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This brief text assists students in understanding Frege's philosophy and thinking so they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content. Part of the Wadsworth Notes Series, (which will eventually consist of approximately 100 titles, each focusing on a single "thinker" from ancient times to the present), ON FREGE is written by a philosopher deeply versed in the philosophy of this key thinker. Like other books in the series, this concise book offers sufficient insight into the thinking of a notable philosopher, better enabling students to engage in reading and to discuss the material in class and on paper. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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An in-depth re-examination of the life and works Siger of Brabant, this volume explores Siger's opposition to the claims of the Church hierarchy for overall control of intellectual study and teaching. He fought for the independence of his faculty and was consequently cited for heresy and exiled. ... Read more

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This brief text assists students in understanding Gandhi's philosophy and thinking so they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content. Part of the Wadsworth Notes Series, (which will eventually consist of approximately 100 titles, each focusing on a single "thinker" from ancient times to the present), ON GANDHI is written by a philosopher deeply versed in the philosophy of this key thinker. Like other books in the series, this concise book offers sufficient insight into the thinking of a notable philosopher, better enabling students to engage in reading and to discuss the material in class and on paper. ... Read more

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Gandhi: The Nonviolent Revolutionary
After a short account of why Gandhi's life was that of a moral exemplar, I turn to Gandhi's account of nonviolence.I provide an account of Gandhi's nonviolence and nonviolent noncooperation, defend Gandhi's nonviolence against scholarly criticisms, and summarize Gandhi's account ofnonviolence toward animals.I next turn to Gandhi's vision of how we should live. I show that Gandhi championed equality, women's rights, full employment, appropriate technology, decentralization, and the independent self-reliant village, while criticizing communism, capitalism, and globalization.Gandhi's blueprint for how we should live involved simplicity, nonviolence, and community.I assess this blueprint on economic, ethical, social, and environmental grounds by addressing pertinent objections.I end the book witha discussion of Gandhi's advocacy of "inner work" to free ourselves from fearsand desires that support socially and environmentally degrading activities. ... Read more

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The Marquis de Sade is one of the most maligned, yet misunderstood figures in world literature, and his novels continue to arouse fierce debate nearly 200 years after his death. This book on de Sade includes extracts from "Justine", "The 120 Days of Sodom", "The Philosophy of the Boudoir" and "Juliette" among other works. De Sade is revealed as an embittered, vengeful man, whose extremist vision of the world nonetheless contains profound truths about human nature. ... Read more

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Those seeking in philosophy a guide for the perplexed should be warned. While philosophy can enlighten, it can also mislead and delude. As Descartes observed, The greatest souls are capable of the greatest vices as well as the greatest virtues.""This book explores the perils of philosophy. It shows that philosophers' own behavior, sometimes bad, sometimes sad, occasionally downright mad, is seldom entirely unconnected with their thinking. Philosophers Behaving Badly examines the lives of eight great philosophers: Rousseau, whose views on education and the social order seem curiously at odds with his own outrageous life; Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, two giants of the nineteenth century whose words seem ever more relevant today; and five immensely influential philosophers of the twentieth century: Russell, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Sartre, and Foucault. All of which will show that the life of reason does not necessarily lead to a reasonable life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

I never received this book!
I've been asked to write a review but I never got this item. Can you check on when it was shipped?

Don't deify your philosopher, or anyone for that matter
Not a great book because it tells us anything surprising about those great men of ideas -they often do not follow their own creeds- but worthwhile because it it brutally honest where a lot of single biographies would attempt to gloss over some of the less flattering information. It might not discredit their ideas, but for those who have the tendency of deifying their favorite philosophers, artists, etc., it's enlightening to see them as simple men, smart, but human.

A Philosophical Scandal Sheet
Many philosophers have a bunch of skeletons in their closet that make for good gossip. The authors have shown that recounting these scandals can be an entertaining way to introduce us to their philosophical ideas. Their premise is that philosophers should live up to their ideas--which sounds very high-minded. Their sensationalistic tone suggests that they are not so high-minded as all that themselves. Further, they are a little to ready to tell the scandalous version of various events and don't give a really as balanced account of their subjects as they could. Still, the book is informative and a great deal of fun.

