The Reveries Of The Solitary Walker

This book is an autobiography written by a Genevan philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The content of this book is divided into ten "Walks" or chapters. The book's subject matter is a mix of autobiographical anecdotes, descriptions of the scenery, particularly plants, that Rousseau saw on his walks around Paris, and explanations and extensions of assertions previously made by Rousseau in fields such as education and political philosophy. The work is characterized by tranquility and resignation in large parts, but it also refers to Rousseau's recognition of the negative effects of persecution towards the end of his life.

An exploration of the soul in the form of a final meditation on self-understanding and isolation.

Born on June 28, 1712, the Genevan philosopher, novelist and essayist Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the most prominent and definitive minds of the Enlightenment. Self-taught, Rousseau dabbled in many fields, keeping journals of his interests in science, mathematics, music, astronomy, botany, music, literature, and philosophy. He achieved sudden success and subsequent fame with his "A Discourse on the Arts and Sciences", a work that cemented his pivotal place in the history of the Enlightenment and philosophy as a whole. "Reveries of the Solitary Walker" is an unfinished work, one of the last composed in Rousseau's lifetime. The book is composed of ten chapters, called "walks". Walks eight and nine were never revised, and the tenth walk is incomplete. Regardless, this work, like others written near the end of his life, is greatly autobiographical, consisting of descriptions of walks he took around Paris, as well as further comment on arguments he previously made, concerning education and political philosophy, among other subjects. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

A novel of exceptional heart and imagination about the ties that bind us to each other, broken and whole, from one of the most exciting voices in Canadian fiction. September, 1983. Fourteen-year-old Bo, a boat person from Vietnam, lives in a small house in the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto with his mother, Thao, and his four-year-old sister, who was born severely disfigured from the effects of Agent Orange. Named Orange, she is the family secret; Thao keeps her hidden away, and when Bo's not at school or getting into fights on the street, he cares for her. One day a carnival worker and bear trainer, Gerry, sees Bo in a streetfight, and recruits him for the bear wrestling circuit, eventually giving him his own cub to train. This opens up a new world for Bo--but then Gerry's boss, Max, begins pursuing Thao with an eye on Orange for his travelling freak show. When Bo wakes up one night to find the house empty, he knows he and his cub, Bear, are truly alone. Together they set off on an extraordinary journey through the streets of Toronto and High Park. Awake at night, boy and bear form a unique and powerful bond. When Bo emerges from the park to search for his sister, he discovers a new way of seeing Orange, himself and the world around them. All the Broken Things is a spellbinding novel, at once melancholy and hopeful, about the peculiarities that divide us and bring us together, and the human capacity for love and acceptance.

Since its inception, philosophy has struggled to perfect individual understanding through discussion and dialogue based in personal, poetic, or dramatic investigation. The positions of such philosophers as Socrates, Spinoza, Rousseau, Nietzsche, Foucault, and Derrida differ in almost every respect, yet these thinkers all share a common method of practicing philosophy--not as a detached, intellectual discipline, but as a worldly art. What is the love that turns into knowledge and how is the knowledge we seek already a form of love? Reading key texts from Socrates to Derrida, this book addresses the fundamental tension between love and knowledge that informs the history of Western philosophy. LoveKnowledge returns to the long tradition of philosophy as an exercise not only of the mind but also of the soul, asking whether philosophy can shape and inform our lives and communities.

Contents -- Preface -- Preface to the American Edition -- Note on Citations -- Translator's Note and Acknowledgments -- First Book -- I. The Philosopher among Nonphilosophers -- II. Faith -- III. Nature -- IV. Beisichselbstsein -- V. Politics -- VI. Love -- VII. Self-Knowledge -- Second Book -- Rousseau and the Profession of Faith of the Savoyard Vicar -- Name Index

"Rousseau may be said to have founded the romantic movement. The great ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity, which inspired the French Revolution, were first formulated by him. He was one of the first thinkers to emphasize the importance of emotion and feeling in human affairs." - Bertrand Russell A new 2023 translation into English from the original manuscripts of Rousseau's classic and influential Les Rêveries du promeneur solitaire" (Reveries of a Solitary Walker) published posthumously in 1782. In this work, Rousseau reflects on his life and experiences, and explores the nature of human existence and the search for meaning. He describes his walks in nature and his encounters with other people, and reflects on the joys and sorrows of human life.