Descartes' World

Catalog description

An exploration of history and historical fiction through the examination of the early life of René Descartes. One of the most famous philosophers of the 17th century, he was French but wrote his works while living in exile in the Dutch Republic. While his ideas are much debated, little is known about his personal life, especially before he settled in the Republic in 1628, despite many hints about his years as a soldier, his extensive travels in Europe, and his possible political and occult associations. This seminar is designed as a collective exploration into the small pieces of evidence about his early life and the lives of his friends and enemies in order to put mind and body back together rather than to treat them separately. P