Worthwhile subject material, sub-par presentation.
One should always ask of a philosopher whether he actually lived, or tried to live, what he propounded.As William James said, ideas are only worth their "cash values," their daily and empirical utility, and if you're not willing to act on an idea, then you don't really believe it.Thus, despite the book's silly cover, I anticipated that it might contain a useful investigation into exactly this question - how well did eight of the most important philosophers of past centuries measure up to their ideals?

The book definitely has its good points, and is at its best when pointing out that the philosophers in question often, rather hypocritically, committed the same errors for which they chastised others.Particularly worth reading are the chapters on Rousseau (who, despite his disdain for the wealthy, consistently sought the financial aid of aristocrats) and Sartre (who, despite his claims to be living an exemplary and authentic life, clearly exhibited "bad faith" in his relations with Camus and with the Soviet Union).

However, I'm still hesitant to praise the book as a whole.Partially for aesthetic reasons: bland and simplistic writing and stylistic tropes that should have been weeded out in a freshman composition class permeate the book, and the authors and editors missed out on several incoherent sentences and grammatical slip-ups.Partially for structural reasons: certain paragraphs come out of the blue and lead to nowhere, and some sentences appear at random and bear no significant relation to the argument at hand.And partially for what might be called "personal" reasons: the authors put on a very noticeable air of superiority, often tossing in sentences that display their erudition and their ability to superficially reference a broad range of events and ideas, even if they have no bearing on the subject matter.Finally, their jokes usually aren't funny, even when they try to spice them up with exclamation points!

It is this final issue, or rather a matter tangential to it, that bothered me the most.The authors constantly, if subtly, ridicule and deprecate qualities of these men without adequately explaining why they are doing so.This is especially true in discussions of sexuality.Whether Foucault's deviancy or Sartre's prolific love life is the subject, the authors often make use of quick quips (and exclamation points, as noted above) in order to degrade the philosophers without too much serious argument.They never explicitly state the standard of conduct which allows them to state that Foucault should not have participated in the 1970s San Francisco bathhouse culture.Thus, I found the book to be largely anti-philosophical, always accepting common-sense notions of good and bad and right and wrong, even while discussing philosophers who so greatly opposed such facile evaluations.

The book has other problems, as well.Its arguments about and explanations of the philosophers' "bad" behavior often rest on crude and un-nuanced psychological theory (to my knowledge, neither author has a degree in psychology).It's possible that the authors have correctly interpreted the actions of these philosophers; but they do so without going into much detail, happy to proclaim that Sartre could not maintain healthy relations with women because his father died while he was young.This sort of overly vague causality usually has little explanatory power and fails to add much to our understanding of the philosophers.

Finally, despite the presence of a somewhat apologetic postscript in which the authors try to rescue the men discussed by reaffirming their importance to the western philosophical tradition, the authors, for the most part, avoid any evaluation of the ideas offered by their subjects.In part, this is understandable, for, as the title implies, the book is about the men and not their ideas.However, the authors spend a fair amount of time presenting succinct and superficial summaries of the philosophies, mostly in order to later reduce them to some sort of manifestation of psychological troubles; they appear more interested in the way that philosophy can generate good gossip than in the way that philosophy can guide lives.Though the authors end the book claiming that "an appreciation of their fallibility may encourage us - however aware we may be of our own follies and limitations - to dare to think beyond ourselves," the overwhelming bulk of the book seems to be geared, not toward developing a greater honesty or authenticity within philosophy, but toward exposing the social ineptitude and deviancy of these intellectual giants.Exposing hypocrisy and inconsistency are noble and worthwhile motives; chattering about those who refused to fit in, on the other hand, amounts to much less.Unfortunately, in its attempt at the former, the book often falls into the latter.

A decent read if you want to know more about the lives of some very important thinkers, and especially good for details that might not come out in more adulating biographies.Don't expect any particularly enlightening insights or observations, though, and beware the authors' (perhaps unintentional) psychologically reductive take on philosophy.

