Francois Hemsterhuis and the Writing of Philosophy

François Hemsterhuis (1721-1790) was a significant Dutch philosopher after Spinoza, and his philosophy matters. Daniel Whistler argues that Hemsterhuis' exclusion from the canon of modern philosophy has been unjust due to its influence on later German thinkers and its rich assemblage of ideas and philosophical practices. Whistler focuses on Hemsterhuis' reflections on philosophical style and strategies for communicating ideas in his late dialogues, placing him alongside other preeminent philosophical stylists of modernity.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2022
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

François Hemsterhuis (1721-1790) was a Dutch philosopher who is considered one of the most significant figures after Spinoza. Daniel Whistler argues that Hemsterhuis's philosophy is important and that its exclusion from the canon of modern philosophy has been unjust. This is not only due to its reception history but also because of its influence on later German thinkers such as Goethe, Hamann, Hegel, Herder, Hölderlin, Jean Paul, Kant, Jacobi, Novalis, Schelling, the Schlegels, Schleiermacher, Wieland, and others. Whistler focuses specifically on Hemsterhuis's reflections on philosophical style and the strategies he employs to communicate ideas in his late dialogues. He argues that Hemsterhuis deserves to be placed alongside Shaftesbury, Hamann, Friedrich Schlegel, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche as one of the preeminent philosophical stylists of modernity. Whistler's argument is based on a close reading of Hemsterhuis's complete correspondence, which he considers a significant philosophical text. He highlights Hemsterhuis's unique approach to philosophical inquiry, which emphasizes the importance of personal experience and the cultivation of a philosophical disposition. Whistler also explores Hemsterhuis's ideas on the nature of truth, the role of imagination in knowledge, and the importance of living a virtuous life. Overall, Whistler's book makes a compelling case for the importance of Hemsterhuis's philosophy and its relevance to contemporary philosophical debates.

Weight: 616g
Dimension: 162 x 240 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399509824