The Possible Influence of Montaigne's "Essais" on Descartes' "Treatise on

This present study takes a new look at the essayist Michel de Montaigne and the philosopher Rene Descartes and attempts to show a new interrelationship between the two. Previous studies have linked the latter's Discours de la m_thode to the Essais and have noted general similarities, but no major study to date has examined the pair from the standpoint of Descartes' Trait_ des passions and Montaigne's Essais. This study will examine the previous research and show: the established _borrowings_ noted to date; the possibility of common sources (St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas); and related _similarities_. Includes a textual examination of Descartes' biography to show the possibility that he had indeed contacted the essayist's works, and was indeed familiar with his ideas and forms of expression.Paulson, Michael G. is the author of 'The Possible Influence of Montaigne's "Essais" on Descartes' "Treatise on', published 1988 under ISBN 9780819170279 and ISBN 0819170275.