The Consolation of Philosophy, Part 2

Philosophy has a reputation as a forbidding subject, and it certainly can be one: I would not underrate its difficulty. But there is also considerable joy to be found in it, and wonderful occupation for the mind. In compiling my lists of philosophers and other significant figures in the history of ideas, I found out that in earlier eras when average lifespans were very much shorter than they are nowadays, and continuing right on until the present day, an astonishing (statistically significant!) number of such thinkers lived into their 80s, 90s, and 100s. This tends to confirm a belief that I have, that it is our minds that keep us alive. After 50 or so, our bodies really are not much good, but allowing for the occasional memory lapses and synaptic misfires, a vigorous and well-exercised mind can continue working in strong fashion almost indefinitely. I've read about studies that back that up. So if you want to live a long and stimulating life, philosophy is the ticket!

The biographical and sociological side of philosophy also offers considerable attractions. In teaching my intro course this fall, I tried to make the personalities of the philosophers as vivid as possible, not merely as a "hook," but because, as Fichte noticed long ago, the sort of philosophy you choose to espouse depends upon the sort of person that you are. The interactions of philosophers who knew one another are also illustrative and entertaining. My favorite story of that sort involves the vituperative breakdown of a budding friendship between David Hume and the always cranky Jean-Jacques Rousseau after Rousseau accompanied Hume from Paris to London. Here is a good article about their feud:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/apr/29/philosophy

I love this bit:

Several of his philosophe friends tried to shake Hume from his complacency. Grimm, D'Alembert and Diderot all spoke from personal experience, having had a spectacular falling-out with the belligerent Rousseau in the previous decade. In consequence, they had totally severed relations with him. Most chilling was the warning from Baron d'Holbach. It was 9pm on the night before Hume and Rousseau set out for England. Hume had gone for his final farewell. Apologising for puncturing his illusions, the baron counselled Hume that he would soon be sadly disabused. "You don't know your man. I will tell you plainly, you're warming a viper in your bosom."

There are actually two whole books on the subject, Rousseau's Dog by the authors of the article, and The Philosophers' Quarrel.