The Metaphysical Club

I finally picked it up and it is something! Here’s the premiss; take four thinkers that have impressed upon our country a way of thinking about ideas that translated industry, economy, governance and social constructs into ends in themselves that must, even so, be tempered, not out of duty to natural law, but out of pragmatic ends and put them in a room together to chat. What positions would be held? Who would be the most argumentative and who the most giving? How would the central themes of existence and value be hashed out?

The book describes these four thinkers individual histories; one, a young idealist solider giving way to Supreme Court Justice, one a son of a theologian bourn from wealth and entitlement becomes fascinated with the human psyche (I contend that his [William James’] sister [Alice] should have participated in the meetings as well. For more on her, read her Diary currently available on Amazon.), an underappreciated scientist turned philosopher (some contend posthumously), and an educator and only believer of a non-constructivist conception of truth (and, it follows, is, therefore, my personal favorite).

I haven’t gotten to the actual “club” or “chat” portion of the book yet, but I am super-looking forward to it. And this brings me to the point of this post; will someone, anyone, pick up this book and give it a read so that I will have someone to share the experience with? Come on, I know it’s a million pages, but it rocks out. Plus, all the cool kids are reading it. Come on…doooo ittttttt.