Philosopher A Kind Of Life [Hardcover]

Ted Honderich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0415236975 | ISBN-13: 978-0415236973 | Edition: First Edition

The story of Ted Honderich, philosopher, a story of a perilous philosophical life, marked by critical examination, and a compelling personal life full of human drama. This is the story of Ted Honderich's perilous progress from boyhood in Canada to the Grote Professorship of Mind and Logic at University College London, A. J. Ayer's chair. It is compelling, candid and revealing about the beginning and the goal, and everything in between: early work as a journalist on The Toronto Star, travels with Elvis Presley, arrival in Britain, loves and friendships, academic rivalries and battles, marriages and affairs, self-interest and empathy. It sets out resolutely to explain how and why it all happened.

It is as much a narrative of Ted Honderich's philosophy. He makes hard problems real. Philosophy from consciousness and determinism to political violence and democracy comes into sharp focus.

Along the way, questions keep coming up. Does the free marriage owe anything to the analytic philosophy? What are the costs of truth? Are the politics of England slowly making it an ever-better place? Is an action's rightness independent of the mixture of motives out of which it came?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although he eventually held the Grote Professorship of Mind and Logic at University College in London, Honderich (How Free Are You; Conservativism) was slow to feel the pull of philosophy. In this rather pedantic and exhausting memoir, he recounts his journey from a lonely Canadian childhood to a career in that field. When he arrives at college, he embraces literature and literary studies, though he is an undisciplined student. Nevertheless, realizing that he has a gift for writing lively prose, Honderich supplements his studies with a job at the Toronto Star, where he becomes one of the paper's principal reporters and travels with a number of celebrities, including Elvis. It is at this time that the philosophical life begins to attract him. With his new wife, Margaret, Honderich goes off to London to study with his favorite philosopher, A.J. Ayer; after a number of teaching jobs, Honderich is eventually appointed to the chair once held by his beloved teacher. Always a realist--believing that reality is to be found only in the material world--he quickly aligns himself with David Hume's philosophy that every event in our lives has a determinate cause. Honderich's philosophy has been marked by his struggle to explain morality, passion and emotion by his theory of causation, yet his memoir focuses as much on his randy sexual appetite as on his philosophy. Furthermore, Honderich writes so often in a passive, third-person voice that readers may wonder if he is describing himself or someone else. Photos.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

This is an unusual book, by an unusual man ... In decades to come it will be invaluable to historians and indeed to anyone who wants to know just what academic and philosophical life was like in the second half of the 20th Century, as seen from the perspective of one who was very much part of it, but without losing any of his striking and forceful personality.
– Anthony O'Hear, The Spectator

This is an excellent book...a significant contribution to the cultural and social history of the last half-century.
–Alasdair MacIntyre

Honderich's experiment, at once theoretical and literary, is without doubt a success, for the reader is led to follow this man's human and intellectual fortunes with the degree of interest normally inspired by a novel... The person one has the impression of having got to know by the end of the book is not lacking in defects, but certainly evokes sympathy for the way he has avoided putting himself on a pedestal.
–Mario Ricciardi, Il Sole Ventiquattrore

...a tale worth telling, and a tale worth reading.
–Radical Philosophy

This will appeal to all those fascinated by the inner life of a philosopher.
–Good Books Guide

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; First Edition edition (October 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415236975
• ISBN-13: 978-0415236973
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,353,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the kind of life anyone should be proud of., December 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Philosopher A Kind Of Life (Hardcover)

While Honerich's book contains some interesting insights into the characters of the philosophers with whom he has come into contact, I find his constant bragging about how many undergraduates he has slept with rather off-putting. Far from being a confession of his exploitative behaviour, Honderich revels in his own skill at avoiding official censure for his actions at several universities (it is not difficult to see why he got on so famously with the late A. J. Ayer). Honderich has a reputation for being an intimidating opponent in debate, not because his arguments are particularly powerful but, because he bullys his adversaries into submission. He clearly carries this trait into his private life. The book does not leave one with much admiration for its author, in spite of his achievements in climbing the academic hierarchy. What I find in this book is yet another example of a misogynistic lecturer smugly reminiscing about how he got away with exploiting young women over whom he held academic power. This book is not particularly badly written but is not a heartening read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ponderous: a kind of writing, August 1, 2001

By 

"arlodriver" (Dearborn, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philosopher A Kind Of Life (Hardcover)

Being a fan of the philosophy Honderich does, I admit to being dissapointed at the sort of re-telling his life has recieved. The clarity and knowledge that exist in his professional work are translated here...to the most tedious degree. One senses a Continental cloud descending as one attempts to remember the last page read. He was dating who? His colleague said what? The nerve...and the boredom. After reading the life of Ayer retold by another, I wonder if Ted should have waited for posthumous recollection. He seems to be leading the same life as his mentor, minus the dash. Proceed immediately to the last chapter and philosophical summary to retain your interest.

Honderich maintains an excellent web site, devoted to issues of determinism and the ravaging of his critics. I suggest you visit there instead of these pages...it's free.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How free should Ted have been?, November 15, 2002

By 

koekoek (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philosopher A Kind Of Life (Hardcover)

I have read all of Philosopher: A Kind of Life, and have some away with mixed feelings, and a mixed evaluation. I think that the book does represent a life in all its messiness and tensions, something which may not appeal to analytic minds less worldly (or sensual, or interesting) than Honderich is. On the other hand, my general picture of the man himself is one of a man who has the virtue of honesty in spades, but this has left him short of some of the other virtues. His vanity, roving eye for the women, and academic ambitiousness left me cringing throughout the book, and I do not consider myself a moralizer. Above all, he is continuously rationalizing his behavior, and hoping that you take his side because 'at least he is being honest about it.' To potential readers I would say: a compelling read, though you will find yourself in a relationship with Ted, and you might find this unhealthy.