Treatise on Man
The human body is described as a machine whose movements, sensations and certain memory operations should receive a physiological explanation.
Understanding the text
Conceived alongside The World, it appeared in Latin translation in 1662 and in French in 1664.
Key points
- 01
Automatism
Complex operations can be explained without assigning a separate soul to every organ.
- 02
Nerves and spirits
Bodily circuits are described through historical hydraulic hypotheses, not modern neuroscience.
- 03
Limits of the model
A mechanics of the body does not yet provide a complete explanation of conscious thought.
How to read it
Compare the descriptions of movement with the Passions. Assess separately the mechanical ambition, anatomical observations and hypotheses that later became obsolete.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