American Philosophy: A Love Story by John Kaag
Final Report by Brielle Walmsley Section H03
Meet the author before the story unfolds
PhD of Philosophy from University of Oregon
Professor at University of Massachusetts Lowell
Areas of Expertise: Aesthetics, Philosophy of Mind, American Philosophy 
Background: While in Chocurua, New Hampshire for planning a conference, John Kaag stops by a German Pastry shop. There, he meets the most interesting Bunn Nickerson, a man of 93 years who had grown up near philosopher and Harvard professor William Ernest Hocking’s land. Bunn describes Dr. Hocking’s estate as consisting of “six small summer cottages, two large barns, and one fishing pond with three beaver hutches” all on four acres with a forest and a library.
To read a little more about philosopher William Ernest Hocking, click the hyperlink for a brief biography.
From Bunn’s mention of the word ‘library’ Kaag is already on board with seeing this West Wind estate: especially its library. Upon their arrival, Kaag sees just how neglected this library had been. In American Philosophy, he describes the “porcupines and bugs had set up house making sure that this great mass of paper didn’t go wholly to waste” (Kaag, 27).
The Hocking Library at West Wind
Hocking Inventory Notable Books: Century Dictionary
Leviathan ~ Thomas Hobbes
Discourse on the Method ~ Rene Descartes
Two Treatises of Government~ John Locke
Kritik der reinen Vernuft ~ Immanuel Kant
"Journal of Speculative Philosophy” ~ Peirce
The very books in this library were some of the same ones that William James read in the late nineteenth century to write his The Varieties of Religious Experience.
Kaag had stumbled upon possibly the cure to his aching for meaning. This library held the tools philosophers in different decades looked to for the answers to their questions. The Hocking library, a symbol for his intellectual and emotional fragility, was moldy, infested, and stocked with books holding golden knowledge.
Initially, when Bunn brought him to the spot, John Kaag decided to pick up a few books and hide them behind Hocking’s grand desk for his return. Later in the week and well after, Kaag took up scrounging the library of its contents as his new pastime, no, obsession. He studied the philosophers he already thought he had known, but grew closer to them personally as he plowed through first-hand sources from transcendentalists: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, William James, and Walt Whitman, to name a few.
The library, the way it was left, housed critters, mold, and dust which could make anyone sick. So, Kaag took on a new project of cleaning it up, sorting through each piece, and, in his own self-interest, reviewing Hocking’s copies of the greatest philosophers and humanists. In the process, he contemplated the most debated topics in philosophy and pursued his own truth with the help of the philosophical community from Hocking’s own library at West Wing.
Reflections
Overall Rating ★★★★☆
I have enjoyed reading John Kaag's personal account of adventure at West Wing, personal growth/realizations, and blossoming romance. His book is a personal account as well as an informational book. It can be either read for a class such as this one or standalone in a non-academic setting for enjoyment/personal learning. Needless to say, this book appeals to a wide audience, many readers would be able to relate to Kaag, and he offers much insight that many can benefit from.
The ending of this book left me with a happy and bittersweet feeling. The happiness came with the satisfaction of a resolved ending but the melancholy was caused by the fact the Hocking project for both Carol and John ended. The books had found a new home while John and Carol embarked on a new chapter of their lives.
The Summary of Kaag's Pursuit of Philosophy and Romance
PART I HELL
"Looking back, I had the realization that at one point in the not-so-distant past, philosophy wasn’t the sort of thing that was discussed only at formal conferences and in arcane journals. It was over dinner, between families. It was the stuff of everyday life” (Kaag, 22).
Kaag felt very alone in the Hocking library as he realized that maybe philosophy is going unnoticed these days. He felt that “nobody cared about self-reliance or about the possibility that philosophers could be existential heroes. Philosophy was no longer intensely personal (Kaag, 55).
Click to listen to a podcast episode with Kaag on his journey in this book of philosophy and love.