An entertaining Treat
The previous reviewer is wide of the mark. To expose the foibles of philosophers is not to condemn philosophy but to consider philosophers worthy of wider public interest. This lighthearted book is far more likely to kindle an interest in philosophy in the reader than the reverse. I heartily recommend it. ... Read more

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The Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Philosophers provides detailed accounts of the careers, works, thought and critical reception of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century.

International in scope, with over 1000 entries, the Dictionary is alphabetically arranged, and features the lives and work of major figures alongside lesser-known but influential thinkers.

The articles are identically structured, making it easy to compare and contrast information, with a critical exposition of intellectual development and impact for each entry. The main body of each entry is preceded by a biographical section providing details of nationality, higher education, main appointments, philosophical style and areas of scholarly interest. A bibliographical section covers the philosopher's major writings and also secondary and critical literature. ... Read more

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Duped
Was led to believe in the details about the book that it was clean and in good condition.After paging through it I discovered several places where the book has handwritten underlining in red and black, handwritten brackets, and writing in the margins. ... Read more

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Considered by some the most controversial American philosopher of contemporary times, SIDNEY HOOK (1902-1989) was infamous for the wild swing in his political thought over the course of his career, starting out as a young Marxist before the Great Depression and ending up a vehement anti-Communist in his later years. Much of what he taught and valued as a thinker he learned as the prize pupil of American educator and philosopher John Dewey.In John Dewey: An Intellectual Portrait, first published in 1939, Hook examines Dewey's approach to philosophy in clear, nontechnical language meant to offer insight into and illustration of the sweep and vitality of Dewey's vision. A staunch pragmatist-a developer of the philosophical discipline that insists upon taking into account the real-world impact of concepts of truth and meaning-Dewey explored theories of idealism, politics, and society that continue to be vitally relevant today. Hook's exploration deepens our appreciation of Dewey's ongoing impact on American culture. ... Read more

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Boehme's renaissance
Jacob Boehme was a 16'Th century shoemaker turned mystic. Living in what is now Germany, Boehme wrote his thoughts about the nature of the universe and of God. Weeks takes us through Boehme's life in an academic journey,laying out Boehme's central idea's (an interesting blend of pantheism andindividualism) and life events (got hassled by the church). The book is nottoo hard to read, even for the lay reader, and is packed with informationabout the man and his time. Jacob Boehme deserves his place in the pantheonof great mystics, and weeks helps him there. ... Read more

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Bravo! (errors are few, fascinating facts abound)
Agassi writes on page xiii, "[T]he main maxim I tried to follow in my writing is, better an interesting error, which may be read and rectified, than a dull truth that will stay put like a heavy tombstone in a forgotten graveyard."

And even though he writes on page xii, "I had no qualms about ignoring almost entirely Faraday's close ties with his wife,"I must admit an awareness (and a partial reason for my reading this book) of the fact that Agassi is Martin Buber's grandson-in-law.

And if Martin Buber is taken as an historical figure analogous to Martin King, Jr., then Joseph Agassi would be a Malcolm-X--an image that is surprisingly supported by this very book on Michael Faraday.On page 4 of Faraday as a natural philosopher [i.e., this book!!!], Agassi writes "Flavius Josephus [a 1st-century Jewish historian] starts The Jewish War [i.e., a book of that title] by observing that those who belittle the Jewish soldiers thereby unwittingly belittle the vast Roman legions that took so many years to destroy the small forces of the Jews."
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1927. The only biography written about Spinoza by someone who knew him well. Spinoza was one of those great men who made himself famous by views that were unusual and unknown to common souls.His father was a Portuguese Jew and because he did not have the means to help his son in business, he allowed Spinoza to study Hebrew literature. Due to the inadequacy of answers to questions voiced to his teacher, Spinoza began to read scripture over and over again, penetrated its obscurity, laid bare its mysteries and brought daylight to the clouds behind which he found truth. ... Read more

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Why a simple, practical philosophy, that could have changed the world of ideas by answering the "unanswerable," and resolving the "unresolvable," was not heard. ... Read more

