Rethinking Philosophy with Borges, Zambrano, Paz, and Plato

In Rethinking Philosophy with Borges,Zambrano,Paz,and Plato,Hugo Moreno argues that Jorge Luis Borges,María Zambrano,and Octavio Paz practice a literary way of philosophizing, deploying analogy as an indispensable and irreplaceable heuristic tool and literary device to convey their insight and perplexities on the nature of existence. Plato's Republic is a forerunner of this way of doing philosophy in literature, reconciling philosophy and poetry and creating a rational prose poetry that fuses argumentation and narration, dialectical and analogical reasoning, and abstract concepts and poetic images.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 16 February 2022
Publisher: Lexington Books

In his book "Rethinking Philosophy with Borges, Zambrano, Paz, and Plato," Hugo Moreno makes a compelling argument that Jorge Luis Borges, María Zambrano, and Octavio Paz employ a literary approach to philosophizing in their works such as "Ficciones," "Claros del bosque," and "El mono gramático." This literary way of seeking and communicating knowledge of reality involves employing analogical procedures, which are considered indispensable and irreplaceable heuristic tools and literary devices. Through their use of analogy, these authors convey their insights and perplexities regarding the nature of existence.

Borges' ironic approach involves reading and writing philosophy as fiction, challenging traditional boundaries between the two disciplines. Zambrano's poetic reason is a mode of writing and thinking that is based on an imaginative sort of recollection, ultimately serving as a visionary poetizing technique. Paz's poetic thinking relies on analogy to correlate and harmonize a wide range of worldviews, ideas, and discourses.

Moreno further demonstrates in the Appendix that Plato's Republic can be seen as a forerunner of this literary way of philosophizing. In the Republic, Plato reconciles philosophy and poetry, creating a rational prose poetry that blends argumentation and narration, dialectical and analogical reasoning, and abstract concepts and poetic images. This fusion of genres represents a groundbreaking approach to philosophical inquiry, one that has influenced countless writers and thinkers throughout history.

Overall, "Rethinking Philosophy with Borges, Zambrano, Paz, and Plato" offers a profound exploration of the literary and philosophical dimensions of these influential authors. Through his meticulous analysis, Moreno sheds light on the ways in which they employ analogy as a tool for philosophical inquiry, challenging traditional boundaries and paving the way for new modes of understanding the world.

Weight: 562g
Dimension: 238 x 159 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793639288