Philosopher with bad behavior

Author: (Eng) Nigel Rodgers
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: This book briefly introduces the lives and thoughts of eight great thinkers. While other scholars and writers have written more detailed and academically rigorous works, for ordinary readers who want enough detail but lack patience, Rogers and Thompson provide a basic toolkit. Without invoking grand critical theories, some of the material in the book is enough to shock, amuse, and anger. The core of The Bad Behavior of Philosophers is that even lovers of wisdom need to be subjected to rigorous examination. Rousseau once said, "I have always believed, and I still believe, that I am a good man." Well, even great philosophers are not always right. — The Philadelphia Inquirer
How much do you know about your favorite philosophers? For example, which philosopher had a triangular relationship with a bisexual partner? Which philosopher preferred curly dogs to humans? Which philosopher used violent corporal punishment on students, even injuring one so badly they were hospitalized? Which philosopher, despite having a Jewish mentor and lover, later joined the Nazi Party? For those who love philosophy, these questions may seem unimportant, right? Not necessarily. A philosopher's behavior is rarely completely unrelated to their thoughts, and their works are certainly influenced by personal and emotional needs. One might think that a philosopher's life must be full of reason. Socrates said that those who do not think are "unworthy of living," persuading his fellow Athenians to reflect on their lives to make appropriate changes. In The Republic, Plato argued that only philosophers are fit to rule because only they are completely rational and can suppress their physical impulses to see the true interests. But this doesn't mean philosophers can escape the torment of bodily desires. In antiquity, Diogenes deliberately masturbated in public, even Plato admitted that Socrates enjoyed watching heroic boys. In the Middle Ages, Abelard fell in love with his female student Hélo?se, and the consequences of his castration became a warning to teachers who lusted after their students' charms. This book examines eight great philosophers: Rousseau, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Russell, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Sartre, and Foucault. All of them demonstrate that wisdom in life does not necessarily lead to a wise life.
Author: Nigel Rodgers (Historian)
Main Works: The Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome, Incredible Optical Illusions, The Traveller's Atlas, as well as the legends Hitler and Churchill.