Abstract

GUENANCIA, Pierre. Descartes and the idea of man. Imperfection and perfection of man. Educação e Filosofia [online]. 2020, vol.34, n.72, pp.1055-1076.  Epub Feb 03, 2022. ISSN 1982-596X.  https://doi.org/10.14393/revedfil.v34n72a2020-59278.

The author notes that, on the one hand, Descartes refers to a very broad, but also common and current understanding of man, and on the other that man cannot be identified nor with the body , neither to the soul, nor even to the union of body and soul. When we speak of human nature, it carries the character of a limited perfection, the particularity of which is the ability to have free will. The notion of man as the subject of (non) perfection is based on an idea which is defined in relation to the idea of ​​infinity in the form of the aspiration to be more perfect. The exercise of free will is joined concretely to an effort of attention and vigilance which makes it possible to avoid erroneous judgment. The thesis above then develops in three points. First, reason presents itself as a universal instrument of man who in turn appears to be versatile, using it and being able to adapt to the most diverse situations. Second, specifically human perfection will mean the ability to exercise doubt and use cognitive assumptions and probabilities. Among other things, this means that in order to acquire perfection, you have to recognize your own imperfection. Finally, thirdly, the ability to use free will properly leads to the definition of man as generous, where man is understood more in the moral sense than in the metaphysical sense.

Keywords : Man; Perfection; Finitude; Attention; Free will; Generosity.

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