Memoirs of a Philosopher

Rating:
Summary: Having a Couple of Drinks with Dr. Copleston
Review: Frederick Copleston's nine volume History of Philosophy has graced one of my bookshelves for some time now, and I have often wondered what sort of man could have accomplished this feat of writing. As far as I know this is the most extensive history of philosophy produced by a single author (W.T. Jones has also engaged in such an endeavor, but was only able to produce a meager five volume history).

Dr. Copleston had resisted urgings to compile his memoirs, but then, entering his late 80s, found that he wanted to continue writing, but was tired of philosophy. So he sat down and dashed off this slight memoir that was published a year before his death in 1994. The result is like having the good Doctor over for some dinner and drinks. Over a brandy he recounts travel stories and anecdotes, like the time a fellow plane passenger insisted that a flying saucer had just passed by; or the Italian he knew that became so obsessed with his backyard menagerie that he spent most of his day and night catering to his chickens and rabbits.

FCC does recount some of the more significant events in his life such as his conversion to Catholicism, and the frightening final year of his Jesuit training that took place in Germany, and ended a scant month before the invasion of Poland. All in all he tries to write as the objective academic. If a comment might seem to imply criticism of something he is quick to use many "on the one hand...on the other hand" type of comments. He takes great pains to make his subjective comments as clear as possible, going on for several paragraphs deconstructing his remarks. In regard to the question of whether he has ever had doubts about his faith, he responds by dissecting the words "doubts" and "difficulties". His use of language is amusing. His writing is stately, and would give the impression that he is writing the book in 1933 instead of 1993. Yet overall, it is a very easy read, and quite entertaining.

Entertainment, however, is not what every reader wants from Dr. Copleston. Many of the very frequent anecdotes about publicly unknown people he met, or places he visited would make most folks yawn if the tales were not coming from the mouth of such a distinguished person. The most interesting chapter concerns his radio debates with Bertrand Russell, and A.J. Ayer. Before the broadcast Copleston and Ayer sat drinking whiskey. By the time they went on the air they were half potted, and the next day the two of them couldn't even remember what they had talked about.

I was pleased to become briefly acquainted with Dr. Copleston, but I do wish he would have talked more about his involvement in the philosophical controversies of his day. Copleston seems to have wanted to reach a wide audience, and thus eschewed any discussion of philosophy that might bore the general public, but let's face it, who other than those interested in philosophy are likely to pick up this book?

I now know something about Frederick C. Copleston, but, sadly, not as much as I would like to. My 3 stars are not intended to dissuade people from reading the book. On the contrary it is an interesting read. It's just that when I finished it I felt disappointed that he chose to reveal so little about his life.