Abstract

Descartes states, in the "meditations", that metaphysics is a necessary foundation of science. caton claims that in fact cartesian science does not need such a foundation, and can rest entirely upon method. he concludes that, ultimately, metaphysics - in descartes' thought - is nothing but a stratagem to overcome the opposition of religious authorities to the new science. textual evidence is here presented against this thesis. it is shown that there is an indissoluble systematic connection between science and metaphysics in descartes' thought, that this connection is expressed by the existence of only one order in cartesian philosophy, and that, even granted all of caton's assumptions, the use of metaphysics as a politico-polemical flag by descartes would be, finally, self-defeating.