PART II PURGATORY
Kaag examines the cover of Leviathan by Hobbes. In the design there is a giant king in chainmail made up of what looks like tiny men and women representing the subjects of the Leviathan (Kaag, 88). As he thought about it, Kaag saw how these tiny men and women, while connected by chainmail, seemed to only be linked by indifferent self-interest. He saw first-hand the “non-tuism” as Hobbes had called it. The fear of insecurity and reason of self-interest were the grounds for the people to obey orders. He looks back on the two philosophers who help him understand human behavior- Descartes and Hobbes. They had helped him understand how relationships were at best functional rooted by the ways of two individuals’ needs to cope with “individual frailties and neuroses.” (Kaag, 89).
Next, Kaag spots a copy of one of the most timeless works of Dante: Divine Comedy which he deemed “a how-to manual for living a meaningful life” (Kaag, 90). He added it to his to-be-read box with Hocking’s copies of the works of Hobbes and Descartes. Then he trucks it back to Mount Washington with intention to hike but ends up consumed by reading Dante.
On the basis of Hobbes and Locke, Kaag explains that people are moved by "sensations, fears, and desires rather than profound moral principle" (Kaag, 103). This goes with my previous report on Transcendentalism and Rationalism which took place in the late 18th century. Think about the passionate sermons and preachers. Carol and John spent the rest of the afternoon helping each other move things around the library.
Next, Kaag explains the pursuit of life and zest (Kaag, 109).
John Kaag sat in an Adirondack chair at west wing and contemplated his truth. How did he feel, really?
Kaag feels reassurance in James’s response to Huxley that we (humans) are not automata in “The Will to Believe.” (Kaag, 138)
Kaag wonders whether he should tell Carol how he really feels. He contemplates confessing his love to her. (Kaag, 139) Kaag tells readers that Cudworth brought him back to the ideas of freedom and prospects of love. (Kaag, 142)
After thinking over determinism, he receives a text from Carol needing a ride from the airport.
PART III REDEMPTION
Kaag reunites with Carol at the airport terminal. After their hug, she whispers to him that she is getting a divorce (Kaag 153). He realizes why Peirce leaves out descriptions religious experiences and communion with the Absolute and the readers are left with only statements about his radical transformation or feeling afterward. He knows now that some things are better left unsaid. They spent several nights together before heading up to Hocking Estate to
While John and Carol spent time together on the car ride this time her company had made the simple things have more meaning and more emotion to him. They both enter Hocking library and get straight to work while Kaag multi-tasks with contemplation. What's knew? He recalls David Foster Wallace's words:
We're not fated to be impartially alone at the center of our skull-sized kingdoms, but have the rare and precious choice to venture outside with others. Whether we do is completely up to us, but this choice of togetherness beckons even, and most importantly, when we feel the most cutoff.
Cataloguing gives Kaag the time to self-reflect on his moral character while Carol helped him on the other side of the Hocking Library.
Much has happened between Carol and John since her return.
They went together as the books were appraised in the library. Kaag describes how American Philosophy is "provincial and narrow in its focus" as a by-product of the nation's political and exceptionalism (Kaag, 211). This was much different than in the Hocking Library where Western philosophers converse with the other-worldly philosophers. Unfortunately, Kaag describes that American philosophy had been in decline transferring it to the path of the "ivory tower" (Kaag, 215). The insight of philosophy slowly started to become obscure to the public eye. This attitude is continued by policyholders and dogmatists as they regarded philosophy in its own separate place.
That night, John and Carol spent the night camping above West Wind. Kaag explains how the absence of his father drove him to philosophy. At this time, there under the stars in his sleeping bag was where he really began to contemplate his unhappiness (Kaag, 225). The night continued on is its "perfect inexplicable way" (Kaag, 228). He likens his total journey to Dante's Inferno in hell, purgatory, and paradise. His ended in freedom and love ultimately.
John and Carol were married Fall 2011 and had a daughter named Becca (Kagg, 229).
Now, Kaag’s journey discovering the once-forgotten Hocking Library is a highly renowned one. The value of this knowledge is unparalleled. Demonstrated early in the book by the stolen and returned titles.
The question is, how much would the average person care about this finding? The subject of philosophy is not meant to be exclusive. So, why would this be an issue today?
According to Justin Weinberg of dailynous.com, “23% of adults “often” think about or researched the ethical aspects of a choice in their life,” (Weinberg, 2020). It is an uncommon activity among adults, and the number narrows with an increase of the adult’s age. There is a noticeable difference in those interested in philosophy. Many people in philosophy have different backgrounds and ethnicities.
