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The Philosophical Writings of Edgar Saltus: The Philosophy of Disenchantment & The Anatomy of Negation
"I wrote "The Philosophy of Disenchantment," which is, I think, the gloomiest and worst book ever published. Out of sheer laziness, I then produced a history of atheism, "The Anatomy of Negation," which has been honored by international dislike. Need I state that of all my children it is the one that I prefer?" -Edgar Saltus
"Returning to an estimate of Saltus, let us sum up by saying we have in him a temperament saturated with pessimism which expresses itself by the beautiful decoration of sinister themes. To see grandeurs in vast horrors is the last thing a commonplace person can do. Neither can commonplace persons accumulate effortlessly a legend about themselves. This Edgar Saltus has done... "In The Philosophy of Disenchantment" and "The Anatomy of Negation" he has written two compact readable and scholarly resumes of pessimism and of skepticism-perhaps the best handbooks ever published on these subjects" -Broom, Vol. 2
"Mr. Saltus is a scientific pessimist, as witty, as bitter, as satirical, as interesting and as insolent to humanity in general as are his great teachers, Schopenhauer and Von Hartmann. there is a prodigious and prodigal display of genius in his work that is a history of antitheism from Kapila to Leconte de Lisle." -Worcester Spy
"A whole library of pessimism compressed into one small volume by a writer whose understanding of the value of words amounts almost to genius." -Chicago Herald
"The work is remarkable in every way and its originality and power will compel for it more than an ephemeral existence, for independently of the force with which it deals with its theme its literary merits are of a high order, and its reflections are those of a bold, brilliant and able thinker." -Boston Saturday Review
"Returning to an estimate of Saltus, let us sum up by saying we have in him a temperament saturated with pessimism which expresses itself by the beautiful decoration of sinister themes. To see grandeurs in vast horrors is the last thing a commonplace person can do. Neither can commonplace persons accumulate effortlessly a legend about themselves. This Edgar Saltus has done... "In The Philosophy of Disenchantment" and "The Anatomy of Negation" he has written two compact readable and scholarly resumes of pessimism and of skepticism-perhaps the best handbooks ever published on these subjects" -Broom, Vol. 2
"Mr. Saltus is a scientific pessimist, as witty, as bitter, as satirical, as interesting and as insolent to humanity in general as are his great teachers, Schopenhauer and Von Hartmann. there is a prodigious and prodigal display of genius in his work that is a history of antitheism from Kapila to Leconte de Lisle." -Worcester Spy
"A whole library of pessimism compressed into one small volume by a writer whose understanding of the value of words amounts almost to genius." -Chicago Herald
"The work is remarkable in every way and its originality and power will compel for it more than an ephemeral existence, for independently of the force with which it deals with its theme its literary merits are of a high order, and its reflections are those of a bold, brilliant and able thinker." -Boston Saturday Review
- GenresPhilosophyNonfiction
368 pages, Paperback
First published February 9, 2014
4 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Saltus
271 books27 followersEdgar Evertson Saltus was an American writer known for his highly refined prose style. Saltus received a law degree from Columbia University in 1880.
Saltus wrote two books of philosophy, The Philosophy of Disenchantment and The Anatomy of Negation. Acclaimed by fellow writers in his day, Saltus fell into obscurity after his death.
Saltus wrote two books of philosophy, The Philosophy of Disenchantment and The Anatomy of Negation. Acclaimed by fellow writers in his day, Saltus fell into obscurity after his death.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 1, 2021
Perhaps the most underrated American writer of all time. I challenge readers to find a more polished, sophisticated scribe in the English language.
The Philosophy of Disenchantment lingers too long on a few philosophers while still providing valuable lessons in pessimism and skepticism. The Anatomy of Negation impeccably charts atheism (and non-conformist thought in general) from the Upanishads to Jesus to the time in which Saltus lived.
I take this man's neglect by readers and scholars as proof that most people are blockheads.
