DescartesScientist, mathematician, traveler, soldier-and spy-Rene 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 grip of religious authority and in doing so he founded modern philosophy. In this new biography, 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 the story comes to light. |
Contents
Who Was Descartes? | 1 |
The Awakening | 11 |
A Night of Dreams | 41 |
The Mystery of the Rosy Cross | 69 |
Nine Years of Travel | 89 |
Animals on the Moon | 119 |
Francine | 149 |
The Shape of Snow | 157 |
Descartes Contra Voetius | 177 |
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A. C. Grayling argument Aristotelian Arminian army Baillet Beeckman believe Berulle biography Bohemia brain Breda Bridgeman Art Library Cardinal Cartesian Catholic Chanut Christian of Anhalt Church claim Clerselier Constantijn Huygens Copernican Descartes wrote Discourse doubt dreams Duke Dutch earth Elector Elizabeth of Bohemia enquiry Europe existence fact Ferdinand Flèche France France's Frederick French Galileo Gaukroger geometry given Gomarists Habsburg Henri Huguenot Huygens Ibid ideas intellectual interest Jesuit King knowledge later Leiden letter lived Marin Mersenne mathematics matter Meditations Mersenne metaphysics method mind nature Netherlands Oldenbarnevelt orthodoxy Palatinate Paris Parlement philosophy Pierre Princess Elizabeth Principles problem Protestant published question reason religious René Descartes Reneri Richelieu Rodis-Lewis Rosicrucian sceptical scientific seventeenth century soul Spanish suggests Sweden theory things Thirty Years War thought tion took truth United Provinces University Utrecht Val Telline Voetius White Mountain writing written