Splitting Skulls

Descartes’ (tiny) Skull 

This is Descartes' skull. Or rather, one of them. There are other contenders. This one is covered in writing—an encomium, in Latin, to his genius—written, we can safely assume, after his death. Some would find the story of this skull's travels ironic, the religio-fetishistic uses of it clearly at odds with Descartes' radical dualism. The …