American Philosophy

A Love Story

By: John Kaag

Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg

The epic wisdom contained in a lost library helps the author turn his life around.

In American Philosophy, John Kaag - a disillusioned philosopher at sea in his marriage and career - stumbles upon a treasure trove of rare books on an old estate in the hinterlands of New Hampshire that once belonged to the Harvard philosopher William Ernest Hocking. The library includes notes from Whitman, inscriptions from Frost, and first editions of Hobbes, Descartes, and Kant. As he begins to catalog and preserve these priceless books, Kaag rediscovers the very tenets of American philosophy - self-reliance, pragmatism, the transcendent - and sees them in a 21st-century context.

Hocking was one of the last true giants of American philosophy. After studying under Harvard's philosophical four - William James, George Santayana, Josiah Royce, and George Herbert Palmer - he held the most prestigious chair at the university for the first three decades of the 20th century. And when his teachers eventually died, he collected the great books from their libraries (filled with marginalia) and combined them with his own rare volumes at his family's estate. And there they remained for nearly 80 years, a time capsule of American thought.

Part intellectual history, part memoir, American Philosophy is an invigorating investigation of American pragmatism and the wisdom that underlies a meaningful life.

©2016 John Kaag (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Not my cup of tea

The book was well read. It just what I like reading or listening to. Sorry

I love this book.

I love history and want to love philosophy and this book is that bridge I’ve been looking for. I have listened to it multiple times, usually when I don’t have anything cued up, and I always pick up something new and thought provoking. This is the book i recommend most.

History/memoir isn't enough of either

This is a book I generally liked, though I think it's a bit much. John Kaag writes a book about his exploration and inventory of the Hocking library while working on his thesis. He is depressed and in a marriage with which he's unhappy. The book becomes an odd melange of a history of American philosophy from Emerson forward and a personal memoir. It might have been more readable as more of one or another. Or, in my perfect world, much less memoir and much more perspective on philosophy. I like memoirs, but this one doesn't completely satisfy either way.

The Hocking library is a book collection gathered by William Ernest Hocking, an American philosopher who studied under Josiah Royce. By the time Kaag made his way to the abandoned house where the books were still stored in Hocking's home on family property the collection had been pilfered and left to mold and become mouse-eaten since Hocking's death in 1966. The book tells the story of Kaag's progression through the volumes finding, among other things, first editions by Kant, letters from Walt Whitman, books with Emerson marginalia, and hundreds of other wonderful finds. The Hocking family allows him to begin to catalog and attempt to preserve (and sell for the family's profit) the massive collection. (Reminder to any bibliophile: put your collection in your will or give it away before you die.)

Along the way Kaag discusses his unsatisfactory marriage, his feeling that he's, in essence, cheating on his wife with these books by intentionally excluding his wife in his trips to New Hampshire, and then cheating on his wife in reality with a philosopher friend who he eventually marries. As thin as his descriptions are it's pretty clear that he's his own worst enemy in most of this and it's an irritating distraction from the central theme of the book.

The bulk of this revelatory information could have been spent on a more coherent story on what involves some of the lesser known philosophers working in the legacy of Ralph Waldo Emerson and William James. Philosophy gets dismissed, by no lesser lights than Stephen Hawking, as irrelevance in a world in which science has resolved the answers to most big questions. But Kaag picks up a line from William James' life: "Is life worth living?" and wrestles with it through the book. (Apparently it is with the right divorce/remarriage combo.) That's not a question science can answer, nor are many with which we deal daily. Philosophy is less about answers than how to think about things; it's about how to define terms and experiment with ideas. We lack these things in today's educational environment and undervalue them in our daily dialogues. Books that would focus on them with relevance have value. Perhaps it was a publishing decision to make this book more "personal" but it weakens the book nonetheless.

Surprisingly Engaging

A surprisingly engaging reflection by the author on his life through the lens of American philosophy as prompted by his attempts to archiving of William Ernest Hocking's library (Hocking was a Harvard philosopher of the first half of the 20th century, who had a direct relationship with many of the greats of American philosophy of the late 19th century). Figures like William James, Thoreau and Emerson loom large in the author's consideration of life's meaning and purpose.

What could be a very self-indulgent account by a man about the failure of his marriage and his grave doubts about academic philosophy as he works as a tenure track professor. Yet for the most part his angst comes across as genuine and interesting even if occasionally a bit much. The history of American philosophy is engaging and I felt I learned a little about some of the major figures and some more obscure figures.. I can't help but feel it is a bit narrow in its consideration of issues and shallow in terms of its explanation of things, but understandably so given the authors stated concerns and the fact that it seems directed at a general audience rather than an academic one.

Part of my enjoyment of this book may arise from the fact that the author's life is not unlike my own. Both of us having done PhDs in the humanities. So I am not sure it really succeeds in what seems to be its aim to engage non-academics in some of this philosophical discussion.

In terms of the audio book, the narrator is in general engaged and delivers the text well, but I do wish he had received more coaching on pronunciation of words and names. The one egregious error I noted is that he pronounces Charles Sanders Peirce's last name like the first name Pierce, whereas every philosopher I have ever heard pronounces it as "purse" as is in "who steals my Peirce steals trash."

better than expected

the caracters; captain and captive. there relationship was so very touching. interesting to learn of after being captured what happens with personality. In this book captain was such a good teacher.

For Bibliophiles and Philosophers

This is actually a true story about a New England philosophy professor who accidentally found a treasure-trove of rare, invaluable philosophy books on an old farm. The family let him and his colleague curate the books. So I'd recommend this book for bibliophiles and philosophers. Some of the collection ended up at his university; he didn't say where the rest of the books went to. I'm assuming the family found new homes for them somewhere. As a bibliophile I hate to see books lost and never again opened. Books represent the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of our times.

between 3 and 4 stars

better than 3, not as good as 4. A decent one to listen to. Probably won't listen to it again.

An easy walk into heady territory

Using the novel form, it was a nice way to bring the world of philosophical thought down to (for me) a tangible level. I thought the reader was good (with inflections and diction) but he frequently mispronounced words which felt incongruous with the weight of the subject matter, and made it hard to forgive the distraction.

Entertaining, educational and emjoyable

A refreshing new memoir. No whining, no bragging ~ a simple storyline of discovery. And oddly dishy about some of our philosophers. i really enjoyed it.

well suited for philosophy and literature buffs

this book is an amazing survey of American philosophy told through the personal story of an academic. I would recommend this for anybody wanting to know more about both philosophy and who desires an interesting read. I might be inclined to say that this is possibly the best book I've ever listened to on Audible