Synopsis
The Book of Dead Philosophers chronicles the deaths of almost 200 philosophers-tales of weirdness, madness, suicide, murder, pathos and bad luck.
Diogenes died by holding his breath.
Plato allegedly died of a lice infestation.
Diderot choked to death on an apricot.
Nietzsche made a long, soft-brained and dribbling descent into oblivion after kissing a horse in Turin.
From the self-mocking haikus of Zen masters on their deathbeds to the last words (gasps) of modern-day sages, The Book of Dead Philosophers chronicles the deaths of almost 200 philosophers-tales of weirdness, madness, suicide, murder, pathos and bad luck.
In this elegant and amusing book, Simon Critchley argues that the question of what constitutes a 'good death' has been the central preoccupation of philosophy since ancient times. As he brilliantly demonstrates, looking at what the great thinkers have said about death inspires a life-affirming enquiry into the meaning and possibility of human happiness.
In learning how to die, we learn how to live.
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Review
Amazon Best of the Month, February 2009: For professor Simon Critchely, how we die is possibly more important than how we lived. In The Book of Dead Philosophers, Critchley presents a lineup of nearly 200 famous (and not so famous) philosophers and explores how, through their deaths, one might be inspired to lead a richer life. From a few words to a few pages, each great thinker's death is examined in an enlightening and entertaining manner as the author waxes on the often brutal (and odd) ways they left this mortal coil. And along with natural causes, murders, and suicides, you'll discover what dark departures from suffocating in cow dung, indigestion, and lethal insect stings have to do with how we live today. At times the "sobering power of the philosophical death" might seem more like a morbidly ironic punchline to the life each philosopher led, but Critchley writes, "My hope is that, if read from beginning to end, a cumulative series of themes will emerge that will add up to a specific argument about how philosophy might teach one how to die, and by implication, how to live." --Brad Thomas Parsons
About the Author
Simon Critchley is Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research. His many books include Very Little . . . Almost Nothing, The Faith of the Faithless, and The Book of Dead Philosophers. He is the series moderator of The Stone, a philosophy column in The New York Times, to which he is a frequent contributor.
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The Book Of Dead Philosophers
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Melbourne University Press, Carlton, VIC, Australia, 2008
ISBN 10: 0522855148
ISBN 13: 9780522855142
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. 298 pages. The cover has a little wear. The page edges are lightly foxed, as are the first and last page. Books listed here are not stored at the shop. Please contact us if you want to pick up a book from Newtown. Seller Inventory # 169632
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The Book of Dead Philosophers
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Melbourne University Press, Australia, 2008
ISBN 10: 0522855148
ISBN 13: 9780522855142
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Medium Trade Paperback. Condition: Good. Medium Trade Paperback. 298 pages. *** PUBLISHING DETAILS: Melbourne University Press, Australia, 2008. *** CONDITION: This book is in good condition. More specifically: Covers have no creasing. Edges of covers have superficial wear. Spine is uncreased. . Edges of pages are mildly foxed. . Front end page is foxed. *** ABOUT THIS BOOK: In this collection of brief lives (and deaths) of nearly two hundred of the world's greatest thinkers, noted philosopher Simon Critchley creates a register of mortality that is tragic, amusing, absurd, and exemplary. From the self-mocking haikus of Zen masters on their deathbeds to the last words of Christian saints and modern-day sages, this irresistible book contains much to inspire both amusement and reflection. Informed by Critchley's acute insight, scholarly intelligence, and sprightly wit, each entry tells its own tale, but collected together they add up to a profound and moving investigation of meaning and the possibility of happiness for us all. *** Quantity Available: 1. Category: Philosophy; ISBN/EAN: 9780522855142. Inventory No: 25020015. Seller Inventory # 25020015
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The Book Of Dead Philosophers (Paperback)
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ISBN 10: 0522855148
ISBN 13: 9780522855142
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Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The Book of Dead Philosophers chronicles the deaths of almost 200 philosophers-tales of weirdness, madness, suicide, murder, pathos and bad luck.Diogenes died by holding his breath.Plato allegedly died of a lice infestation.Diderot choked to death on an apricot.Nietzsche made a long, soft-brained and dribbling descent into oblivion after kissing a horse in Turin.From the self-mocking haikus of Zen masters on their deathbeds to the last words (gasps) of modern-day sages, The Book of Dead Philosophers chronicles the deaths of almost 200 philosophers-tales of weirdness, madness, suicide, murder, pathos and bad luck.In this elegant and amusing book, Simon Critchley argues that the question of what constitutes a 'good death' has been the central preoccupation of philosophy since ancient times. As he brilliantly demonstrates, looking at what the great thinkers have said about death inspires a life-affirming enquiry into the meaning and possibility of human happiness.In learning how to die, we learn how to live. In his humorous, elegantly written romp through the history of philosophy, Simon Critchley starts with the premise that philosophers' deaths are as interesting as their lives. Through his catalogue of philosophers' demises (tales of weirdness, madness, suicide, murder) he confronts the themes: how to die well and live without delusion. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780522855142
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