Philosophical Works · Chapter
XXXVII explained
Descartes argues that the chief perfection of man is his ability to act freely or by will, which renders him worthy of praise or blame.
What happens
Descartes argues that the chief perfection of man is his ability to act freely or by will, which renders him worthy of praise or blame. He contrasts this with self-acting machines, which are not praised for their motions because they are necessary, but their maker is praised for acting freely. Similarly, humans merit greater esteem when they embrace truth freely rather than by necessity.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the story's dramatic climax because it presents the precise moment of epistemological crisi…
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Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Virtue and Wisdom
The chapter links free will to moral worth, suggesting that acting freely is essential for praise and blame.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
The narrator presents the argument that free will is the chief perfection of man.
Key passages
“That the chief perfection of man is his being able to act freely or by will, and that it is this which renders him worthy of praise or blame.”
The highest excellence of human beings is their capacity to act freely, which is the basis for moral responsibility.
Descartes asserts that free will is the foundation of human dignity and moral accountability.
“For self-acting machines are not commended because they perform with exactness all the movements for which they were adapted, seeing their motions are carried on necessarily; but the maker of them is praised on account of the exactness with which they were framed, because he did not act of necessity, but freely; and, on the same principle, we must attribute to ourselves something more on this account, that when we embrace truth, we do so not of necessity, but freely.”
Automatic machines are not praised for their precise movements, since those are necessary, but their creator is praised for freely designing them. Similarly, we deserve greater credit for embracing truth voluntarily rather than by compulsion.
Descartes uses the analogy of a machine and its maker to illustrate that freedom, not necessity, is the source of praise.