Martha C Nussbaum is a Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago. She has published many articles and books: twenty-one books and over four-hundred fifty articles. In the interview article “Philosophy in the Public Interest,” Margaret Miller (2002) discusses her message ad insights in Nussbaum’s book Therapy of Desire and article “No Chance Matter: Philosophy and Public Life.”
Nussbaum focuses on two goals of philosophers. First, Nussbaum describes political philosophers sometimes “aim to show democratic citizens how to think more clearly about certain moral and political concepts” (Miller, 39). These are your Others, however, and most of her favorite philosophers fall under this category, “argue for a certain conception of how political institutions are best designed” (Miller, 39). In this category she refers to Hellenistic thinkers and Karl Marx.
Her books appeal to feminist activists, teachers, doctors, businessmen, lawyers, and policy- makers at all levels, in the various countries in which her books are available.
“The criticism I'm discussing in that passage from Therapy of Desire is a criticism of academic philosophy that was made by Cicero and other more practically oriented thinkers in the ancient Greco-Roman world. They said that some ways of writing about ethics and politics - with excessive use of formal logic, for example - left readers totally clueless about the whole point of engaging in argument in that area. Thus, cogent though the arguments might be, they would not persuade anyone.”
She goes on to describe that in order to gain a wider audience in philosophy, the work must first have good writing. The importance of good writing is placed highly but taught rarely. Nussbaum points out that, like Lucretius and Seneca wrote Latin poetry for the elite, the logically sound and high-level technical arguments do not even reach the smaller audiences. This drawback causes philosophy as a profession to influence “public debate less than the quality of the work would suggest it ought to, simply because people don't know how to communicate” (Miller 42). Think about it, philosophy can get very technical very quickly. The general public may be interested in a topic naturally, but the terms, theories, and methods to prove arguments true may steer one away from his or her original interest.
Expression and emotion can continue one’s passion for philosophy.
The Philosophical Journey
I have a little photo which describes how I go through my process, how certain parts of philosophy have reached me, and how I think it can reach the general public as well.
While philosophy requires a level of historical background to understand the philosophers, ideas, and context of philosophical principles, contemplation is something that reaches a large audience. We are free to think and question all we want. And, with the internet, there is so much at our disposal; it is our very own library in and of itself.
I believe that academics and scholars of philosophy should make a point to reach a wider audience because there are a good amount of people in the general public whom it would be well received. Philosophy has been and should continue to be incorporated in pop culture because there are so many topics to be thought about. As a community, a greater understanding of philosophy, from person to person, has the possibility to change how we exist among each other and our understanding of the word community even.
Additionally, I believe the lost interest in reading among the general public is countered by the internet, pop culture, and the radio. Here are a few examples of philosophy in those atmospheres:
In Our Time Podcast In Our Time BBC Radio
The Mission Daily The Mission Daily Podcast
The Philosophy Guy Podcast The Philosophy Guy Brenden Weber
Songs with philosophical messages
r/philosophy subreddit where users can ask professionals their questions
Bibliography
“The Humanities in American Life: A Survey of the Public's Attitudes and Engagement.” American Academy of Arts & Sciences, https://www.amacad.org/humanities-indicators/humanities-american-life-survey-publics-attitudes-and-engagement.
Kaag, John. American Philosophy: A Love Story. Ferrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017.
Miller, Margaret, and Maria Naussbaum. “Philosophy in the Public Interest.” Change, vol. 2, no. 4- vol. 45 no. 6, May 2002.
Weinberg, Justin. “What the Public Thinks of Philosophy and Other Humanities Fields.” Daily Nous, 9 Nov. 2020, https://dailynous.com/2020/11/09/public-thinks-philosophy-humanities-fields/.
Kaag's books are definitely accessible works of popular philosophy, Brielle. Maybe conclude by noting what works in this one, for you, and whether it would be good for more academics to follow Kaag's example and try to bring philosophy out of the proverbial "ivory tower" to reach non-academic readers in a non-"technical" way. Beyond that, though, lies the problem of a general decline of reading in the broad population. Any thoughts on how that trend can be countered?
ReplyDeleteBe sure to add a few links, for example to Dante, Martha Nussbaum, Margaret Miller...