The Knowledge of Love: Writing Between Philosophy and Literature by Martha Nussbaum Publisher: Guangxi Normal University Press

Introduction · · · · · ·
——Editor's recommendation——

★ A masterpiece by Martha C. Nussbaum, a top contemporary philosopher who is on par with Beauvoir and Arendt

As a leader in the field of philosophy, Martha C. Nussbaum has been widely discussed and praised by mainstream media and experts and scholars at home and abroad. She has been named "the most innovative and influential voice in contemporary philosophy", selected five times in the list of "Top 100 Thinkers" by Foreign Affairs Magazine, and won numerous international awards such as the Nobel Prize in Philosophy "Bergruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture". At the age of 76, she has written and compiled more than 50 books and received 64 honorary degrees. "The Knowledge of Love: Written Between Philosophy and Literature" is Nussbaum's most popular representative work in the academic community.

★ Five years of meticulous work, highly praised by top media scholars at home and abroad, and has been published in Spanish, German, Dutch, French, Greek and other languages

The author himself called this book the most difficult to translate among his works. The translation and proofreading work took five years, dedicated to accurately conveying the author's thoughts. The two translators graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Strasbourg, France, a famous institution in the field of philosophy. The work's reviewer, Professor Fan Yun of the School of Media and International Culture of Zhejiang University, was a visiting scholar under Professor Nussbaum and has a very professional understanding of his thoughts.

It has been highly praised and recommended by many top media outlets including The New Yorker and The Observer, as well as by famous American art critic and philosopher Arthur Danto, famous literary critic Wayne Booth, President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Jonathan F. Fanton, and Professor Liu Qing of East China Normal University.

"Nussbaum's profound classical knowledge and keen literary sensibility make her unique in the Anglo-American philosophical community. In this collection of essays, she explores the complex connection between ethics and cognition in the emotional world through her exquisite interpretation of literary works, injecting it into her thinking on moral philosophy, thus breaking through the limitations of the analytical philosophy tradition. This is a brilliant and wise work." - Liu Qing

★ Breaking into the world of philosophy dominated by men, philosophy is no longer synonymous with "cold, lofty, and irrelevant to me"

In the harsh world of philosophy where men dominate the discourse and women are easily ignored, Nussbaum's existence is controversial, but she insists on speaking out and finally achieves her current status. Unlike many philosophers, Nussbaum is an elegant and gentle writer who describes the pain of recognizing her own vulnerability in a moving way. She insists that as a discipline that seeks human wisdom, philosophy should not be at odds with literature, but should be an ally of each other. In the process of responding to the question of "how should people live", philosophy has achieved a soft landing.

★ In-depth interpretation of human individuals from a philosophical perspective, and use literature to describe the tiny details in life

In the book, the author explores the human nature, perception, sophistry, reading, soul, individual and love, which are topics that humans have always been concerned about, from the perspective of exploring the "knowledge of love" in classic literary works, and from the perspective of combining philosophical theory with literary theory. The work is completely different from the writing mode of previous philosophers, and uses literature to deeply describe the tiny details in life. Her research breaks through the limitations of the analytical philosophy tradition and fills the academic gap of philosophy's lack of attention to literature. This is a work that changes the face of philosophy.

——Content Introduction——

This book is a representative work of Martha C. Nussbaum, an important contemporary American philosopher. In the book, the author explores themes such as human nature, perception, sophistry, reading, soul, individual and love, which have always been of concern to mankind, from the perspective of exploring "knowledge of love" from classic literary works, from the perspective of combining philosophical theory with literary theory. In the process of responding to the core philosophical question of "how should people live", it greatly broadens the horizon of literary research and highlights the important value of sensibility in human life.

As the most modern and high-quality exploration of the relationship between philosophy and literature, the work not only includes different interpretations of philosophical thoughts such as Plato, Aristotle and skepticism, but also involves wonderful interpretations of classic literary works such as "Remembrance of Things Past" and "David Copperfield". I believe that this book will not only bring many vivid and enlightening new topics to the academic community, allowing ordinary readers to have a new perspective on those beloved writers, but also because of the emotional value it provides from a professional philosophical perspective, it will make readers rethink and understand the specific topics of their own concern.

——Recommended by celebrities——

This is the best contemporary example of how philosophy and literature relate to each other. Anyone thinking about how literature and philosophy can complement each other should not just read this book but study it, revisiting its complex and profound arguments over and over again.

—Wayne Booth, literary critic

Martha Nussbaum's striking and profound point is that questions of style and substance are so intricately linked that if deep questions of moral life are at stake, they can be addressed by current philosophical writing, but that alone is not sufficient. So she has integrated meaning, writing, knowledge, and human truth into one brilliant book.

—Arthur Danto, art critic and philosopher

The breadth of Professor Nussbaum’s work highlights the diversity of humanities scholarship itself, while the depth of her work illustrates how these disciplines fundamentally change the way we understand and navigate our lives.

--Jonathan F. Fanton, President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Nussbaum’s profound classical knowledge and keen literary sensibility make her unique in the Anglo-American philosophical community. In this collection of essays, she explores the complex connection between ethics and cognition in the emotional world through her exquisite interpretation of literary works, injecting it into her thinking about moral philosophy, thus breaking through the limitations of the analytical philosophy tradition. This is a brilliant and wise work.

——Liu Qing, professor at East China Normal University

——Media Recommendation——

This is a deeply illuminating read that makes us rethink some of our favorite writers and brings philosophy back to earth in the process.

—The Observer

Through this book, Martha Nussbaum gives new meaning to the term "interdisciplinary": the content of the book not only covers closely related fields, but is also based on her deep understanding and extensive knowledge of classical literature, philosophy and comparative literature... Her arguments are unbiased, insightful, and full of exquisite humor.

—The Bloomsbury Review