Do You like book Rousseau's Dog: Two Great Thinkers At War In The Age Of Enlightenment (2007)?
A study of the dust up between two of Europe's brightest thinkers in the 1760s, David Hume and JJ Rousseau. Its a terrfic example of historical research, with emphasis on the actual correspondence not only between the two, but amongst the men and women of letters of the time. The heavy reliance on quotation from these various letters has the effect of painting a vivid picture the era. The story of the fight itself is mostly unremarkable - Hume found himself working to secure a safe haven in England for the oft-persecuted and less than grateful Rousseau - and presented as unabashedly pro-Rousseau. The authors go to great lengths to contrast the two protagonists personalities, sometimes reducing Hume to a caricature, when their respective writings would have served to make the point better. But the structure of the book - a laser focus on a very small period of time, described from multiple points of view - is very effective for this kind of story. I enjoyed it and will read more from these gents.
—Ron
What works the first time might not be so great the second. Wittgenstein's Poker dealt very seriously with philosophical themes, and did a fair job of presenting the primary arguments proffered by both Wittgenstein and Popper. In spite of that, it was highly readable, and I found it downright entertaining.I picked up Rousseau's Dog expecting the same. Just as with Poker, I knew a fair bit about both of the main characters -- Rousseau and Hume -- before picking up the book. In fact, I was actually looking forward to hearing some of my favorite Hume anecdotes. But I was disappointed.First, the book had a fragmented feel. Transitions were jerky, and that delightful feeling of "reading a story" that I experience with Poker was substituted by the impression of attending a series of undergraduate lectures.Second, I'm afraid that I just didn't feel that the philosophical perspectives of Hume and Rousseau were presented that well. Here were two powerhouse thinkers who had tremendous impact on the future of social philosophy, political science, epistemology, metaphysics, psychology, and ethics... but the book seemed far more restrained in its examinations than (dare I make the comparison again?) Wittgenstein's Poker.In the end, I confess, I didn't finish the book. I left it sitting on the nightstand, a bookmark poking out about three quarters of the way through the book, and I waited until the library recalled it.
—Matthew
The dog's tail..The second dog(no,not Sultan..) of Rousseau,the dog that always barked and led to the tarnishing of many prominent names. This is the story of that dog. Well.. The problem with this dog was that it was undomesticated. It barked at anyone and everyone. But it's not this dog that caused the problems that are discussed in this book,the problems which covered decades and multiple renowned personalities. It might have been a minor cause,not the whole dog but may be it's tail.. It seemed that being sensitive and mentally weak is a virtue,that others should bear the burden if a man behaves out of his paranoid feelings. It's acceptable at a personal level,but when it occurs at a social level,is it acceptable.? Doesn't one have to give evidence so as to clear his name.? I'm not as acquainted with Rousseau's works as I am with Hume's. From Hume's own autobiography and from other materials,I was under the impression that he is a gentleman among philosophers. This book presents him in a slightly different color. Well-researched and well-presented,this book offers a really interesting view of the lives of both philosophers. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
—Viji Sarath (Bookish endeavors)
