I have so many things on my to do list that I don’t feel like doing that I just filed my taxes early to procrastinate! In two countries!😭

Chapter abstract titled "Chapter 5 “An Apocalyptic Fragment” and “A Dream,”" reading: "The prose poems “An Apocalyptic Fragment” and “A Dream” both describe experiences of unusual forms of consciousness that Günderrode believes occur after death. “An Apocalyptic Fragment” uses biblical language to describe a vision of beings rising from and returning to an ocean, as an analogy for death and resurrection. The narrator then experiences a dissolution of self and accompanying loss of consciousness, after which they connect joyfully with nature. In “A Dream,” the restless dead attempt to wake from their “slumber” and communicate with the living, but cannot. The introduction compares the two pieces, noting their very different appraisals of the states of awareness we may experience after death, and explains the connection of the imagery in these texts to Günderrode’s metaphysics and views of life, death, and consciousness. Influences from the Bible, Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder and Christoph Martin Wieland are also explored."

There are 24 chapters in “Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings,” each including a translation of one (or more!) of Günderrode’s most fascinating works + a short intro on her philosophy.

Chapter 5 covers “An Apocalyptic Fragment” & “A Dream”:

Buy here: academic.oup.com/book/62113

Chapter abstract titled "Chapter 4 The Malabarian Widows," reading: "This short poem presents a romanticized account of the (now illegal) Indian practice of sati, or widow burning. The introduction explains how Günderrode’s description of the joining of a husband and wife in death reflects her metaphysics, in which individuals are comprised of “elements” that disperse after death and then combine in new combinations, drawn together by love or attraction, to create new beings. The introduction notes the problematic nature of Günderrode’s uncritical adoption of colonial framings of sati and her idealization of a practice that was rooted in gender inequality and violence against women."

There are 24 chapters in “Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings,” each including a translation of one (or more!) of Günderrode’s most fascinating works + a short intro highlighting her philosophical claims.

Chapter 4 is “The Malabarian Widows”:

Buy here: academic.oup.com/book/62113

Chapter abstract titled "Chapter 3 The Manes," reading: "This philosophical dialogue between a teacher and a student considers the ongoing effects that, according to Günderrode, the dead can have on the living, and what this can tell us about our relationship with other people, the spiritual realm, and the world as it is in itself. The introduction explains how Günderrode uses this dialogue to integrate the idea of an “inner sense,” which was popular at the time, with her developing philosophical system, in which individuals live on in new forms after their death. According to this piece, our experiences of attraction, love, and friendship reflect harmony or homogeneity between aspects of ourselves and those of people to whom we are attracted or for whom we feel love and friendship. The introduction considers the connection of Günderrode’s work in this piece to ideas by Swedenborg, Kant, Hemsterhuis, and others."

There are 24 chapters in “Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings,” each including a translation of one (or more!) of Günderrode’s most fascinating works + a short intro highlighting her philosophical claims.

Chapter 3: “The Manes”:

Buy here: academic.oup.com/book/62113

Chapter abstract titled "Chapter 2 Letters of Two Friends," reading: Chapter 2 Letters of Two Friends This epistolary exchange is a key text for approaching Günderrode’s philosophical thought, developing her metaphysical claims into their final form and integrating these with ideas about personal identity, individuation, life, death, religion, art, and culture. The introduction highlights these aspects of the text, shows differences between Günderrode’s views and those of other philosophers working around the same time, and draws attention to Günderrode’s attempt, in this piece, to syncretize ideas from Christianity and Hinduism – part of her larger project of identifying what she believed was a single truth at the heart of all religions. The introduction also notes the importance of restraint when attempting biographical readings of Günderrode’s work. “Letters of Two Friends” has often been read as correspondence between Günderrode and the influential mythologist Georg Friedrich Creuzer, with whom she was having an affair; however, the text also mirrors passages from Günderrode’s letters to Gunda and Clemens Brentano.

There are 24 chapters in “Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings,” each including a translation of one (or more!) of Günderrode’s most fascinating works + a short intro highlighting her philosophical claims.

Chapter 2: “Letters of Two Friends”:

Buy here: academic.oup.com/book/62113

Chapter abstract titled "Chapter 1 Idea of the Earth," reading: "This short, unpublished essay is a key text for understanding Günderrode’s philosophy, as it explains the metaphysics that underlie the rest of her thought. In this piece, Günderrode describes how every object and living being in the universe is formed of basic, indestructible building blocks which she calls “elements.” Over time, these elements become more animated and develop consciousness, leading to the development of sentient human beings. Eventually, all the elements in the universe may come to relate to each other harmoniously in something Günderrode calls an “organism” or “the idea of the earth.” The introduction explains these aspects of Günderrode’s philosophy and their implications for her view of consciousness, personal identity, life after death, and even ethics and aesthetics."

There are 24 chapters in “Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings,” each including a translation of one (or more!) of Günderrode’s most fascinating works + a short intro highlighting her philosophical claims.

