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Work #545 · Late

The Passions of the Soul (Les Passions de l'âme)

René Descartes
1649 · French
Philosophical-psychological treatise · Continental rationalism

Descartes's 1649 foundational treatise on the mind-body union and the six primitive passions

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute The Passions of the Soul (Les Passions de l'âme) (Late)
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Infinite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Partial
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Both
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency Personal
Observer · Moral Authority Reason
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Continuous

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

The Passions of the Soul (Les Passions de l'âme)

The temporal-passional time of the embodied mind.

Space

The Passions of the Soul (Les Passions de l'âme)

The interaction-space of mind and body.

Matter

The Passions of the Soul (Les Passions de l'âme)

The embodied person; mechanism of body.

Observer

The Passions of the Soul (Les Passions de l'âme)

The conscious-rational Cartesian self.

Energy

The Passions of the Soul (Les Passions de l'âme)

Energies of the six primitive passions.

Information

The Passions of the Soul (Les Passions de l'âme)

Cartesian psychology-ethics framework.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

The Passions of the Soul (Les Passions de l'âme)

Cartesian mind-body interaction problem catalyzed Malebranche's occasionalism, Spinoza's parallelism, Leibniz's harmony.