The Metaphysical Club (Abridged): A Story of Ideas in America Audiobook

" What an eloquent, idiosyncratic reread. Menand is an original. And his suggestion, at the very end, of the new timeliness of these ideas...great. Heading right to Dewey now. "

" In general, I have liked the Pulitzer Prize winners in History books and have read many of the more recent ones. I didn't like this one as much as the others. It is well written, but you have to take it a little bit slower than you would otherwise to really understand what the author is saying. You would like this if you like Philosophy because it really is a book about some of the famous American philosophers post Civil War era - like William James, Dewey, Peirce and Holmes. The main premise is that some of the "rights" that we enjoy today - like freedom of speech, weren't really part of our society's expectation until some of these men articulated that and made it a part of our culture. "

" This is the book that made me want to go to graduate school. "

" I really admire this examination of the origin, history, and application of pragmatist theory. I now consider myself more of a pragmatic thinker. "

" Gets fantasticker as it winds up to the end. "

" Thought provoking read....The Author covers alot in roughly 500 pages regarding how thought and ideas became prevalent in American Society. "

" Enjoyed the original, but the book on tape version made me fall asleep. "

" This was the required reading for my first year of law school. "

" A fascinating look into the ideas of a generation. Intellectual history at its best. "

" A fascinating examination of the some of the most influential minds and thought of the 20th century. "

" Indispensable reading for anyone interested in particularities of the evolution of ideas that shaped the American way thinking. Read it in tandem with Colm Toibin's "The Master" and you'll be in for a true feast of the mind. "

" Menand is a master storyteller. Turned a topic I knew little about in to something interesting, and the angle of ideas emerging from the group makes for intriguing comparison with my current writing fiefdom of Japan. "

" What a great overview of American intellectual history. I definitely plan on revisiting this one. "

" Such great perspectives from the giants of American philosophers... Post the civil war, it made me want to start my very own metaphysical club, and bring along this book so I can read passages from it before each meeting! "

" As a self-proclaimed pragmatist I feel I need to know the history of my philosophy. "

" Long and academic with few signposts to guide you through it, however there are some really interesting syntheses within. Worth trudging through. "

" Extremely intriguing book. Great if you love history. "

" Such great perspectives from the giants of American philosophers... Post the civil war, it made me want to start my very own metaphysical club, and bring along this book so I can read passages from it before each meeting! "

" Making intellectual history into this much of a page turner is quite a feet. An invaluable resource. That said I wanted to know more about Dewey's notions of reality. "

" A thorough, dazzling, exciting trip through late 19th century American thought. Menand's exquisite writing makes these ideas and figures compelling and modern and in the end utterly absorbing and thought-provoking. This might be my new favorite book. "