Dialogues and Criticism
1. Criticism of Descartes
Descartes tried to base philosophy on "I think". OCE says that "I think" is not an absolute beginning, but the result of a long biological and cultural evolution. There is no "I" without a body and without a world.
"The cogito is not a zero point; it is a point of arrival."
Pontos Robustos
- Aligns philosophy with evolutionary biology and neuroscience (the mind emerges from the brain).
- Desmonta o dualismo mente/corpo.
- It shows that rationality is a fragile achievement, not a divine guarantee.
Reception Weaknesses
It may seem like it denies the autonomy of reason or the freedom of the subject, by inserting him into the web material.
2. Dialogue with Foucault
Michel Foucault showed that each era has its "episteme" (regime of truth). OCE agrees, but adds that these epistemes do not change by mysterious "cuts", but by material processes of reorganisation social and technology.
Key Differences
- Foucault: It focuses on discontinuity and power.
- OCE: It focuses on the material continuity underlying formal discontinuity.