssurârìcê âs rêgards the exact condition ín which his soul will find itself
when once separated from the body. So let us keep both
feet on the earth. 'Nous ne devons pas laisser le certain
pour l'incertain.' On the contrary, we should try to be satisfied in this worid of ours. That is always possible. At least
it is possible - and here follows an assumption which
certainly has a far more'philistine' than a rigidly philosophical character - 'pourvu qu'on sache use¡ de la raison' It is
rare, indeed, to hear a dualist philosopher using the word
raison with a ¡irnnctation of aimi-r-.¡ 'common sense'.
Even quite L.ubÌicly, and w'ith great emphasis, Descartes
I'esPri¡-79
points out that the philosophy ir¡ reaches is by no means
'si barbare ni si farouche qu'elle rer:t¡e i'usage des passions'.
'Au contraire', he says,'c'est erì ce seui usage que je mets
It¡ute ia cloucer-rr et 1a félicité de ceiie i'-e.'7S
This personal attitude of an almost sanguine or cy.
ciothyme humanit¡,', right in thc n-ridcìl: of stern Cartesian
speculation, may suggest one explana¡ion of the curious
fact that the concrete being, the being of living flesh and
blood, is still seen to constitute an asiLìnishing part in the
metaphysics of that philosopher. In Descartes's life and
work there certainly is something besicles that cold and
all-consun'ring aspiration towards the theoretical heights
of pure essence. That is, indeed, also rvhat Alquie, an
eminent student of Descartes, has discor-ered:
De la condition humaine, Descartes ne voulut ignorer
les voyages, ni les duels, ni I'amour, ni
l'étude. Aussi, I'exemple qu'il prtptse à Ia Princesse
Elisabeth n'est-il pas celui d'un pur méditatif. d'un ascète
ni la guerre, ni
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