Lysaker examines the relationship between philosophical thought and the act of writing to explore how this dynamic shapes the field of philosophy. Philosophy's relation to the act of writing is John T. Lysaker's 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 forms—the concrete shape philosophizing takes in writing—matter. 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 Lukács, 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.

upload/motw_shc_2025_10/shc/Philosophy, Writing, and the Ch - John T. Lysaker.pdf

motw/Philosophy, Writing, and the Ch - John T. Lysaker.pdf

Lysaker, John T.

United States, United States of America

First, First Edition, PS, 2018

First, 2018-11-27

Nov 27, 2018

producers:
Acrobat Distiller 10.0.0 (Macintosh)

Memory of the World Librarian: outernationale

Le rabat de la jaquette indique : "Philosophy's relation to the act of writing is John T. Lysaker's 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 forms-the concrete shape philosophizing takes in writing-matter. 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 each of the ways in which writing influences philosophy, Lysaker explores genres like the 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 Lukacs, 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."

"Philosophy's relation to the act of writing is John T. Lysaker's 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 forms-the concrete shape philosophizing takes in writing-matter. 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 each of the ways in which writing influences philosophy, Lysaker explores genres like the 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 Lukacs, 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."-- Provided by publisher

Philosophy’s relation to the act of writing is John T. Lysaker’s 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 forms—the concrete shape philosophizing takes in writing—matter. 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 each of the ways in which writing influences philosophy, Lysaker explores genres like the 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 Lukács, 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.

Contents 8
Gambits and Gambles 10
Iron Filings 15
Pardon the Interruption 18
Content and Form 21
Form and Content 24
In the Beginning Was the Deed 27
Reworking Making 29
Deliberate Writing 33
Mistaking Instrumental Reason 36
Fits and Starts 40
A Cultivar 43
Quotation beyond Quotas 47
For Examples 50
In Nuce 54
Irony 55
Message in a Bottle 63
The Hour of the Wolf 66
It’s the Gesture That Counts 70
Furnishing the Space of Reasons 72
A Struggle with Ourselves 77
Who’s on First 80
Every One Is Everybody 85
The Secret Addressee 90
When We Undo Things with Words 94
Unknown Friends 98
Resoundingly Reticent 106
Provocation/Demonstration 109
Among the Pros (and Cons) 114
A: “O my friend, there are no friends.” B: “At least we’ve got each other.” 120
Then Came History 130
Equal to the Moment 133
Unequal to the Moment 139
After Beauvoir 143
Property Is Theft 145
Strange Alchemy 149
Public Commitment 152
Propagation without Propaganda 155
Bit by Bit 157
Taking Stances 161
Character Studies 167
Where Do We Find Ourselves? 176
Acknowledgments 182
Notes 184
References 192
Index 200

2025-10-27