Pre-Owned Descartes' Bones : A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason (Hardcover) 9780385517539

from bnbooklady

This is an interesting history of an important philosopher and the impact of his "method," which focused on reason and rationality, on the development of modern thought, science, democracy, and much else. Following his death, Descartes' bones were buried, disinterred, and reburied several times b...

from Dorritt

This surprisingly readable tale leverages the tale of Descarte's bones as a framework upon which to hang an engaging exploration of how Descarte's rationalist philosophy laid the groundwork for today's modernism. For those of you who I just lost at "rationalist philosophy," please bear with me! F...

from PhyllisHarrison

Descartes is a subject near and dear to my heart . The book is an interesting examination of the battle over one man's bones long after he was gone, illustrating how his ideas had changed the world, inciting both adoration and hatred still, 350 years after his death. He tried to appease the estab...

from JeffV

Rene Descartes as the father of modernity is the theme of this book, which follows the adventurous remains of the great French philosopher through the centuries following his death in Sweden. Shorto ties the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, and the rise of modern scientific thought to Cartesian ...

from cameling

A very good and interesting read. I had no idea how many people built on the foundation of Descartes' works. The first chapter briefly covered Descartes' life, his philosophies, his medical research and observations, his study of light, optics and weather phenomena, and his mathematical analysis ...