THE IMAGINARY AND DESCARTES’ PARADOXICAL RATIONALITY

Abstract

The imaginary plays a distinctive role in Descartes’ writings. While its place is often articulated in negative terms as that which is illusory or deceptive , it nonetheless serves as an important ground for the Cartesian project to unfold. Descartes’ search for clear and distinct ideas takes place through reason’s interplay with the imaginary. While its reliability as a source of knowledge is ultimately dismissed, the imaginary is that which is never truly mastered or overcome. It is a source of dread and anxiety; which reason seeks to mitigate. This essay explores such interplay between the real and the imaginary, between reason and “unreason” in Descartes’ Meditations as well as his Olympica, which contains some precursor themes and tropes to The Meditations. While the Cartesian project seeks to separate the real from the imaginary and reason from unreason, I argue that the manner in which his discourse unfolds reveals their inextricable tie.

Keywords

• The imaginary, Descartes, rationality, Olympica, the body

HAYALİ OLAN VE DESCARTES’IN PARADOKSAL RASYONELLİĞİ

Abstract

Hayali olanın Descartes’ın yazınındaki rolü oldukça kendine özgüdür. “Asılsız,” “yanıltıcı” gibi olumsuz terimler üzerinden düşünülüyor olsa da, hayali olan, Kartezyen projenin serimlenmesinde önemli bir zemin görevi üstlenir. Descartes’ın açık-seçiklik ve kesinlik arayışı aklın hayali olanla karşılıklı etkileşimi üzerinden kurulur. Epistemolojik güvenilirliği bulunmamakla beraber, hayali olan asla tamamıyla hükmedilemez ve üstesinden nihai olarak gelinemez olandır; akıl ile yatıştırılmaya çalışılan bir korku ve endişe kaynağıdır. Bu makale, Descartes’ın Meditasyonlar’ında ve Olympica’sında gerçek olan ile hayali olan ve akıl ile akıldışı arasındaki paslaşmaları incelemektedir. Kartezyen proje bu iki şeyi birbirinden ayırmayı hedeflese de, bu metinlerde ortaya koyulan diskurun kurgusu itibariyle aralarında karmaşık ve ayrıştırılamaz bir bağın bulunduğunu ileri sürüyorum.

Keywords

• Hayali olan, Descartes, akılcılık, Olympica, beden

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