Descartes in 90 Minutes

De: Paul Strathern

Narrado por: Robert Whitfield

Rene Descartes spent most of his childhood in solitude, a situation that also came to characterize his adult life. Fortunately, these countless lonely hours helped Descartes produce the declaration that changed all philosophy: "I think, therefore I am." Eventually convincing himself to doubt and disregard sensory knowledge, Descartes found he could prove his existence through his thoughts. This internal information, he believed, was the true reality and external forces were hopelessly deceiving.

In Descartes in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Descartes' life and ideas and explains their influence on man's struggle to understand his existence in the world.

©1996 Paul Strathern (P)2003 Blackstone Audiobooks

worth another gander!

This book was a great quick read. I am going to have to read it again. Descartes is profoundly interesting. I will be sure to finish more of Paul Strathern's work to get a nice overview of the lives of many influential philosophers.

Banger

Paul Strathern is such a funny writer, one of the best one of an already great series.

Pretty good

Overall interesting summary of Decartes' life. Occasionally the author inserts their own opinions into the narration in kindof a snide way, but it's not enough to make it unlistenable.

Great introduction to Descarte

if you think you're going to listen to this audiobook and come away with a deep and extensive understanding of Descartes philosophy then you are going to be disappointed. The book does a great job of covering the major points of his life, his work, and time period to ask yourself if you want to continue studying him further.

short and to the point, but good

listening to this is like watching the highlights reel in the news. it had all the main points without any filler.

Great listen

If only I’d had this 30 years ago in Philosophy 101!! I now understand Descartes.

In 90 Minutes Series overview

If you could sum up Descartes in 90 Minutes in three words, what would they be?
aka Cliff Notes

Would you recommend Descartes in 90 Minutes to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes - I've listened to each book in the series about a major philosopher that is available on Audible. Strathern's books don't have the analytical depth found in Will Durant's "The Story of Philosophy" books, but he does a good job summarizing each philosopher's biography, major philosophical points, and criticisms. Additionally, Strathern's breadth is broader than Durant's in that he covers a greater number of philosophers. I believe that the time spent listening to these books has been well-spent.

My reviews for each book in the series about a philosopher are identical.

What about Robert Whitfield’s performance did you like?
Voice is clear, well-modulated, and easily understood, even at 1 1/2 speed.

Great listening !

loved the narrative some witty moments and facts.shall listen again one of my favorite from the series

Explanation of "I think therefore I exist..." not

correct. As is, it implies that mere thinking proves existence. Descartes asserted that incorporeal being is not possible by using a thought experiment much like Einstein's. Only some physical beings have the faculty of mind. An incorporeal being without a physical existence has not been shown to exist. This is known as rational atheism.

Great Intro to Descartes

The true beauty of these 90 minute intro books to major thinkers is that they allow you to start reading a book with a fundamental understanding of the author, their life, their struggles and the nature of the world as they perceived it. I highly recommend taking 90 minutes to read or listen to this intro before tackling Descartes. Strathearn presents the facts without giving them any particular spin. You can then get into reading Descartes without preconceptions. In all, 90 minutes well spent.