Book/Printed Material The Passions of the Soul. Les Passions de l'âme

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About this Item

Title
The Passions of the Soul.
Other Title
Les Passions de l'âme
Summary
Les Passions de l'âme (The passions of the soul) is a treatise on moral philosophy, published in Paris in 1649, in which the philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) theorizes on "the passions," or what contemporary readers would call emotions. Descartes argues that passions are a matter of nature and therefore of the body. They are not inherently bad for the spirit, as long as they are kept in check by morals and free will, which are capable of evaluating the passions. While Descartes continues in a long tradition of theorizing about the passions, his psychological approach is groundbreaking and foreshadows the birth of neurophysiology as a scientific discipline. In the context of the mechanistic view of life that was gaining popularity in 17th century science, Descartes perceived the body as an autonomous machine; hence his physiological approach to the passions of the soul. Passions no longer are perceived as illnesses, but rather as natural manifestations, the workings of which Descartes seeks to explain. Descartes had been exchanging letters with Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia about various philosophical subjects, one of which was the question of morals. This treatise on the passions of the soul is the fruit of that correspondence.
Contributor Names
Descartes, René, 1596-1650 Author.
Created / Published
Paris : H. Legras, 1649.
Subject Headings
-  France
-  1649
-  Emotions
-  Ethics
-  Mind and body
-  Psychology
Notes
-  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
-  Original resource extent: 286 pages.
-  Original resource at: National Library of France.
-  Content in French.
-  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
Medium
1 online resource.
Digital Id
https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.14786
Library of Congress Control Number
2021666986
Online Format
compressed data
pdf
image
LCCN Permalink
https://lccn.loc.gov/2021666986
Additional Metadata Formats
MARCXML Record
MODS Record
Dublin Core Record
IIIF Presentation Manifest
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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Descartes, René, Author. The Passions of the Soul. Paris: H. Legras, 1649. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666986/.

APA citation style:

Descartes, R. (1649) The Passions of the Soul. Paris: H. Legras. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021666986/.

MLA citation style:

Descartes, René, Author. The Passions of the Soul. Paris: H. Legras, 1649. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021666986/>.

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