From Poison to Cow Dung: A History of Philosophers' Deaths Video

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/09/Simon_Critchley_To_Philosophize_is_to_Learn_How_to_Die

From suicide by a love potion to suffocating in cow dung, Simon Critchley gives a brief history of the deaths of famous philosophers -- stories he describes as "weirdness, madness, suicide, murder, bad luck, pathos and some very dark humor."

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English philosopher Simon Critchley, chair and professor of Philosophy at The New School for Social Research, discusses his 2009 New York Times bestseller, The Book of Dead Philosophers.

Starting with Cicero's axiom, "To philosophize is to learn how to die," Professor Critchley leads us to his conclusion that to die is to learn how to live. The Daily Telegraph called the book "rigorous, profound, and frequently hilarious" and described Critchley as "an engaging and deadpan guide to the metaphysical necropolis" as well as "bracingly serious and properly comic." - The New School

Simon Critchley was born in Hertfordshire in 1960, and currently lives and works in New York as Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research. He failed dramatically at school before failing in a large number of punk bands in the late 70s and failing as a poet some time later.

This was followed by failure as a radical political activist. By complete accident, he ended up at university when he was 22 and decided to stay. He found a vocation in teaching philosophy, although his passions still lie in music, poetry and politics. The Book of Dead Philosophers is his eighth book.

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variablast: How many of these stories do we really believe? Holding your breath? Try killing yourself that way. We'll see if you succeed, but I won't be holding my breath. Old stories are not reliable most of the time, whether about Socrates, Jesus or Heraclitis.

Mastikator: The really old philosophers died br00tal deaths! O_O Is it good or is it bad that I recognize one third of these names?

1RadicalOne: How plausible are most of these, seriously?

polymath7: "...died by holding his breath..." Bullshit. It simply can't be done. At worst (or best I suppose, depending on your outlook) you pass out and resume breathing involuntarily.

playlifesgame: Yeah. Driven mad by a love potion? These are probably at least 50% legends.

polymath7: Obviously, many of them are not plausible at all. In particular, the stories about the Greeks clearly have the ring of legend and are almost certainly apocryphal.

ArcaneKarma: the idea is that the "love potion" was really poison. Just as the woman's father's head falling in her lap would likely mean that someone took it down, and gave it to her.

adamproskiw: haha you cant kill yourself by holding your breath, as soon as you pass out breathing becomes automatic.

freesk8: Socrates willingly drank hemlock after his conviction for things he did not do. He wasn't in this clip. Perhaps he is mentioned in the full video.

lumpfish99: nice tales....many are just that though...... tales......

FreeInquisition: Maybe because there's a good chance he was just a literary invention of Plato...but he still should have been in there.

thesparitan: what about camus

Zoaguyver: maybe it was erotic asphyxiation.....

24LakerGirl: bad luck. car crash.

stanbearpig: that was very interesting that guy is very articulate i like this video

SisyphusRedeemed: On his death bed Voltaire was asked to renounce the devil. His dying words were "Now, now, my good man, this is no time to be making enemies."

ThinkWithYourMind223: "Always beware mobs of Christians. Especially if they have oyster shells." Good advice. lol!

MrPuffyable: Many philosophers were killed for expressing their opinions, and evidence in public.

soultorment27: since when can one die by holding one's breath? is that even possible?

PainterofYou: Hell, I'd just like to be able to pronounce those names.

Mrmoc7: @VivekRajcoomar No, not this guy; look at how he makes fun of his family; he's not the pretentious one.

VivekRajcoomar: no it is not.

Druwg: @VivekRajcoomar great argument there.

Author: ForaTv; Uploaded: Nov 7, 2009; Duration: 11:30; Views: 4006

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