Remembering the beginning of 2025 can be like trying to recall a distant era. The news cycle has been so eventful that last month feels like it took place a decade ago. Then again, the surprise return of some old concerns (tariffs, measles) can make it seem as if the clock has been turned back 100 years.
But great books keep getting published. I still think about one of the books I reviewed in January: "Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life," by the philosopher Agnes Callard. Callard's approach to self-improvement is, in her words, "hard-line intellectualist" — not exactly an easy sell, but she is so obviously thrilled by her mission that it's hard not to be charmed by her singular combination of exacting intelligence and indefatigable enthusiasm. I was especially moved by her emphasis on thinking as a communal pursuit: "In the presence of others, something becomes possible that isn't possible when you are alone."
Jennifer Szalai
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