Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

El genio maligno de Suárez: Suárez y Descartes

2007; Comillas Pontifical University; Volume: 63; Issue: 236 Linguagem: Inglês

2386-5822

Francisco T. Baciero Ruiz,

Historical Philosophy and Science

Cartesian philosophy has traditionally been considered as an almost absolute beginning in the history of philosophy. Nevertheless, the well-known hypotheses of the «evil genius» and «deceiving God», fundamental pieces in the artifice of «methodical doubt» in Metaphysical Meditations, can be found in Suarez’s Metaphysical Disputation 9 (the only mention of Suarez in the entire work of Descartes, specifically in the «Responses» to the Meditations). It seems quite clear, considering the correspondence between Descartes and Mersenne, as well as his doctrine about the sources of error, that Descartes borrowed both fictions directly from Suarez.