Taken from a random opening of the book, here is an example of Saltus' customarily beautiful prose in Anatomy of Negation:
"Yet Marechal was one of the fanatics of atheism, and as proud of negation as though he had invented it. The devil, one may see, is rarely as red as he appears on the stage. The thinkers with whom this chapter has had to deal were fervent in their disbelief; but in their disbelief there was room for such charity, tolerance and broad good-will, that one looks in vain for a stone that shall hit them. Perhaps, as some one has said, it is only the just that have a right to be atheists. And yet they were not impeccable; with one exception, they were guilty of a grievous sin against good manners--they were dogmatic...They forgot Montaigne, and they let Pyrrho fall asleep."
Opened to any page this book displays a writer who has transcended what is easy to look back on as 19th century pretentiousness with his erudite style. He is eloquent and slightly wordy, like Hardy, Thackery, or Dickens, but with greater restraint.
The Philosophy of Disenchantment lingers too long on a few philosophers while still providing valuable lessons in pessimism and skepticism. The Anatomy of Negation impeccably charts atheism (and non-conformist thought in general) from the Upanishads to Jesus to the time in which Saltus lived.
I take this man's neglect by readers and scholars as proof that most people are blockheads.
Taken from a random opening of the book, here is an example of Saltus' customarily beautiful prose in Anatomy of Negation:
"Yet Marechal was one of the fanatics of atheism, and as proud of negation as though he had invented it. The devil, one may see, is rarely as red as he appears on the stage. The thinkers with whom this chapter has had to deal were fervent in their disbelief; but in their disbelief there was room for such charity, tolerance and broad good-will, that one looks in vain for a stone that shall hit them. Perhaps, as some one has said, it is only the just that have a right to be atheists. And yet they were not impeccable; with one exception, they were guilty of a grievous sin against good manners--they were dogmatic...They forgot Montaigne, and they let Pyrrho fall asleep."
Opened to any page this book displays a writer who has transcended what is easy to look back on as 19th century pretentiousness with his erudite style. He is eloquent and slightly wordy, like Hardy, Thackery, or Dickens, but with greater restraint.
December 5, 2021
A chronicling first of the history of philosophical pessimism (with a HEAVY emphasis on Schopenhauer), and then a history of anti-theism (with more Schopenhauer), this is a great beginner’s guide to all things gloomy. I would have loved to have read more of the author’s own takes on the subjects on which he so deftly summarizes the views of others, as the brief passages of his own composition are at times breathtaking:
“There is no light save perchance in death. One torture more, one more throb of the heart, and after it nothing. The grave opens, a little flesh falls in, and the weeds of forgetfulness which soon hide the tomb grow eternally above its vanities. And still the voice of the living, of the just and of the unjust, of kings, of felons and of beasts, will be raised unsilenced, until humanity, unsatisfied as before and yet impatient for the peace which life has disturbed, is tossed at last, with its shattered globe and forgotten gods, to fertilize the furrows of space where worlds ferment.
On this vista the curtain may be drawn. Neither the poet nor seer can look beyond. Nature, who is unconscious in her immorality, entrancing in her beauty, savage in her cruelty, imperial in her prodigality, and appalling in her convulsions, is not only deaf, but dumb. There is no answer to any appeal. The best we can do, the best that has ever been done, is to recognize the implacability of the laws that rule the universe, and contemplate as calmly as we can the nothingness from which we are come and into which we shall all disappear. The one consolation that we hold, though it is one which may be illusory too, consists in the belief that when death comes, fear and hope are at an end. Then wonder ceases; the insoluble no longer perplexes; space is lost; the infinite is blank; the farce is done.”
“There is no light save perchance in death. One torture more, one more throb of the heart, and after it nothing. The grave opens, a little flesh falls in, and the weeds of forgetfulness which soon hide the tomb grow eternally above its vanities. And still the voice of the living, of the just and of the unjust, of kings, of felons and of beasts, will be raised unsilenced, until humanity, unsatisfied as before and yet impatient for the peace which life has disturbed, is tossed at last, with its shattered globe and forgotten gods, to fertilize the furrows of space where worlds ferment.
On this vista the curtain may be drawn. Neither the poet nor seer can look beyond. Nature, who is unconscious in her immorality, entrancing in her beauty, savage in her cruelty, imperial in her prodigality, and appalling in her convulsions, is not only deaf, but dumb. There is no answer to any appeal. The best we can do, the best that has ever been done, is to recognize the implacability of the laws that rule the universe, and contemplate as calmly as we can the nothingness from which we are come and into which we shall all disappear. The one consolation that we hold, though it is one which may be illusory too, consists in the belief that when death comes, fear and hope are at an end. Then wonder ceases; the insoluble no longer perplexes; space is lost; the infinite is blank; the farce is done.”