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How does one die by philosophy? In Diogenes Laertius, philosophers jump into volcanoes, bury themselves in dung, get eaten by dogs, hang themselves, drown, and vanish into thin air -- sometimes all in a single lifetime. But what happens when we look beyond the fantastic and absurd to examine the particular ways that the philosophers' lives and deaths are recounted?
Ava Chitwood's reexamination of Diogenes Laertius's philosophical biographies opens a new window on the intellectual culture and context in which the work of philosophers like Empedocles, Heraclitus, and Democritus was read, received, and transmitted. Chitwood's analysis also suggests a methodology for understanding the interplay between biography and philosophy and for evaluating biographical sources.
While Chitwood's approach combines the disciplines of classical philology and philosophy, Death by Philosophy is not intended solely for the specialist. This investigation offers the modern reader a fascinating, fresh, and entertaining view of the ancient literary and philosophical world.
Ava Chitwood is Assistant Professor of Classics, at the University of South Florida.
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Few people have failed at love as spectacularly as the great philosophers. Although we admire their wisdom, history is littered with the romantic failures of the most sensible men and women of every age, including:

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Customer Reviews (4)

In the name of philosophy...
...and for the sake of sincere and honest scholarship, professor Tanguay has done "humankind" an unparalleled service, which only later on will be fully exposed and appreciated. My words will not suffice to even match the wit and scope of my fellow reviewers of this erudite work. Hence I resort to a brief examination of my understanding of professor Tanguay's project.

Over the years the late Leo Strauss has been accused of everything and anything possible. This assessments of Strauss' character found (and still finds) formulation in the mouths of the many inhabitants of the city. Similar to a phantom that is still roaming the Republic, Strauss has been associated with dictatorial pursuits and anti-liberal agendas. What professor Tanguay attempts (and achieves) is to clarify what Strauss actually meant for what he stood for, without the perennial democratic crucifixion of thinkers.

The three main points that I took from Tanguay's work is Strauss relationship between thinker and lover (lover of a world long forgotten, but desperately needed), Orthodox Jew and American citizen. Strauss, as so many of those fine critics assigned him to be, is not an atheist who rejects religion. Instead, Strauss is a person open to the Whole, neither camping in a ideological deadlock, or dogmatism itself. Possible, one might accuse of zetetic philosophy to be a dogma, but the very of idea of being open to the whole contradicts dogmatism.

Strauss paints a world where there are two lifestyles available (essentially two lifestyles). The pious adherent to the tradition and the thinker who pursues the quest for for the Whole. As such, Tanguay rejects the notions that Strauss was an elitist. If anything, Strauss was a caring member of society, who for the benefit of us all, wrote in a way to prevent, as one of my professors rebuked me once, "developing stupid ideas about philosophers." Tanguay perfectly constructs the ideas of his book so as to make the reader comprehend why there is a need for dissimulation. It is not out of malice nor because of despotic flavors. No, quite frankly nature itself mandates that a certain art of communication was and is necessary if one wants to be able to live in a city.

Tangauy vehemently reminds us that modernity has not achieved what it sought to (Machiavelli and Spinoza being the flag bearers of the modern project). Thanks to a very close reading of Strauss' works, Tanguay ruminates why exactly Strauss has a case against modernity. After having read Tanguay' work, Plato and Nietzsche, make so much more sense, not to mention of Strauss himself (and Farabi). One element that I love so much about Tanguay' work is that he gives you a run down of the past 2000 years of Western thought. Why does he do that? Because in order to understand Strauss (if one can ever!) Western thought as a Whole must be comprehended.

It is a shame that Leo Strauss is demonized. Whether we agree with him, or not, there is a universe to be awaited in his thought. One that augments the Eros, one that encourages one to go beyond what was believed possible. I am very certain that professor Tanguay's work will become the quintessential introduction to Leo Strauss (next to Strauss' five lectures on the Problem of Socrates).

One more thing, we ought to salute Christopher Nadon for his excellent job at translation professor Tanguay's work. I am so grateful to professor Nadon for taking the time and love to do so.

