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Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict between Faith and Reason Audiobook
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From bestselling, prize-winning author Russell Shorto comes a grand and strange history of the on-going debate between religion and science-seen through the oddly momentous journey of the skull and bones of the great French philosopher Rene Descartes. In this book Shorto brilliantly shows how this argument first started with Descartes and how his ideas (and bones) have remained central to this theoretical struggle for over 350 years. On a brutal winter's day in 1650 in Stockholm, Frenchman Rene 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 pious French Ambassador Hugues de Terlon secretly unearthed Descartes' bones and transported them to France. Why would this devoutly Catholic official care so much about the remains of a philosopher who was hounded from country after country on charges of atheism? Why would Descartes' bones take such a strange, serpentine path over the next 350 years-a path intersecting some of the grandest events imaginable: the birth of science, the rise of democracy, the mind-body problem, the conflict between faith and reason? The answer lies in Descartes' famous phrase: cogito ergo sum. "I think therefore I am." This quote from his work Discourse on the Method, destroyed 2,000 years of received wisdom by introducing an attitude of human skepticism towards ideas of medicine, nature, politics and society. The notion that one could look to provable facts, and not rely on the Church's teachings and tradition, was one of the most influential ideas in human history, ultimately creating the scientific method and overthrowing religion as prevailing truth. Descartes' Bones is a fascinating narrative-both macro and micro history in one-that twists and turns up to the present day.
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"Colorful braid of history, philosophy, and biography. Every page was fascinating, following Descartes and his legacy through centuries of science, politics, religion, and more. The book achieves all this, as well as a warm, compelling - even surprising - portrait of the man himself."
— Mignon (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Many strains of thought converge around Descartes and his physical remains…Mr. Shorto has used them as the basis of an investigative book...[that] attest to Mr. Shorto’s intellectual adventurousness and dogged curiosity....Mr. Shorto leaps from one intriguing topic to another, doing it with verve... His insights are keen. And he is as drawn to great, overarching ideas as he is to historical factoids. Descartes’ posthumous journey happens to be rich with both.”
— New York Times -
“[A] smart, elegantly writtenfeat of intellectual of intellectual story-telling.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Giving rein to his curiosity about the postmortem Descartes, Shorto will pull in readers who enjoy a good history mystery seasoned with philosophical thoughts.”
— Booklist -
“Learning lightly worn but hard won; would that all philosophical history were so accessible.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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One of the 2008 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Nonfiction
Descartes' Bones Listener Reviews
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" An interesting look at how one man's life changed history and the battle over his bones centuries after his death. Some admire him, others despise him but he changed the world. "
— Phyllis, 2/6/2014 -
" It read like an episode of the old science channel show Connections. Running through all the people and scientists who were involved with the remains of Descartes, connections were made with all the associated scientific discoveries of each individual discussed. Interesting read from a history of science perspective. "
— Timothy, 1/26/2014 -
" Well written and engaging. Took me quite a while as my interest came and went, but in that way a good one to have on the bedside table in conjunction with others. "
— Jane, 1/14/2014 -
" Don't know why this book did not engage me. Only got half the way through. "
— Marfy, 1/6/2014 -
" kinda dry. "
— Helene, 1/5/2014 -
" If you are a fan of Descartes this is a must read...sort of an introduction to the man before taking on the heavy texts. This book provides a quick view to society progress or regress (depent of your viewpoint) within the separation between religion and reason. "
— Fara, 1/4/2014 -
" This is a truly fascinating book, and while at times it was tempting to put down I pushed through, and I am so very glad that I did. I love philosophy, and to see how philosophies are perceived in different times through something as iconic as Descartes skull is fascinating. "
— Tsuki, 4/10/2013 -
" Learned something about the history of philosophy and science after Middle Ages. Subtitle: A skeletal history of the conflict between faith and reason. Author does not discount faith. "
— Enid, 2/11/2013 -
" My suggestion is to read Descartes instead. This might have made a nice magazine article. "
— Sidney, 2/6/2013 -
" Pretty dry and dull. Somewhat informative, so I finished it. "
— Brie, 10/22/2012 -
" Long on the peregrination of his bones, short on the history of the conflict between faith and reason, this is still a fascinating review of Descartes' legacy. "
— Bob, 12/15/2011 -
" An interesting tale of how Descartes' bones wandered about Europe and were involved in the French revolution. Not as good a synthesis of the religious and scientific outlooks as the introduction suggested it would be, however. "
— Laura, 8/23/2011 -
" If you are a fan of Descartes this is a must read...sort of an introduction to the man before taking on the heavy texts. This book provides a quick view to society progress or regress (depent of your viewpoint) within the separation between religion and reason. "
— Fara, 4/26/2011 -
" I enjoyed this book, for its historic detail and surprising sense of humor. A very interesting digest of modernism, reason, and religion. I sort of loved it, and I feel smarter for having read it (note: big difference between feeling smarter and being smarter), but I've done my part. "
— Jeannette, 4/18/2011 -
" April bookgroup. Not a quick read! <br/> <br/>It was an interesting book, very thought provoking, and there was a great discussion. This author also wrote The Island at the Center of the World, which I've been wanting to read for awhile now. "
— Bonnie, 4/11/2011 -
" The fact that I didn't finish it should tell you something. "
— Jayme, 3/22/2011 -
" Who's buried in Descartes' tomb? <br/> <br/>Spoiler alert: not Descartes. <br/>I need to brush up on my philosphers. "
— Barbara, 2/2/2011 -
" The story of modern thought and philosophy "
— Nancy, 1/3/2011 -
" An interesting concept for a book: the historical search for the true skeleton of Rene Descartes, complete with lots of information about everything remotely relevant. Net effect, mostly boring. Recommended for hard-core fans of Cartesian philosophy and method. "
— Mr.B, 10/2/2010 -
" Loved this! Descartes was the man. Seriously. "
— Julie, 9/18/2010
About Russell Shorto
Russell Shorto is the author of several books of nonfiction, including Gospel Truth, about the search for the historical Jesus; Saints and Madmen, about psychiatry and religion; and The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America. He has written for the New York Times Magazine, GQ, and many other publications.
About Paul Hecht
Paul Hecht’s long career in audiobooks spans dozens of titles and authors as varied as Ray Bradbury and Gore Vidal, Jack Finney and Thomas Mann. He has recorded such books as Bob Dole’s One Soldier’s Story and Alexander McCall Smith’s Portuguese Irregular Verbs and At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances. Hecht’s theater career in New York includes many Broadway and television credits. He has won nine AudioFile Earphones Awards for his audiobook narrations.