1 Persuasion / 1

Persuasion as Mutuality and Disagreement / 1-3
Creative Resistance to Persuasion / 3-5
Persuasion of Others as Self-Persuasion / 5-7
Persuasive Presences: Philosophical Mentors and Saints / 7-9
Love’s Persuasions / 10
Axiomatic Experiences / 10-13
Euclidean Emotions / 14-16
Persuasion for Mutuality / 16

2 Truth (and Relevance) /  17

Truth Plain, Plural, Pragmatic / 17-21
Truth and Pragmatism in Mathematics / 21-22
The Truth Is Certain but Vague / 22-24
Relevance Generally / 24-26
Understanding a Philosopher / 26-28
The Ideal of Comprehensive Understanding / 28-29
The Vagueness of Philosophical Relevance / 29-33
Conditions of Relevance: Time, Place, and Function / 33-34
Conditions of Relevance: Professional Rivalry / 34-35
Conditions of Relevance: Leadership and Discipleship / 35-40
Subcultural Unity / 40-42
Narrow and Broad Standards of Relevance / 42-44

3 Truth (and Relevance) Again  / 45

Psychologism / 45-48
Mathematical and Similar Subjective Ideals / 48-52
Psychology, Alas! / 53-56
The Relevance of Psychology / 56-59
Psychology: Ten Brief Answers / 59-61
Non-Verbal Philosophizing / 62-64
The Relevance of Style: Bacon and Locke / 64-67
The Relevance of Style: Wittgenstein / 67-73
A Conjecture on Philosophical Atomism / 73-79

4 Creation / 80

An Illustrative Myth / 80-82
Writers, Artists, Scientists, Philosophers / 82-86
Philosophers Are Vague, Philosophy Is Dense / 86-89
Creative Autonomy / 89-92
Incomprehensible Beginnings / 92-94
Idea-Intimacy and Idea-Autonomy / 94-98
Potency, Birth, Renewal, Impotency / 98-102
Cosmic Potency: Plotinus, Kant, Schopenhauer, Bergson / 102-104
Self-Creation: Montaigne / 104-106
A Request / 106-107

5 Childhood and Reality / 108

Primordial Reality / 108-110
Destruction of Being / 110-114
Creation of Being /114-116
Differentiation of Being / 117-118
Absence, Death, Denial, Creation, and Being / 118-122

6 Descartes to Rousseau  / 123

Some Preliminary Words / 123-125
Descartes / 125-142
Pascal / 142-149
Spinoza /149-156
Locke / 156-165
Leibniz / 165-174
Berkeley / 174-182
Voltaire / 182-189
Hume / 189-197
Rousseau / 197-208

7 Kant to Schopenhauer / 209

Preface to a Trio / 209-210
Kant /  210-230
Hegel / 230-242
Schopenhauer / 242-258

8 Mill to Sartre / 259

On Choosing These Philosophers / 259-260
Mill / 260-271
Kierkegaard / 271-276
James / 276-285
Nietzsche / 285-297
Santayana / 297-303
Russell / 303-318
Wittgenstein / 318-334
Sartre / 335-344

9 Philosophers in General / 345

A Tabular Summary, with Tentative Generalizations / 345-354
The Challenge of Death: Nietzsche, Camus, and Jaspers / 355-357
The Response of Polarization / 357-360

10 Paradoxical Consciousness / 361

On Words, Especially “Yes” and “No” / 361-363
Precocious Intellectuality / 363-365
The Bodily Clumsiness of Philosophers / 366-368
Precociously Intellectual Philosophers / 368-370
Paradoxical Philosophers / 370-375
Philosophy and Pathology / 375-377
Philosophical Psychotics / 377-379
Philosophers / 379

11 Questions and Conclusions / 380

Trivialization? / 380-384
Fruitfulness? /384-392
Philosophicality? / 392-394
? / 394-395

Acknowledgements  / 396

Bibliographic Notes  / 397

Index / 476