Introduction

Abstract

The introduction gives a brief overview of some important developments in recent scholarship on René Descartes and Baruch Spinoza. It is argued that there has been a shift of focus, away from Descartes-the-dualist towards an interest in Descartes’ ethics and his conception of the human being as a union of mind and body. This turn has also given rise to new perspectives on the relations between Descartes and Spinoza. After having presented the area of research covered by the volume, the introduction offers short presentations of the individual chapters. These are divided into three parts: the first part focusing on different features of Cartesian persons; the second discussing different aspects of ideas, knowledge, and reality in Descartes and Spinoza; and the final part examining how the two philosophers conceptualize will, virtue, generosity, and love.