Excellent, objective summary of Strauss
This is a great way to get an overview of Strauss without actually having to suffer through his own writing, which is largely inscrutable, and ismeant to be inscrutable, from what I understand.Having suffered through Thoughts on Macchiavelli and Natural Right and History, I appreciate this book a lot. An additional bonus is that his thought is presented in a clear and objective manner, free of conspiracy theories. Highly reccommended.

Modern individuality is constituted by the forgetting of the soul.
Tanguay's superb book was originally written in 2003. That makes it the first major study that was written about Strauss in either English or French. In spite of my praise of the volumes written by the Zuckerts and Pangle, this is the best introduction to Strauss that I have yet to read. (If you can judge the quality of a philosopher by the quality of his/her interpreters, then Strauss was quite good.)
The reason for the superiority of Tanguay's effort is ironic. His book is by far the most Straussian interpretation of Strauss. One of Strauss' basic hermeneutical principles was that the reader should first attempt to understand the author as the author understood himself (see pp. 2-4 of the intro for Tanguay's discussion on how he read Strauss). Strauss also emphasized the importance of reading an author while being "moved by the suspicion that perhaps his teaching contains the truth about the Whole" (p.3).
I think that both the Zuckerts and Pangle are concerned about reading Strauss in such a way as to deflect somewhat his implied critique of the American regime. Tanguay doesn't care about that and that allows him to present some of the edges of Strauss' thought more sharply.
Tanguay believes that the key to understanding Strauss is his relentless focus on the theological-political issue. Strauss came to the issue early in his life as a Jew in Weimer Germany and his focus on that issue only sharpened. Tanguay is superb at examining the early texts of Strauss, e.g., Spinoza's Critique of Religion or Philosophy and Law, for how they mark the stages of development of Strauss thought on this issue. Tanguay focuses on the essay, Farabi's Plato, as a critical turning point in that development. Strauss' readings of some of the philosophers of the Medieval Enlightenment (Farabi, Maimonides, Halevi, etc.) led him both to a new understanding of Plato and to his famous theory of esoteric/exoteric levels of writing. ( By the way, this is one area where I disagree with Tanguay. He asserts throughout his book that at this point in his career that Strauss began to write esoterically. Dunderhead that I am, I just don't see it unless you limit the meaning of the idea. I do not believe that Tanguay really provides any examples of this in Strauss. If anyone who reads this believes they know of one, please comment. I need educating!)
Tanguay is really good at drawing out all the unresolvable tensions that are to be found in Strauss' beloved Athens vs. Jerusalem problem nexus and his theological-political problem. Along the way Tanguay provides some remarkable insights about the way Strauss saw the philosophical tradition. Tanguay suggests that (in Strauss' reading) Plato's ideas are not metaphysical entities so much as philosophical issues. Thus the Idea of justice becomes the issue of "what is justice" or "how do we behave justly?" Regardless of whether this is the correct reading of Plato, it is a fascinating one and suggest some ways in which Strauss' thought might be usefully compared to someone normally held far from him, say, Dworkin.
Another interesting point. Tanguay feels that Strauss does not quite see that to see the theological-political problem in terms of Athens-Jerusalem or in terms of revelation-philosophy is to place the issue solidly in a historical context. Socrates knew nothing (as far as I know) of Moses or of the giving of the Law (Torah) at Mt. Sinai. For us to see the problem in the light of this juxtaposition is to assume the superiority of our historical insight, something that Strauss would be loath to do (Tanguay's discussion starts on p.212 and, trust me, is far richer than my summary).
Another small complaint I have with Tanguay is that he doesn't engage with Strauss' later writings. As suggested by the train of his own thought, in his later years, Strauss focused on his reading of the ancients, thinkers like Xenophon, Plato and Aristophanes. None of these later books are examined in Tanguay or, for that matter, in the Zuckerts or in Pangle.
This is a small complaint about an excellent book. Tanguay has done us a great service in explicating a difficult and undervalued thinker. He is also a great stylist as a philosophy writer. [My title is a quote of his (p. 214) which perfectly summarizes one of Strauss' central insights]. I have read quite a few philosophers and historians of ideas and the good writers are few and far between. I look forward to reading Tanguay's next work regardless of subject matter.

