From the \textit{Regulæ} to the \textit{Géométrie} (Q2714843)

The author underlines that the whole of Descartes's work must be considered in order to describe his \textit{Géométrie}. One has to see the dependency of Descartes's only complete mathematical application of his method and of the metaphysical principles on which it is based. In particular, referring to the \textit{Regulae ad directionem ingenii}, it is possible to trace a much tighter connection between Descartes's method and the \textit{Géométrie}. The aim of this paper is an attempt to highlight these connections and to discuss the consequences of the splitting existing in historiography between the philosophical and the purely mathematical approach. This splitting is groundless in the context of Descartes's work and leads to misleading conclusions.