Family Pictures

A Philosopher Explores the Familiar
Written in the genre known as narrative philosophy, this text examines philosophical snapshots of family life - showing that the ordinary journey through marriage, maturity and parenting is fraught with questions about ethics, knowledge and metaphysics.
"Family Pictures" reveals the immediate and important application that classical philosophical questions have to our aspirations, emotional ties with others, jobs, concrete relationships, and daily routines. In this volume, a philosopher writes in the genre known as narrative philosophy. She examines philosophical snapshots of family life, showing that the ordinary journey through marriage, maturity and parenting is fraught with questions about ethics, knowledge and metaphysics. Humorous and poignant portraits of family members are placed in the context of classical philosophical questions. The reality of family life brings these questions down to earth, while an imaginative use of philosophy seeks to deepen the reader's understanding of what is at stake for an individual wrapped in the web of life. By drawing on the classic themes throughout philosophy, the author seeks to more clearly view and solve her own dilemmas and also to give concrete meaning to what might otherwise be abstract philosophical exercises.The author examines how her mother-in-law's attempt to stave off death by clinging to her physical possessions enriches Kaplan's understanding of her mother-in-law's personal philosophy, sparking a contemplation of her own sense of self and a reflection of her value in other people's eyes. In telling her own quest for love and feelings of completeness, she draws on Plato's "Symposium". After pondering the ideas of Heidegger and Levinas, Kaplan shows that nurturing children renders solipsism ethically incoherent. By using the private sphere of family life as a vantage point from which to explore and evaluate classical philosophical texts, this book is an accessible book for a wider audience than philosophy usually commands.

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