Rafael Teruel Coelho

In our research, we sought to understand the "problem of substantial union" in Descartes, based on his correspondence with Elisabeth. Among the 59 letters exchanged between the thinker and the princess, we are analyzing his first five (from May 1643 to July of the same year). In these, Elisabeth opens the discussion, questioning how the soul of man, being immaterial, could alter the course of animal spirits, thus enabling the psychophysiological process characterized by voluntary actions. From this questioning, we are studying central concepts of Cartesianism, such as those of soul, body, determination, movement, shock, among others. In a nutshell, it is about studying Descartes' thinking from the perspective of Elisabeth, princess of Bohemia.