Philosophy Writing and the Character of Thought

About this book

Lysaker examines the relationship between philosophical thought and the act of writing to explore how this dynamic shapes the field of philosophy. Philosophys relation to the act of writing is John T. Lysakers main concern in Philosophy Writing and the Character of Thought. Whether in Plato Montaigne Nietzsche Wittgenstein or Derrida philosophy has come in many forms and those formsthe concrete shape philosophizing takes in writingmatter. Much more than mere adornment the style in which a given philosopher writes is often of crucial importance to the point he or she is making part and parcel of the philosophy itself. Considering how writing influences philosophy Lysaker explores genres like aphorism dialogue and essay as well as logical-rhetorical operations like the example irony and quotation. At the same time he shows us the effects of these rhetorical devices through his own literary experimentation. In dialogue with such authors as Benjamin Cavell Emerson and Lukcs he aims to revitalize philosophical writing arguing that philosophy cannot fulfill its intellectual and cultural promise if it keeps to professional articles and academic prose. Instead philosophy must embrace writing as an essential creative activity and deliberately reform how it approaches its subject matter readership and the evolving social practices of reading and reflection.