La Fuite dans Les Passions de l’âme (Descartes)

Abstract

In his last treatise, Descartes defines human passions a problematic topic in his system. From a theoretical point of view, the human being is formed by an immaterial and a material substance, completely independent from each other. Nonetheless, passions surprisingly involve both reason and
body in a joint experience. Flight is an example Descartes often refers to in order to explain that man should be able, thanks to a hard training comparable to dog training, to resist any passion. But this not always the case. Furthermore, the instinct to flee may be regarded as an element of every passion. That is why it may also be considered as a hint to the deepest orientation towards good of any human action.