title: Cartesian visions.
abstract: Few original portraits exist of René Descartes, yet his theories of vision were central to Enlightenment thought. French philosophers combined his emphasis on sight with the English approach of insisting that ideas are not innate, but must be built up from experience. In particular, Denis Diderot criticised Descartes's views by describing how Nicholas Saunderson--a blind physics professor at Cambridge--relied on touch. Diderot also made Saunderson the mouthpiece for some heretical arguments against the existence of God.
authors.affiliation: Clare College, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fara
mesh_terms: D005602:France; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D006801:Humans; D019222:Mind-Body Relations, Metaphysical; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000266:history*; D010151:Paintings / Q000266:history*; D010825:Physics / Q000266:history