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DEELY, John. Descartes & Poinsot: The Crossroad of Signs and Ideas. Scranton, Pennsylvania: University of Scranton Press, 2009. xx + 168pp. Cloth, $25.00 - In the opening pages of Descartes & Poinsot, John Deely reminds us that good philosophical reflection takes into account philosophical context and history. Historical investigation discovers that standing in view of Descartes's contemporaries was a more promising pathway for philosophy of knowledge. The most skillful guide down this pathway was John Poinsot, who was writing at the same time as Descartes. A tragedy ensued in that, whether intentional or unintentional, the early modernists overlooked Poinsot. They were disposed to neglect, if not distrust, thinkers like Poinsot because he represented a tradition that they sought to transcend. That tradition was dedicated to philosophical discussion through commentaries on venerable predecessors. In opposition, Descartes and his supporters looked for a new method. They condemned the old Scholastic commentary-method as stifling originality. Deely laments that modern philosophy overlooked the work of Poinsot which provided a more promising direction. Instead, they took a road that turned out to be a nominalistic cul-de-sac.
Part of Poinsot' s achievement is a lucid explanation of signs as part of an ontology of relations. Poinsot recognizes the unique status that relations have in Aristotle's categories. Relations are...