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

Sixteen years after Ren 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.

A New York Times Notable Book

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 08/25/2009
ISBN: 9780307275660
Pages: 336
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 7.98h x 5.28w x 0.69d

Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 10/18/2009 pg. 24