Descartes in 90 Minutes Audiobook By Paul Strathern cover art

Descartes in 90 Minutes

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Descartes in 90 Minutes

By: Paul Strathern
Narrated by: Robert Whitfield
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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 Philosophy Inspiring Funny
Excellent Biographical Overview • Good Philosophical Summary • Quick Introductory Resource • Efficient Time Investment
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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.

worth another gander!

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

Banger

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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.

Pretty good

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

short and to the point, but good

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

Great listen

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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.

Great introduction to Descarte

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Descartes was always a mystery to me. however, this shortened form hit the highlights, so I could actually even describe what he's about

I got, r finally

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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.

In 90 Minutes Series overview

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

Great listening !

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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.

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

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