MALEBRANCHE (Nicolas de). De la Recherche de la verité. Ou l - Lot 52

MALEBRANCHE (Nicolas de). De la Recherche de la verité. Ou l'on traitte de la nature de l'esprit de l'homme, de l'usage qu'il doit en faire pour éviter l'erreur dans les sciences. AParis, chez André Pralard, 1674. In-12, (42)-420pp, marbled brown calf, spine ribbed, cloisonné and fleuronné, decorated edges, speckled edges; ff.S3 and S4 double-bound; headbands reinforced, nerves, spines and edges restored, minor marginal spotting (contemporary binding). First edition. Father Malebranche subsequently completed this work with three further volumes (1675, 1679 and 1681), and further revised his text in the two collective editions of 1700 and 1712. Out-of-text copperplate engraving of geometric diagrams. "Malebranche attempts to harmonize Catholic dogma and a philosophy freely inspired by Descartes, to unite them in the search for truth. His aim was to put an end to scholasticism and encourage the development of the purely human sciences "which detach the mind from sensible things and accustom and prepare it little by little to taste the truths of the Gospel" [...]. This clearly apologetic work was put on the Index in 1709, and in the 18th century served as a reference for deists" (Alain Cantillon, in En français dans le texte, n°111). Provenance: armorial bookplate with griffin and motto "Crescit gloria dono" on first preface page; handwritten bookplate crossed out on title.)