Inspired by the portrait of the French philosopher René Descartes in the exhibition Singular Figures, we present a lecture by Professor Carlos Prado on this brilliant mathematician who is often described as the father of modern philosophy. Prado will touch on the philosopher’s historical position, focusing on his divisive legacy: his distinction between mind and body and on a most interesting and nearly universal error in the interpretation of Descartes’ famous dictum: “Cogito, ergo sum” or “I think, therefore I am.”Dr. Carlos Prado, a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Queen’s, is the author of many books, including two on René Descartes: Starting with Descartes (2009) and Descartes and Foucault: A Contrastive Introduction to Philosophy (1992, reprinted 1997).http://agnes.queensu.ca/event/details/descartess-divisive-legacy/
