Descartes' Bones
A Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Print & ebook · August 25, 2009
Sixteen years after René Descartes' death in Stockholm in 1650, a pious French ambassador exhumed the remains of the controversial philosopher to transport them back to Paris.
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- Who it’s for
- A traveling relic opens onto the long, lively contest between reason and faith.
- Themes
- Faith and reason, Religion and rationalism, The rise of science and democracy
- Genres
- 17th-Century History, Philosophers' Lives, French History
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Sixteen years after René Descartes' death in Stockholm in 1650, a pious French ambassador exhumed the remains of the controversial philosopher to transport them back to Paris. Thus began a 350-year saga that saw Descartes' bones traverse a continent, passing between kings, philosophers, poets, and painters.
Continue reading
But as Russell Shorto shows in this deeply engaging book, Descartes' bones also played a role in some of the most momentous episodes in history, which are also part of the philosopher's metaphorical remains: the birth of science, the rise of democracy, and the earliest debates between reason and faith. Descartes' Bones is a flesh-and-blood story about the battle between religion and rationalism that rages to this day. A New York Times Notable Book
Bones and Ideas
A traveling relic opens onto the long, lively contest between reason and faith.
Come here for
- A philosopher’s remains tangled up with Europe’s intellectual history
- Big questions about science, democracy, and belief
Expect
- A narrative linking physical remains to political and philosophical change
- Intellectual stakes with a macabre thread
Where it sits
| 17th-Century History | 47% |
|---|---|
| French History | 40% |
| Philosophers' Lives | 33% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- 17th-Century History
- Philosophers & Their Ideas
- History of Science
- Authors
- Russell Shorto
- Publisher
- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Published
- August 25, 2009
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Faith and reason · Religion and rationalism · The rise of science and democracy
- Reading lane
- 17th-Century History