false 2788874 5 <p>In 1666, sixteen years after his death, the bones of René Descartes were dug up in the middle of the night and transported from Sweden to France under the watchful eye of the French Ambassador. This was only the beginning of the journey for Descartes&#8217; bones, which, over the next 350 years, were fought over, stolen, sold, revered as relics, studied by scientists, used in séances, and passed surreptitiously from hand to hand. <br><br>But why would anyone care so much about the remains of one long-dead philosopher? The answer lies in Descartes&#8217; famous phrase <i>cogito, ergo sum</i>: &#8220;I think, therefore I am.&#8221; At the root of this statement are skepticism and the world-shattering notion that one could look to facts that could be proved for truth rather than relying on the Church&#8217;s teachings and tradition. <br><br>In the years that followed, this powerful idea and Descartes&#8217; physical remains became intertwined with many of the major forces that define the modern era, influencing everything from the religious wars of the seventeenth century and the rise of democracy to today&#8217;s greatest conflicts, such as the struggle between Islamic fascism and the Western world.</p> 2814641 book 14 10 2008 Descartes' Bones: a Skeletal History of the Conflict Between Faith and Reason total:181|5:20|4:76|3:63|2:17|1:5| 181 632 474 70 3 1 false false Tue Jan 20 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 08:45:06 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 09:08:52 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 18:23:16 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 06:28:52 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Jan 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 19:20:59 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 19:31:46 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 07 18:21:36 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 07 18:24:53 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Aug 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 20:22:47 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 14 20:31:44 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 05:55:23 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 06:03:20 -0700 2009
Fortunately, I continued and no...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jan 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 21:30:46 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 21:47:27 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Mar 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Feb 27 15:13:53 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 10 22:37:03 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jan 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 26 20:53:12 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 09 17:39:10 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 08:30:36 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 09 15:10:30 -0800 2009 The Measure of All Things in that the author relates the specific (the migration of Descartes' body after h...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Sep 29 13:32:16 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 06:36:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Sep 16 17:18:42 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 16 17:18:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 16:06:43 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 16:11:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 22 20:42:39 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 02 16:11:53 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 25 11:30:33 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 01 09:43:06 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Apr 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 03 10:42:35 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 27 10:49:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jul 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 14:12:20 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 21:01:20 -0700 2009
According to long-form journalist Russell Shorto, what will often determine the subjects ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Mar 16 09:40:11 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 09:45:30 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed May 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu May 21 13:12:30 -0700 2009 Fri May 29 23:25:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 17:30:15 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 08:53:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2788874