Il residuo dell’anima. La Scientia de Anima cartesiana e il Cursus Conimbricensis fra metafisica e fisiologia

This article aims to investigate Descartes’ reflection on the science of the soul (scientia de anima) in order to place it within the previous debates. After having analyzed the main references on the soul and the body in Cartesian works, the article makes a comparison between Descartes and the Coimbra Jesuits’ comment on De anima in order to underline the new elements introduced by Descartes in the traditional debate. On the one hand, Descartes assigns to metaphysics a central role in dealing with the separate nature of the soul, that is, what he believed was its essence; on the other hand, Descartes ends up with identifying psychology with physiology, attributing the study of all the functions and properties that do not belong to the activity of the cogitatio to anatomy and physiology. The conclusion of the article tries to find the reasons, both apologetic and functional, for Descartes’ approach.