If you’re looking for a good book to cozy up with this fall, you could do worse than American Philosophy: A Love Story, by philosopher John Kaag. I picked it up thinking I would learn more about homegrown American philosophies like Transcendentalism and pragmatism, and I did. Kaag skillfully interweaves bits and pieces of philosophical history into his narrative. But American Philosophy is actually a memoir, an account of Kaag’s existential crisis as his first marriage dissolved and his second marriage took shape. And it’s also a philosophical reflection on what it means to live a good life. Kaag examines this question through the lives of prominent American intellectuals of the past as well as his own experiences, concluding that whatever your philosophy is, it had better include loving other people.
The story centers around West Wind, the country estate of early 20th-century philosopher William Ernest Hocking and his wife of 50 years, Agnes O’Reilly Hocking. On a day trip away from his stale postdoctoral research at Harvard, Kaag serendipitously discovers the estate in rural New Hampshire. He describes it as “one stone manor house, six small summer cottages, two large barns, and one fishing pond with three beaver hutches, all situated on four hundred acres of field and forest. And a library.” That library becomes the focal point of the story, as Kaag befriends the family and sets to work cataloging and saving its 10,000 books from rodents and decay.
The narrative of American Philosophy works so well only because the library is so rich. Kaag gets to live out every bibliophile’s fantasy: wandering into a gorgeous but neglected library in the middle of the woods, piled floor-to-ceiling with antique books, just waiting for you to rescue them from ruin. Here is Kaag’s description of it:
It was one large room, partitioned into different working nooks by walnut built-ins. In truth, there were no real walls. Just bookshelves and windows. I estimated about ten thousand books in total. To my right and left, at opposite ends of the building, were two large marble fireplaces, tall enough that I could have stood in them without stooping too much, substantial enough that they could’ve kept the whole building warm until October or November at least. Oriental rugs, mismatched and nearly worn through, covered the library’s wide oak floorboards…A cramped winding staircase—more of a ladder, really—led to a loft above.
Among the books, which had belonged to Hocking and many of his mentors and colleagues, were hundreds of extremely valuable first editions from both European and American philosophy. While Hocking’s descendants tried to figure out what to do with such a vast and valuable collection, the books had begun to mold and disintegrate. Kaag offers his services to help organize and properly store the collection, which also gives him the opportunity to look through every book in the library.
Sifting through all the first editions of Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Emerson, Thoreau, and William James provides the perfect opportunity for him to reflect on the nature and purpose of philosophy. Kaag is equivocal about whether the discipline has made any progress since the time of Descartes, and also in response to William James’s question: Is life worth living? Kaag seems to agree with James that the answer is maybe, or perhaps that the answer can’t be known, or perhaps it is simply different for each person. But the one aspect of living he comes out decisively for is love—love makes life worth living.
There are, in fact, multiple love stories going on throughout the book. We see one love story come to an end as Kaag parts ways with his first wife, and his second love story blossoms as he finds true love with fellow philosopher Carol Hay. You could also say that Kaag has an ongoing love affair with American philosophy, which alternately inspires and frustrates his search for meaning in his own life.
But the love story I find the most interesting is the one between William and Agnes Hocking, which doesn’t fully emerge until the final chapter. It’s possible that William Hocking had an extramarital affair with the writer Pearl S. Buck—they certainly did have a romantic relationship after Agnes’s death, when Hocking was in his late 80s—but evidence points to a long-lasting and happy partnership between William and Agnes for the five decades of their marriage.
Kaag explores the interesting dynamics that characterized their lifelong attachment, which of course is always difficult and conjectural from such scattershot resources and a remove of 100 years. Hocking comes under fire for some of his patriarchal tendencies, but in most respects the relationship appears to be one of mutual devotion. We learn, in the closing line of the book (spoiler alert!), that West Wind was Agnes’ nickname—the estate was named after her. All of it, from the West Wind library to Hocking’s grand philosophical career to Kaag’s blossoming romance among the bookshelves, was possible because of the love story between William and Agnes.
While this book certainly isn’t Stoic in any way—I would say it pointedly ignores ancient philosophy—it’s a decent read for a quiet moment curled up in your own library (no matter how big or small it might be). As Stoics know, it’s not the size or monetary value of your library that matters, but what you do with what you’ve learned from all those books. Plenty of people engage promiscuously or superficially with books and don’t come away from their encounters improved in any way. What’s important is applying the ideas from our philosophical readings to live better, more fulfilling lives. In this I think American Philosophy is a worthwhile addition to your library. If nothing else, it will make you think very carefully about your position on such ideals as freedom, fulfillment—and of course, love.
Everything you write is so well-considered, elegant in style, and worth reading. Those are the qualities you should expect in any good writer but, in fact, they are rare and noteworthy.