What is the essence of females according to René Descartes?

A thinking thing united with a body. That is, an immaterial substance, or mind (soul, if you like) joined with a material substance. read more

Concerning the Essence of Material Things, and Again Concerning God, That He Exists. Separates objects into those that are clear and concise and those that are confuse and obscure. He says that truths have nature themselves independent of the thinker. read more

Descartes' style is somewhat informal and personal, but the text here is meant to convey an argument. At first it seems that the passage is about distinctly grasping the nature or essence of the wax. But Descartes' concern for this (clearest at lines 10-11 from the bottom of 32.2, where he says "it is something extended, flexible, and mutable," is limited here. read more