Alternative possibilities in descartes's fourth meditation

Descartes on Human Freedom

“…And what is an “external” force? Is the external force Descartes refers to external to the mind in general (Hatfield 193–94) or just external to the will (Ragland, “Fourth Meditation” 399)?…”

“…Descartes tells us that freedom consists in one thing “or rather (vel potius )” another thing. Does he mean to retract or correct the first clause with the second (Beyssade 206; Gilson 310), to add to or to clarify the first clause (Carriero 257–58; Ragland, “Fourth Meditation” 390), to suggest that freedom at times consists in each, or to make an equivalence between the two clauses (Schmaltz, Causation 197)?…”

“…The locus classicus , I suggested, contains ambiguities and obscurities, and Descartes' divergences from proposed traditions makes language imported from them an imperfect fit. Commentators have used many different terms to characterize Descartes' views of freedom: “the enlightened freedom ( la liberté eclairée )” (Alquié 286); “liberty (or freedom) of spontaneity;” “the power to determine oneself” (Hatfield 195); “the positive freedom ( la liberté positive )” (Alquié 289–90); “liberty (or freedom) of indifference”; “two‐way power,” (Alanen Concept of Mind , 228 and 237; Alanen, “Power to Do Otherwise” 280; Beyssade 193; Ragland, “Fourth Meditation” and “Principle of Alternative Possibilities”); “bidirectional power” (Carriero 256); “our positive power to do or not to do something” (Naaman‐Zauderer 103); and “alternatives” (Campbell 179).…”

Descartes and the Possibility of Enlightened Freedom

“…The 'or rather' is then read either as a retraction or else as an indication that the will can exhibit either kind of freedom. Ragland (2006c), however, convincingly argues against both readings, as does 15 Schmaltz himself. Instead, it is "much more plausible that Descartes intended the second clause to further develop or clarify the first clause's claim that freedom requires alternative possibilities…'or rather' means 'in other (better) words'" (Ragland,390).…”

The Role of Freedom in Descartes' Ethics of Belief

“…Exponents of this scholarly trend are Lilli Alanen, 13 Deborah Brown, 14 C.P. Ragland,15 Robert Imlay 16 and Peter Schouls, 17 to name just a few. I number myself among the members of this camp, having already argued that willing pertains to the very essence of the Cartesian mind.…”