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

Sixteen 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.

Product details

• Authors: Russell Shorto, Shorto Russell
• Publisher: Abacus
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.06.2014
• EAN: 9780349140186
• ISBN: 978-0-349-14018-6
• No. of pages: 336
• Dimensions: 150 mm x 200 mm x 23 mm
• Series: ABACUS
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Natural sciences (general); Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: general, reference works; SCIENCE / History, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Modern, HISTORY / World, RELIGION / Religion & Science, General & world history, History of Science, General and world history, Religion and science, Religion & science, Western philosophy: Enlightenment