The author of a recent essay on Herman Melville’s first novel, Typee, labels the work a “hoax” and a “fraud” because Melville exaggerated or embellished various incidents of the story, which he based on actual events from his life at sea. The substance of the charge is very old news, dating back to the publication of the book. But what interests me is less the author’s timeworn Continue Reading …
Wisdom and the Love of Wisdom
This essay is excerpted from the book Moby-Dick as Philosophy: Plato – Melville – Nietzsche. Thales the Milesian is traditionally identified as the first philosopher. It was said by the ancients that he predicted a solar eclipse, though some today doubt that this is so, and suggest instead that he proposed a natural explanation for the event, which would be noteworthy in Continue Reading …
Moby-Dick as Philosophy: Plato – Melville – Nietzsche
The ancient Greek word φιλοσοφία, “philosophy,” derives from the word φιλόσοφος, “philosopher,” which is itself a compound of two other words, φίλος and σοφία. The word φίλος is a noun that denotes a friend, one who is fond of, one who loves, someone or something. The word σοφία, also a noun, translates as “wisdom.” The philosopher, then, is one who loves wisdom; and Continue Reading …