Descartes: A Very Short Introduction by Tom Sorell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really like these Very Short Introductions. If not for this book, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have read about the life of an innovative mathematician.

Although the book was too abstract for my tastes in places, I enjoyed it overall, and the abstraction is probably necessary for people who seriously study Descartes.

The book is organized chronologically, almost reading like a biography, and it shows that what drove Descartes to write was often conflict with other thinkers of his day.

Although Descartes is known for his mathematical innovations, I was struck by the role of the liberal arts in his life. He was effective in disseminating his ideas because he was a strong writer, an abstract thinker, a person with a sense of the interdisciplinary nature of reality, and an innovator. I also enjoyed learning more about how medieval (or early modern) scholarship worked.

Another thing that struck me in this book was the wonder of human consciousness. Descartes was concerned with was how our thoughts "work" and with the connection between the soul and the body. And he couldn't really figure these things out. The book reminds me that human thoughts, perception, and imagination are amazing, mysterious things that no one really understands. Truly, we are mysteriously and wonderfully made.

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