Early Modern Philosophy of Technology. Bacon and Descartes

Descartes is not only a philosopher, but he is also a technological designer. He is involved in the design and even the construction of various devices, from the machine that cuts lenses, described in Dioptrics, to an automaton referred to in Cogitationes Privatae, a drainage system, a virginal, and the devices constructed with Villebressieu. Descartes works with craftsmen, offers theoretical and practical advice, and makes general considerations regarding the practice of constructing useful devices.

This book addresses the "technological issues" of Bacon’s and Descartes’ works in order to supply, for the philosophers of technology, a more nuanced analysis of the philosophical positions that set the stage for modern technology and, for the scholars of Early Modern studies, a different reading of both of their philosophies and their conceptual affinities.