Mirrors Of The Mind Reflecting On Philosophers' Autobiographies [Paperback]

Imagine you could sit down and talk personally with the greatest philosophers of all time. Imagine having coffee with Augustine, Rousseau or Kierkegaard. Ever had a fantasy about chatting with Sartre and de Beauvoir in a Paris cafe? This is a one-of-kind book in which masterful scholarship is concealed behind a delightfully readable text. It can be recommended both to those with an academic grasp of philosophy and also to those coming to the great philosophers for the first time. The book is irresistible and not to be missed.  Harry R. Moody Co-author, The Five Stages of the Soul

The field of philosophy is a formidable one, even for the well-educated. Its self-referential technical vocabulary and abstract discussions may seem remote from the issues of everyday life. Yet, in our own ways, each of us is a seeker of wisdom. We may wonder how our life experiences influence our ideas and values, and vice-versa. Can we find our place among the seminal figures of the great philosophical traditions, both east and west? Mirrors of the Mind aims to help bridge this gap.

Readers drawn to philosophy often find the standard texts distant from their personal lives. Many are more curious about how historically influential thinkers actually lived. Could there be a connection between the general truths that a school of philosophy asserts about the universally human and the particular flesh-and-blood truths of the philosophers life?

Delving into the newly identified genre of the philosophical autobiography, Dr. Ronald Manheimers Mirrors of the Mind takes both the neophyte and the initiated on a unique literary and philosophical journey. This guided tour of the life of the mind covers self-reflective narratives ranging from fourth century Augustines Confessions to 20th century Simone de Beauvoirs The Prime of Life.

At its best, the philosophical autobiography helps us to ls-