Synopses & Reviews
Few people have failed at love as spectacularly as the great philosophers. Although we admire their wisdom, history is littered with the romantic failures of the most sensible men and women of every age, including:
Friedrich Nietzsche: "Ah, women. They make the highs higher and the lows more frequent." (Rejected by everyone he proposed to, even when he kept asking and asking.)
Jean-Paul Sartre: "There are of course ugly women, but I prefer those who are pretty." (Adopted his mistress as his daughter.)
Louis Althusser: "The trouble is there are bodies and, worse still, sexual organs." (Accidentally strangled his wife to death.)
And dozens of other great thinkers whose words we revere—but whose romantic decisions we should avoid at all costs.
Review
“If youre in dutch with your valentine, give him Andrew Shaffers book, which recounts the tortured love lives of 37 thinkers. Compared to them, youll look as saintly as St. Thomas himselfwho, Shaffer tells us, once chased a prostitute out of his room with a hot poker.” Martha Stewart Whole Living
Review
“Fascinating, thought-provoking and mildly disturbing... Also, if you are considering dating an eminent philosopher, you need to buy this right now.” A.J. Jacobs, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Year of Living Biblically and The Know-It-All
Review
“Amazing stories! Incredible quotes! Sordid details! This book shows that a genius in the realm of thought can be a dummy in the land of love. Its a hilarious and provocative warning, full of cautionary tales for us all. Enjoy it and share it with someone you love!” Tom Morris, author of If Aristotle Ran General Motors
Review
“[A]n entertaining romp through the seamy side of philosophy... highlighting the hypocrisy and downright ineptness of those who too often counted as our ‘greatest thinkers in this crucial, if so often overlooked, area of sexual politics...” Martin Cohen, editor of The Philosopher
Review
“Eye-opening, funny, and frequently shocking.” the Cedar Rapids Gazette
Review
“[An] amusing essay in highbrow schadenfreude...most of the philosophers, giant throbbing intellects and all, simply screwed up like the rest of us.” Maclean's
Review
“‘Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love extends the schadenfreude to the boudoir.” New York Times Book Review
Review
“A funny and oddly moving history of philosophy as tortured erotic dysfunction.” Neal Pollack, author of Stretch: The Unlikely Making of a Yoga Dude
Review
“A fun way to learn about the lives and loves of the great thinkers.” William Irwin, co-editor of The Simpsons and Philosophy
Review
“Indispensable advice for all loversand especially for those who think they should learn about the art of love from philosophers. A wonderful summary of the musings on love by some of historys greatest and most idiosyncratic minds.” Clancy Martin, editor of Love, Lies, and Marriage
Review
“Shaffers jaunty compendium of highbrow heartbreak provides proof positive that even the most brilliant of minds can fall afoul of Cupidand offers some measure of hope to the lovelorn.” Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
"Amazing stories Incredible quotes Sordid details This book shows that a genius in the realm of thought can be a dummy in the land of love." -- Tom Morris, author of If Aristotle Ran General Motors
What do Rene Descartes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Jean-Paul Sartre have in common? That's right: they were all hopeless failures when it came to romance. Author Andrew Shaffer explores the paradox at the core of Western philosophical thought--that history's greatest thinkers were also the most pathetic lovers to ever walk the earth. With razor-sharp wit and probing insight, Shaffer shows how it's the philosophers' missteps, as much as their musings, that are able to truly boggle the intellect.
Synopsis
Although nearly everyone "fails at love" to some degree, few have failed as spectacularly as the great philosophers. While we revere their wisdom, history is in fact littered with the romantic failures of the most sensible men and women of every age. If only they had taken their own advice Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love paints brief but entertaining portraits of nearly forty great thinkers whose words we repeat--but whose decisions we should avoid at all costs.
- Friedrich Nietzsche: "Ah, women. They make the highs higher and the lows more frequent." (Rejected by everyone he proposed to, even when he kept asking and asking.)
- Louis Althusser: "The trouble is, there are bodies and, worse still, sexual organs." (Accidentally strangled his wife to death.)
- St. Augustine of Hippo: "Give me chastity and continence, but not yet." (Let his mother pressure him into dumping his beloved girlfriend/baby mama.)
- Jean-Paul Sartre: "There are of course ugly women, but I prefer those who are pretty." (Adopted his mistress as his daughter.)
--Maclean's
About the Author
Andrew Shaffer is the author of Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love and, under the pen name Fanny Merkin, Fifty Shames of Earl Grey. His writing has appeared in such diverse publications as Mental Floss and Maxim. An Iowa native, Shaffer lives in Lexington, Kentucky, a magical land of horses and bourbon.