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Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict between Faith and Reason

by Russell Shorto

On a brutal winter's day in 1650 in Stockholm, the Frenchman René Descartes, the most influential and controversial thinker of his time, was buried after a cold and lonely death far from home. Sixteen years later, the French Ambassador Hugues de Terlon secretly unearthed Descartes' bones and transported them to France.

Why would this devoutly Catholic official care so much about... (more)

Top tags: philosophydescartesnonfictionnonfiction book discussion17th century (all tags)

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Grandpa
  • Rated 5 stars

This is a very enlightening book. The author traces the bones of Descartes, and in particular his skull, through the hands of many people in Sweden and France, while telling a fascinating story of Cartesian method and its impact on modern thought.

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  • Rated 3.666667 stars
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  • Rated 4 stars
 

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