REGIS (Peter Sylvain)

, a French philosopher, and great propagator of Cartesianism, was born in Agenois 1632.

He studied the languages and philosophy under the | Jesuits at Cahors, and afterwards divinity in the university of that town, being designed for the church. His progress in learning was so uncommon, that at the end of four years he was offered a doctor's degree without the usual charges; but he did not think it became him till he should study also in the Sorbonne at Paris. He accordingly repaired to the capital for that purpose; but he soon became disgusted with theology; and, as the philosophy of Des Cartes began at that time to make a noise through the lectures of Rohault, he conceived a taste for it, and gave himself up entirely to it.

Having, by attending those lectures, and by close study, become an adept in that philosophy, he went to Toulouse in 1665, where he set up lectures in it himself. Having a clear and fluent manner, and a happy way of explaining his subject, he drew all sorts of people to his discourses; the magistrates, the literati, the ecclesiastics, and the very women, who all now affected to renounce the ancient philosophy.

In 1671, he received at Montpellier the same applauses for his lectures as at Toulouse. Finally, in 1680 he returned to Paris; where the concourse about him was such, that the sticklers for Peripateticism began to be alarmed. These applying to the archbishop of Paris, he thought it expedient, in the name of the king, to put a stop to the lectures; which accordingly were discontinued for several months. Afterwards his whole life was spent in propagating the new philosophy, both by lectures, and by publishing books. In defence of his system, he had disputes with Huet, Du Hamel, Malbranche, and others. His works, though abounding with ingenuity and learning, have been neglected in consequence of the great discoveries and advancement in philosophic knowledge that has been since made.— He was chosen a member of the Academy of Sciences in 1699; and died in 1707, at 75 years of age.

His works, which he published, are,

1. A System of Philosophy; containing Logic, Metaphysics, and Morals; in 1690, 3 vols in 4to. being a compilation of the different ideas of Des Cartes.—It was reprinted the year after at Amsterdam, with the addition of a Discourse upon Ancient and Modern Philosophy.

2. The Use of Reason and of Faith.

3. An Answer to Huet's Censures of the Cartesian Philosophy; and an Answer to Du Hamel's Critical Reflections.

4. Some pieces against Malbranche, to shew that the apparent magnitude of an object depends solely on the magnitude of its image, traced on the retina.

5. A small piece upon the question, Whether Pleasure makes our present happiness?