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CATEGORIES:Departmental Seminars in History and Philosophy of
  Science
SUMMARY:From Kepler's optics to Spinoza's politics: Descar
 tes' turn to the passions - Ofer Gal (University o
 f Sydney)
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20190606T153000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20190606T170000
UID:TALK117691AThttp://talks.cam.ac.uk
URL:http://talks.cam.ac.uk/talk/index/117691
DESCRIPTION:In 1604 Kepler published his _Optical Part of Astr
 onomy_\, dramatically changing the role of optics 
 and the fundamental concept of vision. Instead of 
 a window through which visual rays informed reason
  about its surrounding objects\, the eye became a 
 screen on which light painted images of no inheren
 t cognitive value. The naturalization of the sense
 s required a corresponding naturalization of the m
 ind\, which Descartes attempted to offer with a th
 eory of the passions. Kepler's optics turned sensa
 tions into purely causal effects\, but the passion
 s\, indicators of benefit and damage to the indivi
 dual\, could provide them with meaning. This was a
  reversal of the traditional epistemological respo
 nsibilities of reason and the passions\, and for S
 pinoza this demanded a reversal of their ethical a
 nd political roles. 'Desire is the very essence of
  man' he stated\, and concluded: 'society can be e
 stablished ... not by reason ... but by _threats_.
 '
LOCATION:Seminar Room 2\, Department of History and Philoso
 phy of Science
CONTACT:Agnes Bolinska
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