The Sequel to the Count of Gabalis

New Conversations

[soul] is immortal, and other things of that nature? And is it not, in this regard, as harmful to Faith as the Philosophy of Aristotle? No, my child, he replied, here is where Descartes René Descartes (1596–1650), the famous French philosopher. The speaker suggests Descartes "borrowed" his ideas from a secret group but corrupted them with traditional logic. went astray. Through the Philosophy that he took from us, one cannot, in truth, clearly prove that there is no God, nor that the soul is mortal; but it follows clearly from our system that it is not necessary for God to have any part in the creation, preservation, and governance of the world; and as for our soul, it follows either that it is no different from that of beasts, or that it is not necessary that it never die.

So that the merit of Faith receives no blow from this Philosophy, and you see that it is not unworthy of being taught or studied by Christians. But Descartes, careless of the glory of Christianity, mixed Peripatetic original: "Peripateticiennes." This refers to the followers of Aristotle, whom the speaker views as "dreamers" or "deluded" for trying to use reason to support religion. delusions into this solid Philosophy; and he has dreamed so much about—