The Theologico-Political Problem and Zetetic Philosophy

Daniel Tanguay has written what is perhaps the best introduction to Leo Strauss's philosophical journey, a book that should be helpful for anyone interested in Strauss's thought.

At the beginning of the book's conclusion, Tanguay summarizes the book's main purpose:

"The name of Leo Strauss is generally associated with the attempt to revive the quarrel between the ancients and the moderns and with the proposal for a return to ancient natural right in order to protect liberal society against the deviations introduced by relativism, radical historicism, and nihilism.We have sought to show that this theme certainly does not constitute the essential problem in Strauss's thought, which can be genuinely understood only to the extent to which it is put into relation with its central problem, that is, with the theologico-political problem.Strauss himself claimed that this was 'the' theme in his inquiries"(193).

Defending liberal society and reviving the quarrel between the ancients and the moderns are certainly two of Strauss's aims, but his primary philosophical interest emerged in the 1920s, while he was studying Spinoza and experiencing the theologico-political problem firsthand as a Jew in interwar Germany.What is clear, however, is that the theologico-political problem goes far beyond `the Jewish Question' and extends beyond the Jewish world.The problem emerges in the tension between politics and religion and between theology and philosophy.

Strauss originally sought to discover whether the philosophical critique of revelation, in its most radical, Enlightenment form, had succeeded, and he began a long study of the history of philosophy to find the sources and forms of the theologico-political problem.His journey took him from Spinoza, Hobbes, and Machiavelli back to Maimonides and the `Islamic Aristotelians'--especially Farabi--and in the process he rediscovered the art of esoteric writing.Tanguay does a fantastic job drawing out how Strauss's thought and writing style changed after this point, which Tanguay appropriately names `the Farabian turn.'Strauss's text "Farabi's `Plato'" emerges as one of the key documents for understanding his thought.

Strauss moves after his reflections on Farabi to `the ancients'--specifically, the zetetic philosophy of Socrates and Plato, of the skeptic in the original, ancient meaning of the term--and explores the deepest conflict in Western intellectual history, the conflict between Jerusalem and Athens, a metaphor for the theologico-political problem.Strauss ultimately sought to revive the dispute between the two Western ways of life--between philosophy and revelation, between the life defined by philosophic eros and the search for wisdom and the life defined by the fear of God and obedience to the divine law.

Leo Strauss has been getting a fair bit of bad press lately (and some good press as well).Reading the criticism, one gets the suspicion that, unlike Strauss's critics of the mid-20th century, his current critics have not actually bothered to read very much, if anything, of what he wrote.Before making political or character judgments about Strauss, it is probably prudent to seek for oneself what he thought and what he believed.This book can be useful here.

Also, behind Professor Tanguay's exposition of Strauss's scholarship is the person of Strauss.While that is not Tanguay's main subject, it is extraordinary, reading this book, to see Strauss's personal struggle as he makes his intellectual journey.In his heart and mind he lived the conflict between Jerusalem and Athens, between his struggles with the Jewish tradition and his love of philosophy. I must admit that I felt a connection with Strauss when reading these parts of the book--after all, in the Jewish tradition, Israel/Yisrael can translate as `Godwrestler,' and Strauss wrestled with some of the most fundamental questions in both revelation and philosophy.It is also fascinating to read about Strauss's focus on the permanence of the questions of revelation and philosophy, and how cautious and reluctant he is to suggest sweeping solutions to them or to the theologico-political problem.The questions and problems are central for him, not the answers, and this attitude brings with it a certain nuance and what ultimately amounts to an invitation from Strauss, an invitation to study the questions, even though answers may ultimately elude our grasp.

