Bibliograph

American philosophy, a love story, John Kaag

Type

Label

American philosophy, a love story, John Kaag

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-242) and index

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

American philosophy

Nature of contents

bibliography

Responsibility statement

John Kaag

Sub title

a love story

Summary

"John Kaag is a dispirited young philosopher at sea in his marriage and his career when he stumbles upon West Wind, a ruin of an estate in the hinterlands of New Hampshire that belonged to the eminent Harvard philosopher William Ernest Hocking. Hocking was one of the last true giants of American philosophy and a direct intellectual descendent of William James, the father of American philosophy and psychology, with whom Kaag feels a deep kinship. It is James's question "Is life worth living?" that guides this remarkable book. The books Kaag discovers in the Hocking library are crawling with insects and full of mold. But he resolves to restore them, as he immediately recognizes their importance. Not only does the library at West Wind contain handwritten notes from Whitman and inscriptions from Frost, but there are startlingly rare first editions of Hobbes, Descartes, and Kant. As Kaag begins to catalog and read through these priceless volumes, he embarks on a thrilling journey that leads him to the life-affirming tenets of American philosophy-- self-reliance, pragmatism, and transcendence-- and to a brilliant young Kantian who joins him in the restoration of the Hocking books. Part intellectual history, part memoir, American Philosophy is ultimately about love, freedom, and the role that wisdom can play in turning one's life around"--, Amazon.com

Table Of Contents

Prologue : Maybe -- Part I. Hell -- In a dark wood, a library -- Finding West Wind -- "Pestilence-stricken multitudes" -- Fraud and self-reliance -- Walden and frozen lakes -- Part II. Purgatory -- The task of salvation -- Divine madness -- On the mountain -- The will to believe -- Evolutionary love -- Part III. Redemption -- A philosophy of loyalty -- On the steps -- Women in the attic -- I knew a phoenix -- East Wind -- The mystery of being -- Epilogue : The cult of the dead

Classification

Creator