A Map to the End of Time: Wayfarings with Friends and Philosophers

Description

Review In 1976, inspired by Tennyson's poem "Ulysses"--in which the hero of Greek mythology declares his intention late in life "to follow knowledge like a sinking star / beyond the utmost bound of human thought"-- Ronald Manheimer began teaching philosophy to retired senior citizens, hoping to gain some insight into growing older through listening to their stories. The conversations collected in A Map to the End of Time demonstrate the fruitfulness of that project, putting a modern spin on the search for answers to the eternal questions. Although the dialogue is almost too good to be true in some spots, the analyses of texts like T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets (or more traditional philosophers such as Plato and Mill) that emerge from his stories are often both poignant and penetrating. Read more From Library Journal This is a book about aging, teaching, and philosophy itself. On the surface it is a running narrative of Manheimer's experiences teaching philosophy to the elderly. His students and his own teachers appear as characters in a dialog; as in his earlier book (Kierkegaard as Teacher, 1977), his message is partly that the complexity of philosophy is best presented as an interplay of voices. But here a minor theme from the earlier book becomes dominant: philosophy is an expression of the need to make sense of one's own life. The elderly have a special contribution to make, for their long lives demand reflection. In complementary fashion, philosophical reflection may reveal the significance of growing old. Manheimer writes with charm and humility, but teaching readers to philosophize is difficult. Stanley Cavell (A Pitch of Philosophy, LJ 5/1/94) almost succeeded in combining narrative and system, but Cavell's is a much more egocentric book. Manheimer's is a good choice for any public library.ALeslie Armour, Univ. of Ottawa, Ont.Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Read more See all Editorial Reviews

Features:

Product Details:

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393047253
• ISBN-13: 57
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.3 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds

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