Daniel Tanguay deserves congratulations for writing this book.The biography is lucid, useful, and succinct, and Strauss's thought becomes more coherent after reading this book.It is probably helpful to have read some of Strauss's works before reading this book, but not all of them.Anyone approaching Strauss for the first time can probably get a sufficient introduction by reading Tanguay's biography and Thomas Pangle's edited volume, 'The Rebirth of Classical Political Rationalism,' which is also an excellent introduction to the main themes of Strauss's thoughts.Strauss's difficulty is often exaggerated, but it is true that it can at times be unclear what the guiding problems are for him.This book identifies and explores them, and can serve as a useful guide when reading Strauss.It is an extraordinary book. ... Read more

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Through engaging autobiographical essays and photographs, Portraits of American Continental Philosophers introduces twenty-two leading contemporary American philosophers whose work falls under the rubric "continental philosophy." The essays trace the personal philosophical journeys and orientations of a remarkable group of men and women and reveal a fascinating array of intellectual inspirations -- spellbinding tales of saints and mystics, an undergraduate encounter with Hume or Locke, the shock of a racially segregated society, the experience of mirrors reflecting each other to infinity, Martin Heidegger's probing gaze, the explosion of student unrest in 1968, or a Holocaust survivor's search for explanations.

Customer Reviews (1)

better than it might have been
Whatever the virtues of the American Continental Philosophy scene, the lords of SPEP and Perugiahave also earned a deserved reputation for cliquishness and frequent self-promotion. When I first saw the announcementof this book, I was worried that it would provide just one more shamelessplatform for the canonization of second-rate thinkers. But in fact, thebook left me with quite a positive impression.

Each of the 22 professorsfeatured in the book is allotted 4-6 pages to tell us what they stand foras philosophers. Given this sort of brevity, none of those in the book canhide who they really are; their merits and vices come through in strikinglycompact form.

Bernd Magnus uses his pages to present a Holcaust memoirthat is among the most moving I have ever read. John Caputo gives anautobiographical account of his early religious interests that manages tobe surprisingly modest. Thomas Flynn makes an equally modest statementabout the past and future of Continental philosophy in the United States.Alphonso Lingis gets down to business in typical fashion, refusing to dropany names or preen any feathers in the mirror, giving us a genuinelyphilosophical argument in his ever-brilliant prose. There are other goodchapters as well; these were my favorites.

Other chapters leave a mixedimpression on the reader. Robert Bernasconi explains his recent interestswith clarity and apparent sincerity, yet he is tellingly defensiveconcerning his limited publication record. Patrick Heelan meditatesinterestingly on the relation between science and philosophy, but his toneborders on abrasive in his attitude toward those philosophers who lacktraining in the hard sciences.

Ironically, the worst chapters arewritten largely by those who are currently the most fashionable andpolitically powerful of Continental thinkers. Charles Scott's section is avague muddle of which little can be remembered 20 minutes after completingit. The essay by John Sallis is pointlessly entitled by means of an ancientalphabet (note: if the pre-Socratics were alive in America today, theywould write in English and would regard Sallis' essay as sheer pedantry),and the content of his essay is correspondingly pretentious. David Krellreaches new depths of embarrassing literary behavior, while Hugh Silvermaninsults the reader's patience with an endless prose version of hiscurriculum vitae.

American Continental philosophy has had a troublingtendency to rest on whatever laurels it may have had rather than pushingforward into fresh domains of philosophical thought. By allowing us to takestock of what has and has not been accomplished by the SPEP/Perugiamovement, Watson's book is a surprisingly potent contribution to itspossible top-to-bottom rennovation. ... Read more

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Honest, enlightening and entertaining, this is the story of Ted Honderich. In the thick of it all as Grote Professor of Mind and Logic at University College London, Ted Honderich reveals the world of working philosophy and the real life of philosophers as never seen before. ... Read more

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My mind/brain problem continues, even if Professor Honderich has a solution
As someone who actually did have to suffer Professor Honderich's incomprehensible 'Introduction to Philosophy' morning lectures in my first term as an undergraduate in Philosophy at University College London during the early nineties, I thought it'd be interesting to read more about the man. I doubt he has any recollection of me, but I certainly remember his rambling lectures as he pranced around in his large 'Grote's room' at 19 Gordon Square in his corduroy suit and I tried not to fall asleep.

