Descartes: A Biography [Hardcover]

Desmond M. Clarke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2006

Although René Descartes' (1596-1650) is best remembered today for writing "I think, therefore, I am," his unique contribution to the history of ideas was his effort to construct a philosophy that would be sympathetic to the new sciences that emerged in the seventeenth century. In four major publications, he fashioned a philosophical system that accommodated the needs of these new sciences, thereby earning the unrelenting hostility of both Catholic and Calvinist theologians, who relied on the scholastic philosophy that Descartes hoped to replace. His contemporaries claimed that his proofs of God's existence, in the Meditations, were so unsuccessful that he must have been a cryptic atheist, and that his discussion of skepticism served merely to fan the flames of libertinism. Although Descartes died in Stockholm in obscurity, he soon became one of the most famous philosophers of the seventeenth century, a status that he continues to enjoy today. This English-language biography addresses the complete range of Descartes' interests in theology, philosophy, and the sciences, and traces his intellectual development throughout his entire career. Desmond M. Clarke is Professor of Philosophy at University College Cork, Ireland, where he previously served as Dean of Arts and Vice-President. He is author of a number of books on Descartes and the seventeenth century, including Descartes' Philosophy of Science (1982), Occult Powers & Hypotheses (1989) and Descartes' Theory of Mind (1993). He has translated two selections of Descartes' writings and has also translated La Forge's Treatise on the Human Mind (1997) and Poulain de la Barre's The Equality of the Sexes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an excellent critical and contextual presentation of the development of Descartes's thought in its historical context."
Richard Watson, Washington University, Journal of the History of Philosophy

"...highly recommended for library and biography shelves." Wisconsin Bookwatch

Book Description

Descartes' main contribution to the history of ideas was his effort to construct a philosophy that would be sympathetic to the new sciences that emerged in the seventeenth century. To a great extent he was the midwife to the Scientific Revolution and a significant contributor to its key concepts. This is the first biography in English that addresses the full range of Descartes' interest in theology, philosophy, and the sciences, and that traces his intellectual development through his entire career.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 520 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (March 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521823013
• ISBN-13: 978-0521823012
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #335,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Certain to Become the Standard Descartes Biography, March 17, 2006

By 

Edward Garea "Edward Garea" (Branchville, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Descartes: A Biography (Hardcover)

Let's make this short but sweet: Over the last few years there has been a spate of Descartes biographies, none of them satisfying. But now Cambridge U. Press has come out with what I feel will be the standard biography of Descartes, and it had better be, inasmuch as it's over 500 pages. Clarke's biography differs from the others in that he takes the full range of Descartes' interests into account (theology, philosophy and the science) as he traces Descartes' intellectual development and his ultimate role as midwife to the Scientific Revolution, a role he `inherited' from Kepler and Galileo and one which he expanded into a search for a theory that would link theology, science and philosophy. A recluse who spent much of his life in Holland and kept in touch with the intellectual currents of his day mainly by correspondence, Descartes was a fascinating character ands Clarke does an excellent job straddling the line between Descartes the man and Descartes the thinker.

In addition, the book is quite well-written; a worthy addition to the Cambridge U. Press series of Philosophical Biographies. (Previous subjects include Spinoza, Hobbes, Hegel, Kant and Kierkegaard.) While demonstrating his mastery of his subject, Clarke does an excellent job of explaining Descartes' philosophy and intellectual interests without boring his readers, a trick more scholarly authors should learn.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exhaustively in-depth accounting of the life of mathematician, theologian, and philosopher Rene Descartes, April 5, 2006

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Descartes: A Biography (Hardcover)

Philosophy professor Desmond Clarke presents Descartes: A Biography, an exhaustively in-depth accounting of the life of mathematician, theologian, and philosopher Rene Descartes. Obscure during his life, yet famous after his death, Descartes was a crucial contributor to the Scientific Revolution, and even tried to prove the existence of God, though his contemporaries considered those attempts questionable at best. He is immortalized today in the name of the Cartesian coordinate system, and the transformation of thought he helped usher has left repercussions up to the modern day. Descartes: A Biography examines both Descartes' personal life and his great discoveries and achievements, and is highly recommended for library and biography shelves.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable details, March 28, 2010

By 

G. Dannunzio "CHIRONJ" (new brunswick, nj) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Descartes: A Biography (Hardcover)

I was searching for a detailed history of Descartes, that is exactly what you get with this book. the details are so specific it almost becomes painful. the research and detail into Descartes life is very well documented within the text as a result of an endless review of Descartes letters.

The book is more detail as to this life and the authors interpretation of his thoughts than of Descartes writings.