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Loading... Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict between Faith…by Russell Shorto
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. This is an interesting study of how descartes pointed philosophy, science, and culture in a new direction. the author agrues that descarte was the person that started the modern age. he, descarte also started the mind body conflict that still exisit in science and culture. but there is also a human side, after descarte died what happen to his bones, esp. his skull. as europe, esp france decide what to do with his bones, that decision making reflexs the conflict and ideas of each age (  ) michaelbartley | Dec 12, 2009 |  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 principles and ideas. Scientific disciplines made possible by the work of Descartes and his followers in turn lent its efforts into determining the saga of his bones (particularly his skull). Descartes remains have been treated much the way the bones of saints during medieval times, as symbols, as artifacts of reverence, or even as objects d'art. It serves as a vehicle to wrap around the rise of modern thought...if you need thematic story to go along with your history lesson, this book is for you. While Shorto says near the end that the story of Descarte's Bones is an allegory, often times he gets a little too bogged down in that story, going through great lengths to justify trivial details (IMO, I was more interested in the way he tied developments in science and philosophy back to Descartes). In the end, he invokes modern thinkers such as Christopher Hitchens and suggests that the Enlightenment requires eternal vigilance, as the forces of ignorance (fundamentalist religion) continue to battle against modern thought. Descartes set a massive wave of ideas in motion that still resonate today...but more than 300 years later, it's still not inconceivable that the progress cannot be undone. Descartes himself tried to reconcile religion with reason, and some of the most formidable opposition also claims the Frenchman as inspiration for their thought. ( ) JeffV | Jun 12, 2009 | Interesting history of philosophy, reason, and science This has been an unusual trip through the beginning of modern philosophy back in the 1600s to the present. I have not personally studied philosophy, but I found the book easy enough to read. There are many endnotes which in this case I found to be less distracting than footnotes yet easy enough to look up, and many references. The work is well-researched and written for the average person such as myself. There was a great deal of history showing Descartes’ reasoning, studies, and presentation of the original idea of duality of mind and body. This early beginning formed the basis for all science today, giving him the ‘title’ of the Father or Modernity”.. Shorto’s book takes a new look at the beginnings of Descartes’ work and follows through the centuries after his death, showing his effect on science and reason to the present day. However, he has taken an interesting route of demonstration. Descartes never lay quietly in his grave, he was moved through the centuries into various locations, some religious, some not. These relocations of his bones tended to coincide with important turning points in history, harking back to his view of duality and modernism. To make matters more mysterious, the skull was not with the bones. Surprisingly, the skull was located almost 200 years after Descartes’ death and has been authenticated. However, the bones (fragments), presumed carefully handled with each removal and noted, are no longer believed to be authentic. I found the book interesting and different, there are fascinating looks at several historical figures and times. The characters are humanized and real, and I think it would appeal to readers who are inquisitive, like factual science, or history, without sounding like a text-book. ( ) readerbynight | Jan 30, 2009 | Terrific stuff. Shorto uses an interesting historical mystery - the fate of Descartes' remains - as a springboard for a short discussion of the history of philosophy and of the Enlightenment AND for a discussion of our current crisis. (  ) AsYouKnow_Bob | Jan 27, 2009 |  CMA_Library | Jan 22, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 038551753X, Hardcover)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. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:22 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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