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September 29, 2020Edgar Saltus has largely been consigned to the trash heap, although the more I learn about him the more he fascinates me as a true-blue American weirdo. Of this volume... The Philosophy of Disenchantment is a straightforward if not especially interesting explication of Schopenhauer. It's fine, but it's not necessary reading. However, The Anatomy of Negation is a fucking feast of ideas from the ancient world forward (featuring nihilist Jesus!). For someone who self-described as a nihilist and a pessimist, he's passionate, witty, and charming, and you can imagine being rapt by his after-dinner conversation, moving quickly from the wine to the bourbon, and ending the night throwing shit at freight trains, before enthusiastically bro-hugging goodbye and him saying "Man, my wife is going to be PISSED" as he lights the filter of his cigarette.
May 17, 2023
Pessimism gets a bad rap: people assume it goes hand in hand with depression. But systematically plying oneself with sunny expectations carries no guarantee of good results; it may simply set one up for disappointments when one's programmatic hopes fail to materialize, as all too often they do.
Coming to terms with a more pessimistic view of things, on the other hand, may place you on a more stable foundation, one upon which to better deal with ups and downs, and perhaps enabling you better to appreciate the joys and beauties your life actually offers. Daring to take an existential stand on a pessimistic platform may be just the thing to rid you of debilitating, unproductive habits of living, such as excuse making, whining, envy, rationalization, and self-pity.
Edgar Saltus (1855-1921) is one of the best expounders of pessimism I've ever encountered, second only to Arthur Schopenhauer, who happens to be Saltus's hero. These two short books are written with exemplary limpidity and grace, featuring a stunning range of examples, anecdotes, and quotations from philosophers, artists, and writers from ancient to modern times.
It's a rich dive, honestly and seriously laid out, yet entertaining and without recourse to cynicism.
Coming to terms with a more pessimistic view of things, on the other hand, may place you on a more stable foundation, one upon which to better deal with ups and downs, and perhaps enabling you better to appreciate the joys and beauties your life actually offers. Daring to take an existential stand on a pessimistic platform may be just the thing to rid you of debilitating, unproductive habits of living, such as excuse making, whining, envy, rationalization, and self-pity.
Edgar Saltus (1855-1921) is one of the best expounders of pessimism I've ever encountered, second only to Arthur Schopenhauer, who happens to be Saltus's hero. These two short books are written with exemplary limpidity and grace, featuring a stunning range of examples, anecdotes, and quotations from philosophers, artists, and writers from ancient to modern times.
It's a rich dive, honestly and seriously laid out, yet entertaining and without recourse to cynicism.
April 28, 2014
It's hard to rate this fairly when the second half of this edition, The Anatomy of Negation, had typos in three different languages. I would suggest reading another publisher's rendition if this kind of thing grates on you. Additionally, most, if not all, of the quotations are not translated from the original languages (French is the most quoted).
Content-wise, the first half is condensed Schopenhauer and the second half reads like Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy, but only following the thread of skepticism and anti-theistic thought. Saltus was good for someone looking for an introduction to either, but I would recommend diving into Schopenhauer and Russell for a superior, more comprehensive take.
Content-wise, the first half is condensed Schopenhauer and the second half reads like Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy, but only following the thread of skepticism and anti-theistic thought. Saltus was good for someone looking for an introduction to either, but I would recommend diving into Schopenhauer and Russell for a superior, more comprehensive take.
September 28, 2015
Not really philosophical writings as much as writings about philosophers, but provides a pretty comprehensive history of philosophical pessimism and disbelief for its time. Valuable for its descriptions of a few thinkers and poets whose works are mostly unavailable in english, especially Eduard von Hartmann, whom Saltus met personally and wrote a full chapter on.
The biggest problem with this particular edition of the book is that almost all quotes are written in their original languages, which is a problem for those who don't speak german and french.
The biggest problem with this particular edition of the book is that almost all quotes are written in their original languages, which is a problem for those who don't speak german and french.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews