Book Summary
A New York Times Notable BookSixteen years after Rene 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. 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. About the Author RUSSELL SHORTO is the bestselling author of The Island at the Center of the World and a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine. He lives in Amsterdam.
Book Details
| Book Name | Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History Of The Conflict Between Faith And Reason |
| Author | Russell Shorto |
| Publisher | Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (08/2009) |
| ISBN | 9780307275660 |
| Pages | 336 |
| Language | English |
| Price | 540 |
