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Articles

The Philosopher as Lover

Continuing our series of personal interpretations of philosophy, Peter Rickman extols the passionate philosopher.

No, this is not about lovers in close embrace whispering metaphysics. A kind of Kinsey report on the sexual behaviour of philosophers is not only beyond my scope, but is likely to be fairly unproductive. Many philosophers such as Plato, Spinoza, Kant, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche lived fairly austere and chaste lives and information about those who were not is inadequate. Socrates’ marriage was not, we gather, entirely happy and Mrs. Aristotle and Mrs.

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