American Philosophy: A Love Story
by John Kaag /
2016 / English / EPUB
380.2 KB Download
The epic wisdom contained in a lost library helps the author
turn his life around
The epic wisdom contained in a lost library helps the author
turn his life around
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.
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.
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,
Part intellectual history, part memoir,American
Philosophy
American
Philosophy is ultimately about love, freedom, and the role
that wisdom can play in turning one’s life around.
is ultimately about love, freedom, and the role
that wisdom can play in turning one’s life around.