Professor Honderich is quite an intimidating fellow, or at least, he was to me back then, but his autobiography does present a side of him I never knew about. There's a little more humbleness here, some regrets, but admittedly, a fair share of arrogance and stubbornness too. Despite graduating, I still have a hard time getting my head around the professor's theories on determinism and philosophy of mind, but it's a tricky area of course. For someone who seems incredibly knowledgeable about causation, I'd have presumed Professor Honderich would understand that not wearing a condom could cause unwanted pregnancies, or sleeping with undergraduates could cause marriage failure.

Still, the Professor has lived his life as he believes it should be lived, will argue his position until the cows come home, got embroiled in some intriguing property lawsuits, and seems like he never really caused anyone any harm. A good man? I'm not sure. But certainly not a bad person either, simply a human with appetites and a brain full of thoughts.

Despite being overly fond of the word "discomfiture" and spending too much time weeping, "Philosopher, a Kind of Life" was still a reasonably enjoyable and insightful read, but mainly for his recollections of a UCL department and its staff of which I was at least a bit familiar. Your mileage may certainly vary.

Interestingly enough, this autobiography was completed before Honderich's controversial books/articles about terrorism after 9/11 and Palestine/Zionism issues. If anything, those have shown that there's certainly still life in the old dog yet.

Self-centered but honest
This is the self-biography of a narcisist but conscious and honest person, who as such must be prized. It is informative, reflexive, sensitive and very well-written, with some liric pages, as in the description of his trip to Irland, where he met his second wife. About his academic and judicial strugles, one can only regret the smallness of this kind of life. And about his sexual adventures with students, I suspect this was harmless for all, except for him. I've learned something by reading this book and I recomend.

Not the kind of life anyone should be proud of.
While Honerich's book contains some interesting insights into the characters of the philosophers with whom he has come into contact, I find his constant bragging about how many undergraduates he has slept with rather off-putting. Far from being a confession of his exploitative behaviour, Honderich revels in his own skill at avoiding official censure for his actions at several universities (it is not difficult to see why he got on so famously with the late A. J. Ayer). Honderich has a reputation for being an intimidating opponent in debate, not because his arguments are particularly powerful but, because he bullys his adversaries into submission. He clearly carries this trait into his private life. The book does not leave one with much admiration for its author, in spite of his achievements in climbing the academic hierarchy. What I find in this book is yet another example of a misogynistic lecturer smugly reminiscing about how he got away with exploiting young women over whom he held academic power. This book is not particularly badly written but is not a heartening read.

How free should Ted have been?
I have read all of Philosopher: A Kind of Life, and have some away with mixed feelings, and a mixed evaluation. I think that the book does represent a life in all its messiness and tensions, something which may not appeal to analytic minds less worldly (or sensual, or interesting) than Honderich is. On the other hand, my general picture of the man himself is one of a man who has the virtue of honesty in spades, but this has left him short of some of the other virtues. His vanity, roving eye for the women, and academic ambitiousness left me cringing throughout the book, and I do not consider myself a moralizer. Above all, he is continuously rationalizing his behavior, and hoping that you take his side because 'at least he is being honest about it.' To potential readers I would say: a compelling read, though you will find yourself in a relationship with Ted, and you might find this unhealthy.

Ponderous: a kind of writing
Being a fan of the philosophy Honderich does, I admit to being dissapointed at the sort of re-telling his life has recieved.The clarity and knowledge that exist in his professional work are translated here...to the most tedious degree.One senses a Continental cloud descending as one attempts to remember the last page read.He was dating who?His colleague said what?The nerve...and the boredom.After reading the life of Ayer retold by another, I wonder if Ted should have waited for posthumous recollection.He seems to be leading the same life as his mentor, minus the dash.Proceed immediately to the last chapter and philosophical summary to retain your interest.

Honderich maintains an excellent web site, devoted to issues of determinism and the ravaging of his critics.I suggest you visit there instead of these pages...it's free. ... Read more