Augustinian - Cartesian Index: Texts and Commentary

Since the publication of Etienne Gilson's magisterial study, La Liberté chez Descartes et la théologie, in 1913, Cartesian scholars have been trying to determine the extent of Augustine's influence on Descartes. Zbigniew Janowski's Augustinian-Cartesian Index brings what seems to be a definitive answer. In his Index Janowski shows page by page, in Latin and in the English translation, the passages in the Meditations that find their counterparts in the Augustinian corpus. In his meticulous commentary the author analyzes Augustine's role in the formation and development of Descartes's philosophy. There are also two appendixes with borrowings from Thomas Aquinas and Bacon, and a short essay on the role Bacon played in the transformation of Cartesian metaphysics. The Augustinian-Cartesian Index is a major contribution to the understanding of the origins of modern philosophy and Augustinian tradition in the seventeenth century. It will become a standard reference tool.