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    Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love
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    Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love
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    Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love
    Ebook193 pages2 hours

    Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love

    By Andrew Shaffer

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    “Amazing stories! Incredible quotes! Sordid details! This book shows that a genius in the realm of thought can be a dummy in the land of love.” — Tom Morris, author of If Aristotle Ran General Motors

    What do René Descartes,  John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Jean-Paul Sartre have in common? That’s right: they were all hopeless failures when it came to romance. Author Andrew Shaffer explores the paradox at the core of Western philosophical thought—that history’s greatest thinkers were also the most pathetic lovers to ever walk the earth. With razor-sharp wit and probing insight, Shaffer shows how it’s the philosophers’ missteps, as much as their musings, that are able to truly boggle the intellect.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 4, 2011
    ISBN9780062036612
    Unavailable
    Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love
    Author

    Andrew Shaffer

    Andrew Shaffer is the author of Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love and, under the pen name Fanny Merkin, Fifty Shames of Earl Grey. His writing has appeared in such diverse publications as Mental Floss and Maxim. An Iowa native, Shaffer lives in Lexington, Kentucky, a magical land of horses and bourbon.

    Read more from Andrew Shaffer

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    Reviews for Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love

    3.5/5

    23 ratings5 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A fascinating read! This books made me realize that I don't have it that bad in my sex life.
    • 5/5
      excelente, engraçado pra caramba, super recomendo !!!!!
    • 3/5
      Worthy of a glance just to learn of these renowned philosopher's take on love, marriage, celibacy, etc. A reader should not look to this book to find answers for the perfect relationship. ;)
    • 4/5
      Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love is a simple quick read. Many great philosophers were terribly misogynistic, some completely undone by sex. Kierkegaard had so little regard for himself that he seemed to be able to love only in thought and fantasy, a common occurrence among the philosophers. Kant was completely unaccepting of sex except as a means of procreation. Lucretius thought sex was morally acceptable only so long as love was not involved. Nietzsche directed love only at women not interested in him. Plato thought women should be held in common by many men and that only the acceptable should breed. The unacceptable should abort or commit infanticide. Rousseau, what a prize, had 5 children with a woman he deemed his inferior and gave each up to a foundling hospital so they wouldn't interfere with his work. He enjoyed being spanked and exposing himself to unsuspecting women. Bertrand Russell was a great champion of divorce and divorced 3 wives. He thought men and women need each other mentally as much as physically and finally settled down with the love of his life at the age of 80. Sartre, though ugly himself, preferred beautiful women and didn't respect prostitutes though visited them regularly. He did, though, inspire the love of Simone de Beauvoir. They each adopted a younger woman who was their lover.I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about people who can think about the great life but have difficulty in actually living.
    • 3/5
      What comes to mind when someone says the words "philosophy" or "philosopher"? I must admit that if I didn't love philosophy as much as I do, I'd think of words such as "difficult," "boring," and "unimportant." Instead I think of men and women who have, through their deep intellectual thought, helped change the course of politics, business, theology, etc. I would NEVER, however, think of their personal--much less romantic--lives. Andrew Shaffer, on the other hand, did.Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love is a quick, informative, and fun read that reads more like People Magazine than anything academic (which it doesn't aim to be). Organized into short profiles, Shaffer provides the best examples from each philosopher's life that evidence failure in the romance department. Over thirty profiles give us a glimpse into the often dysfunctional love lives of some of history's greatest minds who also happened to be swingers, cheats, carriers of venereal diseases, and even killers ("accidental"). At times, the stories are so unbelievable that I had to remind myself I wasn't reading a work of fiction nor a supermarket tabloid. Unbelievable at these short informational profiles may seem, they are all based on researched fact.Here are just a few examples: * Jean-Paul Sartre: Adopted his mistress as his daughter * Leo Tolstoy: Had a tumultuous relationship of forty-eight years with his wife, Sophia * Louis Althusser: He accidentally (*cough cough*) strangled his wife * Immanuel Kant: He had a clinical view of marriageI enjoyed this book, but I don't recommend it for everyone. If you love philosophy and have no problem with delving into the personal lives of philosophers then this book is for you. If you just want to enhance your knowledge of philosophers beyond their philosophies or generic bio entries on Wikipedia then this is for you. If you have an issue with reading about philosophers and their romantic escapades then this book is NOT for you. Plain and simple.Shaffer, no matter what you think of this book, did do some good research. The bibliography at the end provides a notable selection of scholarly materials that point the reader in the direction of fine primary and secondary sources for further research. Not bad at all for a debut novel and a foray into a subject Shaffer is not an expert on.I do have one major criticism of the book. While the majority of philosophers did fail at love, not all of them in this book fit the title of the work. I question Shaffer's decision in including Thomas Aquinas and Augustine of Hippo, to name a few. I would disagree that these men failed in love, but rather they found love in a different way. Aquinas found a passion for God--hardly a failure at love. Augustine, on the hand, may have had relationships with a number of women, but his conversion led him to a life of service to God. I would hardly call that failure, but a different end on a road towards love.