Patricia Easton specializes in the history of modern philosophy, particularly the philosophy of Rene Descartes and the Cartesians of the 17th century. Her interests also include the philosophy of mind, the history of science, and the history of philosophy. Easton teaches courses and seminars in early modern philosophy as well as transdisciplinary courses.
Easton received her BA in Psychology and Philosophy from Glendon College, York University, and her MA and PhD in Philosophy from the University of Western Ontario. She has received numerous awards from the Getty Foundation, the CGS/Ford Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation, among others. Easton also directed and edited The Descartes Web Site that features 17th-century French and English editions of Descartes’ The Passions of the Soul.
Easton’s most recent publication, “Louis de la Forge,” is a co-authored chapter in the book Early Modern Medicine and Natural Philosophy (Springer Publishing, 2016). In addition to this recent publication, Easton continues to research the role of mechanization in developments in medicine and psychology in early modern science.
Co-authored with Melissa Gholamnejad (current doctoral student). “Louis de la Forge and the Development of Cartesian Medical Philosophy.” In Early Modern Medicine and Natural Philosophy, edited by Peter Distelzweig, et al., 207–25. Netherlands: Springer Publishing, 2016.
Co-edited with Kurt Smith. The Battle of the Gods and Giants Redux: Papers Presented to Thomas M. Lennon. Boston, MA: Brill Publishers, 2015.
“The Father of Cartesian Empricism: Robert Desgabets on the Physics and Metaphysics of Blood Transfusion.” In Cartesian Empiricisms, edited by M. Dobre and T. Nyden, 185–202. Netherlands: Springer Publishing, 2013.
“Decoding Descartes’ ‘Myth’ of Mind.” In Philosophy of Mind: The Key Thinkers, edited by Andrew Bailey, 17–36. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2013.
“Descartes on Moral Judgment and the Power of the Passions.” In Essays on Neuroscience and Political Theory: Thinking the Body Politic, edited by Frank Vander Valk. New York: Routledge, 2012.
“The Cartesian Doctor, François Bayle (1622–1709), on Psychosomatic Explanation.” Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological & Biomedical Science 42, no. 2 (2011): 203–09.
Topics in Modern: Kant
Seminar on Spinoza: The Ethics
Hume: A Treatise of Human Nature
Seminar on Theodicy: Leibniz & Malebranche on Nature & Grace
Film & the Construction of the Self