LoveKnowledge
The Life of Philosophy from Socrates to Derrida
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- 23,99 €
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- 23,99 €
Description de l’éditeur
Since its inception, philosophy has struggled to perfect individual understanding through discussion and dialogue based in personal, poetic, or dramatic investigation. The positions of such philosophers as Socrates, Spinoza, Rousseau, Nietzsche, Foucault, and Derrida differ in almost every respect, yet these thinkers all share a common method of practicing philosophy—not as a detached, intellectual discipline, but as a worldly art.
What is the love that turns into knowledge and how is the knowledge we seek already a form of love? Reading key texts from Socrates to Derrida, this book addresses the fundamental tension between love and knowledge that informs the history of Western philosophy. LoveKnowledge returns to the long tradition of philosophy as an exercise not only of the mind but also of the soul, asking whether philosophy can shape and inform our lives and communities.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Taking a cue from the usual translation of philosophy ("love of knowledge") Brand, a professor of philosophy at Sarah Lawrence College, constructs an intensely personal and engrossing book that tackles several major philosophical texts, weaving connections and seeking to discover anew why philosophy, its questions, and its interplay of desire and knowledge are relevant to this day. He begins with Socrates via Plato and moves through Spinoza, Rousseau, and Nietzsche to the present with Foucault and Derrida. Brand anchors each chapter with a brief biographical sketch before approaching a key late text, often finding links between philosophies. His authorial voice captivates, and though arcane terms inevitably spring up, the dedicated reader is amply rewarded. Ideally, the book "trusts the impressions of the reader and her ability to navigate a philosophical landscape without an outline or map but with a sense of orientation and know-how." Thus, Brand doesn't always provide answers and admits he won't but he offers food for thought, so when he describes Rousseau's philosophy as "an exercise in the art of living," he could easily be talking about his own work. Though experts may have their own views on Brand's "idiosyncratic" interpretations, those newer to this discipline will have much to take away about love, learning, and leading the fullest life possible from this slim but full volume.
