abhaille's Full Review: Paul Strathern - Descartes in 90 Minutes
This should be called Descartes in 10 minutes.
I suppose that if you had a bright twelve year old, it might amuse that child briefly.
This book reads like a Weekly Reader lite version. It is a VERY brief discussion of the French philosopher and it left me wondering if the book could possibly be intended for an adult audience. I've found nothing to suggest otherwise though.
There is a vague time line that runs throughout the book in that it is presented in chronological order, but with references to dates all over the place.
One gets the sense that Descartes was a lazy rich kid who could not trouble himself to do much other than nurse his hypochondria, sit in an oven (yes I said SIT in an oven) and think--therefore he is.
I think that it is possible to present Descartes briefly and give a lot more substance to the text. I was distracted by the writing which at times seemed to have oddly connected thoughts rendered awkwardly.
There are connections to other great minds of the age, but some of the connections are tenuous at best. There is some discussion of Descartes evolution of philosophical thought against the background of possible conflict with the established church.
This text is pretty silly. I think it reflects a societal trend toward a short attention span and "lite" versions of everything.
The information presented here would likely annoy anyone who had ever taken a philosophy class. I think it would insult any adult who was seeking information. I'm left feeling as if this was a book report written by a middle school student.
The highlight of the text was a brief collection of Descartes quotes at the end. That is followed by a chronology of philosophical highlights, but it is very basic.
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