{"product_id":"9780691165752","title":"The Philosopher, the Priest, and the Painter: A Portrait of Descartes","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the Louvre museum hangs a portrait that is considered the iconic image of René Descartes, the great seventeenth-century French philosopher. And the painter of the work? The Dutch master Frans Hals—or so it was long believed, until the work was downgraded to a copy of an original. But where is the authentic version, and who painted it? Is the man in the painting—and in its original—really Descartes?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA unique combination of philosophy, biography, and art history, \u003ci\u003eThe Philosopher, the Priest, and the Painter\u003c\/i\u003e investigates the remarkable individuals and circumstances behind a small portrait. Through this image—and the intersecting lives of a brilliant philosopher, a Catholic priest, and a gifted painter—Steven Nadler opens a fascinating portal into Descartes's life and times, skillfully presenting an accessible introduction to Descartes's philosophical and scientific ideas, and an illuminating tour of the volatile political and religious environment of the Dutch Golden Age. As Nadler shows, Descartes's innovative ideas about the world, about human nature and knowledge, and about philosophy itself, stirred great controversy. Philosophical and theological critics vigorously opposed his views, and civil and ecclesiastic authorities condemned his writings. Nevertheless, Descartes's thought came to dominate the philosophical world of the period, and can rightly be called the philosophy of the seventeenth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShedding light on a well-known image, \u003ci\u003eThe Philosopher, the Priest, and the Painter\u003c\/i\u003e offers an engaging exploration of a celebrated philosopher's world and work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47052667289840,"sku":"9780691165752","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780691165752","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}