Chapter 1 brings you “Idea of the Earth”

Buy here: academic.oup.com/book/62113

Name change reminder: my book “Philosophical Fragments” is now titled “Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings.” Translations of #Günderrode's most philosophical works with accessible introductions. Out now! global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Hi! We are writing to invite you to a roundtable on Mohammed Rustom's "A Sourcebook in Global Philosophy" (2025), April 30, 3 to 5pm (JHB 418). The roundtable will start with short presentations by Don Ainslie, C. Darlymple-Fraser, Katharine O'Reilly, Reza Hadisi & E Freschi
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#Philosophy #philsky

I bought a new printer last year and it has finally run out of warnings and is refusing to operate unless I replace the cartridges. I’m about to open it up and do battle. Wish me luck friends.

Germaine de Staël, Women’s Scholarship and Intellectual History, 18 April, Erasmus University College, Rotterdam.

As one of the first cosmopolitans, a host to important salons in Paris and Coppet, a first-hand witness of the horrors of the French Revolution, and a politically involved author of…

I've created a list for Bluesky users who were part of philosophy Twitter back in the day. Help me populate it! Also happy to add people who wish they had been part of the old community. I've added a few names already. (Ask if you'd like to be removed.) bsky.app/profile/did:...

Thanks! I’d love to be added

A very fluffy three-legged cat is carried in a man’s arms like a baby. She is glaring at him and has her one back leg poised to de-nipple him at the first sign of disobedience.

A fluffy three legged cat reclines like a baby in a man’s arms, looking as docile and innocent as a wisp of dandelion fluff.

Stage 1: Glare and threaten with powerful back claws until human settles in desired position. Stage 2: Nap.

Throwback video: when best friends argue. They’re so cross with each other but comfortable enough to remain touching 😂 Don always yields to his smaller 3-legged friend. Early on he accidentally knocked her off something while playing, got the fright of his life, & since then he’s very careful.

Name change reminder: my book “Philosophical Fragments” is now titled “Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings.” Translations of #Günderrode's most philosophical works with accessible introductions. Out now! global.oup.com/academic/pro...

The introduction: Discusses how Günderrode's work was received, gives a short biography, and provides an overview of aspects of Günderrode's work, including her use of literary genres and her treatment of metaphysics, identity and consciousness, politics, ethics, aesthetics, and gender.

"An Apocalyptic Fragment" and "A Dream": Considered together in one chapter, these lovely pieces present alternative evaluations of the possibility of some form of continued awareness after death. Part of Günderrode's fundamental rethinking of individuality and consciousness.

"Story of a Brahmin": Günderrode's contribution to the debate on the vocation of humankind, and an attack on Kantian moral theory. Follow Almor's Bildung as he explores various systems of religion and morality on his way to insight into the nature of the universe, as Günderrode sees it.

"Fragments on Music": Günderrode left only fragments but may have been working towards a philosophical system. Do her brief writings on music suggest a role for music as a generative & regenerative force linking human beings & nature? Includes the poem "The Cathedral in Cologne" among other writings

"Udohla": My favourite piece by Günderrode; a beautifully written play about an imagined revolution in Mughal India. It features Günderrode's unique model of agency and her thoughts on colonialism, revolution, connection between metaphysics and politics, and many other intriguing ideas.

OUP has given me the option to share a free chapter from "Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings." Their default is to share the intro, but we have other options. Which chapter would you like to be made available for free? Suggestions below; please comment your preference.

A short row of books lined up on a shelf along with a blue cuboid award for an LLM dissertation at Open University. One book, with "Karoline von Günderrode" written along the spine, is stored horizontally on top of the others.

I'm not a modest person who stores my books discreetly; I put mine on a prominent shelf facing the stairs, hoping visitors will ask about them😂 My new "Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings" will displace an award I won while super sick. You can buy it here: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

A cardboard box contains multiple copies of a paperback book titled "Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings." The cover is black with gold and white writing and an engraving of a woman's head and chest, looking to the right of the book, within a white horizontal rectangle.

It's real! Author copies have just arrived😃 "Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings" - English translations and introductions for Günderrode's philosophical poetry and prose. For the Oxford New Histories of Philosophy series - order it here: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

I just finished a rewatch - it’s crazy this wasn’t a bigger thing at the time.

Elizabeth Anscombe: Roving Philosophical Report YouTube video by Philosophy Talk

Elizabeth #Anscombe was born otd in 1919. For our episode last year, we sent our Roving Philosophical Reporter to learn more about her life & times from another #Oxford philosopher, Roger Teichmann, who met Anscombe as a child: www.youtube.com/watch?v=38mP...

#PhilSky #WiseWomen #WomensHistoryMonth

Nominations for the Judith R. Walkowitz Prize are due May 15!

The Walkowitz Prize is awarded annually for the best published article on issues relating to gender and sexuality in British culture.

Info and nomination instructions here: www.nacbs.org/prize-databa...

Are you an early-career philosopher hoping to reach beyond academia with your writing? We’re thrilled to be introducing the Aeon Philosophy Prize – a unique opportunity to receive editorial mentorship and see your ideas reach global audiences. Open for applications today buff.ly/p47BrKe

Thank you!😊

It’s here! Publication day for“Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings,” part of Oxford University Press’ Oxford New Histories of Philosophy series: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

It’s pretty cool that someone got this data though. They really thought, people need to know this!