Traducimos a continuación una porción de la correspondencia entre René Descartes (1596-1650) y Hector-Pierre Chanut (1600-1662) en torno al amor. Se trata de tres cartas, dos versiones de la de Chanut a Descartes y la extensa respuesta de Descartes. El interés de este intercambio radica en su datación en un momento intermedio entre los primeros borradores y la finalización del _Tratado de las pasiones_, la opinión sobre una variedad de temas atípicos en Descartes, como la política y la teología y (...) el desarrollo de una teoría sobre el amor. Se incluyen una presentación histórica y problemática, notas y bibliografía específica sobre el tema. (shrink)

In this paper, I address two widespread misconceptions about Descartes’s theory of love. Descartes defines love as a passion that ‘incites [the soul] to join in volition to the objects that appear to be suitable to it’. Several commentators assume joining in volition is an act of judgment, since forming judgments is the primary function of the will in the Meditations. However, I argue joining in volition is an act of imagining a whole one forms with an object of love. (...) I draw on Descartes’s account of volition in The Passions of the Soul to show forming images in one’s mind qualifies as a volition, on his view. Second, commentators often assume joining in volition is an essential part of love. However, I argue joining in volition is not an essential part of love because love is not identical to joining in volition, and love does not necessitate the soul to join in volition. (shrink)