A corpuscular fluid? Sade and the material soul tradition

• Grant number: 15/09869-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: October 01, 2015
• End date: September 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Philosophy - History of Philosophy
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio de Carvalho Ramos
• Grantee: Clara Carnicero de Castro
• Supervisor: Jean-Christophe Abramovici
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris 4), France
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/20776-3 - Sade and the material's soul conception., BP.PD

Abstract

The aim of the research proposed here is (1) to confirm and develop the hypothesis that the material soul in Sade's philosophical novels is a fluid composed of subtle particles; (2) to understand certain aspects of this notion according to a tradition that can be traced from the early XVIIth century and is well represented in the XVIIth century. These two purposes seem intrinsically bounded and mutually clarifying. As for the first one, it is a rather paradoxical hypothesis, considering that a fluid is a continuous substance and atoms are indivisible particles. But there are clues that lead to a more coherent notion. Our first clue is the fusion of Epicurus atoms with the Stoic ether in Newton, as shown by B. J. T. Dobbs' studies. Another clue is the very notion of soul in Epicurus: a mixture of atoms that could form a continuous substance. Regarding the second objective, it is convenient to explore further the material soul tradition which appears to begin with Campanella, passing through Bergerac, Gassendi, Willis, Newton and Lamy until it arrives at the XVIIIth century. This route being more clearly seized, we shall apply the new ideas to examine the matter in Sade's philosophical novels. (AU)