Descartes : Dissimulation et ironie

According to the Discourse on method, there are few people who dare to state their beliefs. This is borne out later in the same book by Descartes's own unwillingness to contradict 'people to whom I defer, and whose authority over my actions is hardly less influential than is my own reason over my thoughts'. In other words: he is the master of his thoughts, reason alone has authority over them, but 'action' - in this case the expression of his thoughts - does not enjoy the same freedom. As a result, clear ideas do not necessarily correlate to clear expression. Conversely, a text is never so transparent that it cannot conceal a different, less clear or obvious version of 'the truth'. This is the starting point of the essay that Fernand Hallyn dedicates to what Descartes hides from other - and sometimes from himself.