For much of its history, philosophy was not merely a theoretical discipline but a way of life, an "art of living." This practical aspect of philoso...
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Jun 24, 2011
Matt
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All in all, a good introductory book on philosophy, centered around a theme most of us have considered at one time or another; that is, how to fashion a worthwhile individual mode of life. Heavy, I know. At the core of this analysis is Socrates, and the Socratic reflections of Nietzsche, Montaigne, Foucault, Mann, and others. What links each of these philosophers, starting with Socrates, is their concern with how they lived their own individual lives, and how that aligned with their particular b
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Dec 05, 2007
Ryan
rated it: 
Such a wonderful meditation on masks and self-creation. Helps one appreciate irony in Plato and Nietzsche in highly provocative ways. A lot of stuff on The Magic Mountain, however, which I haven't read.
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Aug 29, 2008
Mike
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I read this book 10 years ago while unemployed after graduating from college. It's still pretty good and has many interesting points about philosophy, aesthetics, and ethics as seen through the life of Socrates and the manifold ways in which descendant philosophers such as Plato, Montaigne, Nietzsche, and Foucault attempt to speak for Socrates (or silence him) in an effort to fashion their own voices. As such, this is a good introductory book regarding philosophy that also delves into issues of
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May 07, 2008
justin
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The first half of the book, treating of irony in Mann, Plato and Montaigne, is very good. It explores what happens when we, as readers, assume the perspective of a protagonist and, through a prejudice of exceptionalism, become blind to the presence in ourselves of those features of the other characters that antagonize the protagonist, just as Hans Castorp is unaware of the ways in which he is just as diseased as his fellows at the sanatorium. We are all, always 'just visiting'.
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Nov 28, 2008
Zach
rated it: 
Nehamas' work often reduces philosophy to biography, and, in the case of Nietzsche, this generally means castigating Nietzsche's own philosophy given its linkage to a "pathetic" human being. In doing so, Nehamas fails to see Nietzsche's more literary production of selves and their role in constructively defining the ideal life.
May 23, 2010
Ryan
rated it:
Nehamas shows the influence of texts portraying the life of Socrates on the lives of Montaigne, Nietzsche, etc. portrayed in their texts to suggest style must lie beyond truth because truth always lies in style.
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