From Publishers Weekly
A devout Catholic who lived in a time of "miracles, spontaneous generation, and phoenixes rising from the ashes," not to mention the Spanish Inquisition, Descartes (1596–1650) spent most of his life trying to justify to the church a rational approach to studying the natural world. Though he did not succeed during his lifetime, Descartes laid the foundation for future tolerance of scientific and mathematical discoveries. The deceptive simplicity of his writings on age-old problems such as "I think therefore I am," mind-body dualism and his "method of doubt" contribute to his reputation as a genius; however, despite the book's subtitle, proving genius is not Grayling's main concern. Rather, this book of history illuminates the problems of an intellectual during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. In the first half of the book, Grayling proposes that the young Descartes was actually a spy for the Jesuits while living in Paris. Once Descartes leaves Paris for the Netherlands, a more crucial intellectual adventure begins in the conflict between his allegiance to the church and his "Copernican, materialist and mechanistic" scientific method. Unfortunately, this tension doesn't come across with the same vividness as in earlier chapters. 26 color and 11 b&w illus. not seen by
PW.
(Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Grayling's profile of Rene Descartes (1596-1650) is a general-interest biography that follows the life stages and travels of the flesh-and-blood Descartes (those wanting a more scholarly approach should seek out Stephen Gaukroger's
Descartes, 1995). Between his birth in rural France and his death at the Swedish royal court are curious gaps of biographical knowledge that invite plausible hypothesizing. Descartes' relation to the Rosicrucians, a supposed secret society, is mulled over by science historian Amir Aczel in
Descartes' Secret Notebook (2005), as it is by Grayling here, albeit briefly. More lengthily, Grayling is intrigued by Descartes' presence, on the Catholic Hapsburg side, France's enemy, at key events in the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War. Grayling cautiously proposes that Descartes was a Jesuit spy. True or not, espionage enlivens what is otherwise Descartes' sedentary story of philosophical reflection, which Grayling tracks chiefly through surviving correspondence. This offers glimpses of Descartes' sociable personality, although he was prone to anger when crossed on points of intellectual pride. An informative presentation of the man behind
cogito, ergo sum.
Gilbert TaylorCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
