Descartes: The Life of Rene Descartes and Its Place in His Times - Hardcover

Grayling, A. C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0743231473 ISBN 13: 9780743231473

Publisher: Free Press, 2005

Synopsis

Scientist, mathematician, traveller, soldier -- and spy -- Rene Descartes has been called the 'father of modern philosophy'. Born in 1596 into an era still dominated by the medieval mindset, he was one of the chief actors in the riveting drama that ushered in the modern world. His life coincided with an extraordinarily significant time in history -- the first half of the miraculous seventeenth century, replete with genius in the arts and sciences, and wracked by civil and international conflicts across Europe. Before his death in 1650 Descartes made immense contributions to an exceptionally wide range of fields and disciplines, and his assertion 'Cogito, ergo sum' ('I think, therefore I am') has become one of the most famous maxims in all philosophy. He was the very archetype of a 'Renaissance man', and yet surprisingly little is known about him. Drawing on new research and his own insights as one of our leading philosophers, A. C. Grayling presents a stunningly accessible and fascinating portrait of the man and the remarkable era in which he lived.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Scientist, mathematician, traveller, soldier and spy René Descartes was one of the founders of the modern world. His life coincided with an extraordinary time in history: the first half of the miraculous seventeenth century, replete with genius in the arts and sciences, and wracked by civil and international conflicts across Europe. But at his birth in 1596 the world was still dominated by medieval beliefs in phenomena such as miracles and spontaneous generation. It was Descartes who identified the intellectual tools his peers needed to free themselves from the frozen grip of religious authority and in doing so, he founded modern philosophy. Before his death in 1650 he had made immense contributions to an exceptionally wide range of fields and disciplines, with Cogito, ergo sum ( I think, therefore I am ) becoming one of the most famous maxims in all philosophy. He was the very archetype of a Renaissance man , and yet surprisingly little is known about him.

In this new biography the philosopher A. C. Grayling tells the story of Descartes life, and places it in his tumultuous times with the unexpected result that an entirely new aspect of his story comes to light. It is well known that Descartes was a devoted father who was devastated by the loss of his daughter and that he died an ageing tutor to an icy Swedish Queen, but he was also a man of mysterious travels and military duties. Whatever the secrets of his life may be, the impact of his genius on the Western mind is undisputed. This is the fullest ever biography of a philosopher whose writings remain on the syllabuses of almost every university in the world over 350 years after his death.

Drawing on new research and his own insights as one of our leading philosophers, A. C. Grayling presents a stunningly accessible and fascinating portrait of the man and the remarkable era in which he lived.

Edition details

• Publisher: Free Press
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0743231473
• ISBN 13: 9780743231473
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368