Philosophical Interventions: Reviews 1986-2011

by Martha C. Nussbaum

This volume collects the notable published book reviews of Martha C. Nussbaum, an acclaimed philosopher who is also a professor of law and a public intellectual. Her academic work focuses on questions of moral and political philosophy and on the nature of the emotions. But over the past 25 years she has also written many book reviews for a general public, in periodicals such as The New Republic and The New York Review of Books . Dating from 1986 to the present, these essays engage, constructively and also critically, with authors like Roger Scruton, Allan Bloom, Charles Taylor, Judith Butler, Richard Posner, Catharine MacKinnon, Susan Moller Okin, and other prominent intellectuals of our time. Throughout, her views defy ideological predictability, heralding valuable work from little-known sources, deftly criticizing where criticism is due, and generally providing a compelling picture of how philosophy in the Socratic tradition can engage with broad social concerns. For this
volume, Nussbaum provides an intriguing introduction that explains her selection and provides her view of the role of the public philosopher.

Genres: Philosophy, Essays

419 pages, Hardcover

First published December 27, 2011

About the author

Martha C. Nussbaum is Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, appointed in the Law School and the Philosophy Department. Among her many awards are the 2018 Berggruen Prize, the 2017 Don M. Randel Award for Humanistic Studies from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the 2016 Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy.

Reviews

[Samarth Bhaskar]

Probably one of the best pop-philosophy books I've ever read. Nussbaum is incredibly smart, about so many topics. Feminism, sexual ethics, manliness, Indian political history, sartorial philosophy are all discussed in interesting, contextualized, deep ways. Her ability to bring in writers from Aristotle, Plato to Charles Taylor into the conversation is also remarkable.

Only thing keeping it from a 5-star review is that Nussbaum sometimes ends up making ad-hominem attacks, especially at other philosophers like Judith Butler, which I think she could do without.

[Steve]

Martha Nussbaum is a prominent philosopher and public intellectual, and I like her writing because it's extremely lucid and probing. These book reviews are mere starting points for challenging examinations of society and history, feminism and masculinity, art and literature, and our intellectual legacy.

In particular, Nussbaum knows her Greek philosophy and doesn't let philosophers or historians misrepresent the Greeks to serve their agenda. She also returns frequently to the theme of our gendered notions of human traits like reason and emotion, and makes a solid case that human emotions are an intrinsic part of our intellectual architecture.

[Beholderess]

Martha Nussbaum is a rare feminist thinker not swept by relativism and post-modern pseudo-logic, yet able to find flaws in the classical liberal tradition and convincingly argue for them. Her review-dialogues with the other great modern thinkers are enjoyable to read