Did Ryle criticize Descartes after all?
https://doi.org/10.25206/2542-0488-2025-10-4-113-119
EDN: HLCEFH
Abstract
Many researchers, including contemporary ones, disagree on the question of whether Gilbert Ryle actually criticized the works of René Descartes in his book The Concept of Mind (1949). The article reconstructs and analyzes Ryle’s anti-Cartesian positions. It identifies the set of propositions what Ryle counted as the ones of Descartes’ so-called ‘intellectualist legend’. The article provides a comparative analysis of the main propositions of the ‘intellectualist legend’ and the authentic propositions of Descartes’ philosophy. It is demonstrated that Ryle’s criticism was primarily aimed not at Descartes’ writings themselves, and only some of the arguments formulated by Ryle are relevant to the critique of the French philosopher. The article also presents possible responses to these critical arguments based on Descartes’ writings.
About the Author
S. A. Fedorov
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
FEDOROV Sergey Anatolyevich, Master’s Student of the Philosophy Faculty
Moscow, Leninskie Gory, 1, 119991
References
1. Coleman S. Know-How, Philosophical Perspectives. Encyclopedia of the Mind / ed. by H. Paschler. San Diego: Sage Publications, 2013. P. 447–449.
2. Dennett D. С. Consciousness Explained. New York: Back Bay Books; Little, Brown and Company, 1991. 429 p.
3. Demin T. S., Frolov K. G. Znaniye-chto, Znaniye-kak, soznaniye i iskusstvennyy intellect [Knowledge-That, KnowledgeHow, Consciousness and Artificial Intelligence]. Omskiy nauchnyy vestnik. Ser. Obshchestvo. Istoriya. Sovremennost’. Omsk Scientific Bulletin. Series Society. History. Modernity. 2023. Vol. 8, no. 1. P. 102–109. DOI: 10.25206/2542-0488-2023-8-1-102-109. EDN: DTOTRC. (In Russ).
4. Gusev A. A. Retsenziya na knigu P. N. Baryshnikova «Vychislitel’nyye modeli razuma: Ot koda k smyslu» (M.: LENAND, 2022. 320 s.) [Book Review: P. N. Baryshnikov «Computational Models of the Mind: From Code to Meaning» (Moscow: LENAND, 2022. 320 p.)]. Filosofiya nauki i tekhniki. Philosophy of Science and Technology. 2023. Vol. 28, no.1. P. 148– 153. DOI: 10.21146/2413-9084-2023-28-1-148-153. EDN: YVJPQU. (In Russ.).
5. Yulina N. S. Ocherki po sovremennoy filosofii soznaniya [Essays on Contemporary Philosophy of Mind]. Moscow, 2015. 408 p. (In Russ.).
6. Brandt S. Ryle vs. Intellectualism: A Case Study in Philosophical Method. Synthese. 2025. Vol. 206, no. 2. P. 1–22. DOI: 10.1007/s11229-025-05112-5.
7. Lenz M. Taking “Descarte’s Myth” Seriously: Rethinking the Rylean Narrative. The Southern Journal of Philosophy. 2025. Vol. 63, no. 2. P. 128–142. DOI: 10.1111/sjp.12619.
8. Ryle G. Ponyatiye soznaniya [The Concept of Mind]. Moscow, 1999. 408 p. ISBN 5-7333-0011-6. EDN: VXKJID. (In Russ.).
9. Langer S. K. In Praise of Common Sense. The Hudson Review. 1951. Vol. 4, no. 1. P. 146–149. DOI: 10.2307/3847134.
10. Kremer M. Ryle’s “Intellectualist Legend” in Historical Context. Journal for the History of Analytical Philosophy. 2017. Vol. 5, no. 5. P. 16–39. DOI: 10.15173/jhap.v5i5.3204.
11. Kennedy R. Intellectualism. The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy / ed. by R. Audi. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015. P. 522–522.
12. Hamphire S. Critical Review of the Concept of Mind / ed. by O. P. Wood. London: Macmillan, 1970. P. 17–44.
13. McLaughlin B. P. Philosophy of Mind. The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy / ed. by R. Audi. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015. P. 802–813.
14. Descartes R. Sochineniya: 2 t [Writings: in 2 vol.] / compiled by V. V. Sokolova. Vol. 2. Moscow, 1994. 632 p. (In Russ.).
15. Descartes R. Sochineniya: 2 t [Writings: in 2 vol.] / compiled by V. V. Sokolova. Vol. 2. Moscow, 1989. 656 p. (In Russ.).
16. Simmons A. Mind-Body Union and the Limits of Cartesian Metaphysics. Philosophers’ Imprint. 2017. Vol. 17, no. 14. P. 1–36.
17. Wee C. The Fourth Meditation: Descartes and Libertarian Freedom. The Cambridge Companion to Descartes’ Meditations / ed. by D. Cunning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014. P. 186–204.
18. Lagerspetz O. Was Descartes Responsible for the Problem of Other Minds? Philosophical Investigations. 2025. Vol. 48, no. 3. P. 249–268. DOI: 10.1111/phin.12458.
19. Simmons A. Cartesian Consciousness Reconsidered. Philosophers’ Imprint. 2012. Vol. 12, no. 2. P. 1–21.
Review
For citations:
Fedorov S.A. Did Ryle criticize Descartes after all? Omsk Scientific Bulletin. Series Society. History. Modernity. 2025;10(4):113-119. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25206/2542-0488-2025-10-4-113-119. EDN: HLCEFH
Views:
5
JATS XML
Email this article 