MOLIÈRE, DESCARTES, GÉNÉROSITÉ

The article deals with the notion of generosite, an important concept of the 17th century moral philosophy, as well as with the metamorphosis of the meaning of this passion and/or virtue. The starting point of this metamorphosis is generosite as a virtue of the late medieval and early modern French noble man, whereas the end point is generosite as the passion/virtue of Descartes' (equally) rational beings. The paper analyses this phenomenon in Moliere's play Don Juan, and in Descartes' and Spinoza's texts