Synopses & Reviews
The rise and spectacular fall of the friendship between the two great philosophers of the eighteenth century, barely six months after they first met, reverberated on both sides of the Channel. As the relationship between Jean-Jacques Rousseau and David Hume unraveled, a volley of rancorous letters was fired off, then quickly published and devoured by aristocrats, intellectuals, and common readers alike. Everyone took sides in this momentous dispute between the greatest of Enlightenment thinkers.
In this lively and revealing book, Robert Zaretsky and John T. Scott explore the unfolding rift between Rousseau and Hume. The authors are particularly fascinated by the connection between the thinkersand#8217; lives and thought, especially the way that the failure of each to understand the otherand#8212;and himselfand#8212;illuminates the limits of human understanding. In addition, they situate the philosophersand#8217; quarrel in the social, political, and intellectual milieu that informed their actions, as well as the actionsand#160;of the other participants in the dispute, such as James Boswell, Adam Smith, and Voltaire. By examining the conflict through the prism of each philosopherand#8217;s contribution to Western thought, Zaretsky and Scott reveal the implications for the two men as individuals and philosophers as well as for the contemporary world.
Review
and#8220;Zaretsky and Scott have crafted an excellent book, written with a dramatic flare that consistently provides a gripping narrative.andnbsp;It is superior to other books on the subject by taking seriously what is most important about Rousseau and Hume: their thought.and#8221;and#8212;Christopher Kelly, Boston College
Review
and#8220;An excellent book: a page turner to begin with, but also very well researched and very fair. Rousseauand#8212;a man who was resolved to bite your nose if you didnand#8217;t acknowledge his sensibility and basic goodnessand#8212;was surely sincere.andnbsp;But so was David Hume.andnbsp;I learned a great deal from these pages and immensely enjoyed reading them also.and#8221;and#8212;Patrice Higonnet, Goelet Professor of French History, Harvard University
Review
"An excellent book: a page turner to begin with, but also very well researched and very fair. Rousseau-a man who was resolved to bite your nose if you didn't acknowledge his sensibility and basic goodness-was surely sincere. But so was David Hume. I learned a great deal from these pages and immensely enjoyed reading them also."-Patrice Higonnet, Goelet Professor of French History, Harvard University
(Patrice Higonnet)
Review
and#8220;This arresting book is like a novel which one reads late into the nightand#8212;a novel whose characters happen to be famous thinkers: Rousseau and Hume. Voltaire looms in the background. Brilliant Parisian ladies appear too.andnbsp; What can be more exhilarating than a tale of intelligence and discord, and of the 18th century revisited right before the French Revolutionand#8212;so near us, so far away?and#8221;and#8212;Adam Zagajewski
Review
"This book is an exceptional contribution to the study of both western political philosophy and the history and politics of 18th century France. There are fascinating insights on every page."and#8212;Roger D. Masters, Dartmouth College
Review
"In a remarkable salvage operation, Zaretsky and Scott rescue from the wreckage of a famous friendship the remains of two contrasting Enlightenment perspectives. . . . An engaging narrative showing how divergent philosophical principles play out in real life."and#8212;Booklist
Review
"Initially these two giants of philosophy were friends but their spectacular falling out became the talk of 18th-century society. . . . [T]he light that is shed on the philosophers themselves is illuminating." and#8212; Bookseller, 23rd January 2009
Review
and#8220;Why was the friendship between Jean-Jacques Rousseau and David Hume, two of the greatest thinkers of the Enlightenment, violently broken off?andnbsp; These two men were supremely intelligent, but were they wise? andnbsp;Is there any relation at all between the ideas of philosophers and the other aspects of their identitiesand#8212;their bodies, moods, ancient wounds, appetites, passions?andnbsp; If philosophy is to be an art of living and not only an exchange of concepts, these questions deserve to be asked. andnbsp;Zaretsky and Scott's book, an in-depth study of this famous episode in philosophical history, suggests how they might be answered.and#8221;and#8212;Tzvetan Todorov
About the Author
Robert Zaretsky is professor of French, Honors College, University of Houston. John T. Scott is professor of political science, University of California, Davis. Zaretsky and Scott are also coauthors ofand#160; Frail Happiness: An Essay on Rousseau.