Cartesian moral philosophy is found in particular in Descartes' Discourse on Method, where the provisional moral maxims are made, It finds its metaphysical basis in the dualism of thinking and bodily substances , a dualism which does not exclude a de facto composition of these in man, which manifests itself in particular in the passions. The other important aspect, linked to the theory of knowledge , concerns the role of error and the definition of freedom , contrasted with two forms offreedom of indifference .
Descartes renews the Platonic thesis according to which "no one does evil willfully": indeed, if it can be a good for the will to go against what the understanding presents to it, it is only so. The evil therefore is both proof of the freedom of the human will, but it's also a simple negation, that is to say proof of imperfection, towards God; but from the human point of view this negation is also a deprivation, that is to say an imperfection, not so much of its nature, but only of its acts
If methodical doubt is beneficial for what concerns theoretical knowledge, the extension of this doubt to practice would paralyze us. But we must act, even in the face of uncertainty. Descartes thus proposes in the Discourse of the method a "morality by provision", while waiting to find better. He thus sets out the following three provisional maxims:
first maxim: custom, observe the religion and customs of one's country and follow what the wisest people actually think;
second maxim: resolution, to carry out the decision with firmness once it has been taken;
third maxim: self-control, seeking rather to overcome oneself rather than fortune.
He will then develop his ideas on morality mainly in his correspondence with Princess Elisabeth and with Queen Christine. He endeavors to formulate therein a method for attaining the supreme good , ie the inner pleasures of the soul , which alone are eternal and founded on truth . For this, it sets out the following means:
To have a clear knowledge of what is good , ie in the first place, to know God , which makes us feel an intellectual love for him;maintain his will firmly and resolutely. If we waste our time wondering about all the elements of our daily life , we will never get anywhere. So we often have to resolve issues without having complete knowledge of them. But, once the decision is made, we must hold fast to our judgment , as long as events do not prove our error to us.
master your passions , and leave what is not in our power, ie knowing how to distinguish between what is not in our power and what is in our power. Only the will is in our power, strictly speaking. This virtue is the cardinal virtue of Cartesianism, it is generosity.
