Descartes & Poinsot

Rene Descartes (1596-1650) and John Poinsot (1589-1644) were contemporaries who stood, unbeknownst to themselves, at a crossroads in the history of philosophy. While Poinsot´s work on semiotics became unfashionable after his death, Descartes´ theory of ideas carried modern philosophy down a different path that proved to be a dead end. In "Descartes & Poinsot", John Deely contends that semiotics can lead us beyond the rationalist trap of modernity. This innovative volume reveals that Poinsot´s forgotten philosophies provide the missing link between the ancient and the postmodern.