Letter of Dedication to the Sorbonne
E730636
The "Letter of Dedication to the Sorbonne" is René Descartes’ formal preface to his Meditations, addressed to the theologians of the University of Paris to defend and legitimize his philosophical project.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
open letter
ⓘ
paratext ⓘ philosophical preface ⓘ |
| addressedTo |
Faculty of Theology of the University of Paris
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
theologians of the Sorbonne ⓘ |
| arguesThat |
clear and distinct ideas provide certainty
ⓘ
metaphysical demonstrations can support theology ⓘ proofs of God’s existence are beneficial to theology ⓘ |
| author | René Descartes NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| circulation | printed at the front of the Meditations in early editions ⓘ |
| datePublished | 1641 ⓘ |
| dateWrittenApprox | 1640 ⓘ |
| functionInBook |
to frame the Meditations as orthodox and useful for theology
ⓘ
to introduce and recommend the Meditations ⓘ |
| genre |
philosophical prose
ⓘ
scholarly dedication ⓘ |
| hasForm | epistolary address ⓘ |
| historicalContext |
Catholic theological oversight of philosophy in 17th-century France
ⓘ
post-Reformation debates about faith and reason ⓘ |
| includedIn | first edition of Meditations on First Philosophy ⓘ |
| influencedField |
early modern philosophy
ⓘ
history of theology–philosophy relations ⓘ philosophy of religion ⓘ |
| language | Latin ⓘ |
| mainTheme |
certainty in matters of faith and reason
ⓘ
defense of metaphysics as foundational science ⓘ relationship between philosophy and theology ⓘ |
| mentionsConcept |
God
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
certainty ⓘ soul ⓘ |
| mentionsWork | Meditations on First Philosophy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| openingFormula | formal dedication to the most distinguished theologians of Paris ⓘ |
| partOfWork |
Meditationes de prima philosophia
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Meditations on First Philosophy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| placeOfPublication | Paris NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| purpose |
to defend Descartes’ philosophical project
ⓘ
to legitimize the Meditations before theologians ⓘ to obtain ecclesiastical approval ⓘ to present metaphysical arguments as useful for theology ⓘ to show orthodoxy with Catholic doctrine ⓘ |
| relatedInstitution |
Sorbonne
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
University of Paris NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedPerson | René Descartes NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedWork | Objections and Replies to the Meditations NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| scholarlyReception |
studied as key to understanding Descartes’ theological strategy
ⓘ
used to interpret Descartes’ relation to Catholic orthodoxy ⓘ |
| workType | dedicatory epistle ⓘ |
| writtenBy | René Descartes NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.