Gregorio Baldin’s book, La croisée des savoirs, concerns the intellectual relations among Hobbes, Mersenne, and Descartes. The study is limited to the time between 1634 and 1648, starting when Hobbes first met Mersenne in Paris and ending when Mersenne died. It covers three main topics. Part i is devoted to the relations maintained by Hobbes with the circle of Mersenne during 1634–1636, which Baldin thinks are essential for the development of Hobbes’ scientific thought. Part ii develops the theme of the “hidden” influence of Mersenne on Hobbes’ thought, highlighting points of contact between the two authors, such as mechanism, research in optics, and their approach to epistemology. Part iii concerns Hobbes’ influence on Mersenne’s thought. It addresses several themes, starting with Mersenne’s interest in Hobbes’ system, the attitudes of Mersenne, Gassendi, and Hobbes toward Cartesian metaphysics, and ending with scientific themes debated in Mersenne’s circle during the 1640s.

格雷戈里奥·巴尔丁（Gregorio Baldin）的著作《智慧的十字路口》（La croisée des savoirs）涉及霍布斯、梅森和笛卡尔之间的知识关系。这项研究仅限于1634年至1648年间，从霍布斯在巴黎第一次见到梅森开始，到梅森去世为止。它涵盖三个主要主题。第一部分专门介绍霍布斯在 1634 年至 1636 年间与梅森圈子所保持的关系，巴尔丁认为这对于霍布斯科学思想的发展至关重要。第二部分发展了梅森对霍布斯思想的“隐藏”影响这一主题，强调了两位作者之间的接触点，例如机制、光学研究以及他们的认识论方法。第三部分关注霍布斯对梅森思想的影响。它讨论了几个主题，从梅森对霍布斯体系的兴趣开始，梅森、加森迪和霍布斯对笛卡尔形而上学的态度，最后以 1640 年代梅森圈子里争论的科学主题结束。