Note
This article discusses several recently published works about the reception of Descartes in the seventeenth century. It argues that the categories traditionally used by modern philosophers to define the early modern period have been corrupted by the studies and works represented here. The result is not just a more nuanced view of early modern philosophy, but also a substantially different picture of the intellectual landscape. The editors of the books in this review share a similar methodological approach to their subject, an approach that separates them from a more analytical style of philosophy that is practiced by many of their colleagues. The publications under review are: Ariew and Garber 2002, Schmaltz 2002, Schmaltz 2005, and Lennon 2003.
