AARON JAMES holds a PhD from Harvard and is professor of philosophy at the University of California, Irvine. He is the author of Assholes: A Theory, Assholes: A Theory of Donald Trump, and Fairness in Practice: A Social Contract for a Global Economy and numerous academic articles. He was awarded a Burkhardt Fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies, and spent the 2009-10 academic year at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He's an avid, lifelong surfer and lives in Irvine, California.
"I surf, therefore I am: a good-natured exploration of some of the
big questions philosophy raises, all while hanging 10. In this
nimble set of essays on topics such as work and freedom, James...
gives a fine if idiosyncratic account of how philosophers puzzle
out the world--idiosyncratic because it's framed from the point of
view of a surfer. Throughout, the book is provocative and less
laid-back than it might appear at first glance. A 12-page glossary
defines some surfing and philosophy terms alike. Heidegger as
ho-daddy? The approach is unusual, but to fruitful--and
entertaining--ends."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Surfing With Sartre: An Aquatic Inquiry Into a Life of Meaning by
Aaron James [is] a great book. James is a philosophy professor.
He's written a beautiful book, essentially a dialogue with
Jean-Paul Sartre about work and play. He's arguing that working
less and playing more, especially in the surf, is not only an okay
choice but a moral one. He makes a beautiful argument for why
leisure and dedication to nature is a moral imperative at this
time. It might sound like a stretch but he builds a case. The book
also gives you a good excuse to surf a little more.
--Jaimal Yogis, author of Saltwater Buddha "Stacks of pop
philosophy books, from the late Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art
of Motorcycle Maintenance on down, have sought to equate everyday
activities with a deeper understanding of reality and self. In
Aaron James' new book, Surfing with Sartre, he uses the surfboard
as a vehicle of enlightenment. It seems, at first glance, like a
simple task. "Go with the flow," after all, might as well be the
mantra of both the surfer and the sophist. But there's much more to
Surfing with Sartre than that. Erudite yet engaging, the book
strikes a winning balance between waxing wise and catching waves...
James is both a professor of philosophy and an avid surfer, and his
passion is palpable on the page... For all its heady discussion of
philosophy and the technical aspects of surfing, Surfing with
Sartre is surprisingly lively. James cannily navigates the
metaphysics of Leibniz and the point breaks of Malibu with equal
ease... he infuses Surfing with Sartre with just the right mix of
personal insight and universal scope. The author himself playfully
calls his book "comically grandiose," and it's exactly that, a work
of both ambition and humility. Ultimately, it's as concerned with
peace, fulfillment, and humanity's future as it is about the spray
of salty surf on a summer's day. In fact, the two are the same. And
his departing lesson is profound in its clarity: Surfing -- like
life -- should be a thing of both pleasure and meaning."
--NPR.org "What can surfing teach us about politics, work, and
freedom of choice, everyday getting around in the world, and even
climate change? Turns out quite a lot, according to Aaron James, a
professor of philosophy at the University of California, Irvine,
and author of the new book Surfing With Sartre: An Aquatic Inquiry
Into a Life of Meaning. James is known for mapping philosophical
inquiry onto cultural touchpoints in ways that make dense theory
accessible to the lay reader (see his heady and often hilarious
theory of social relations via "asshole studies" in Assholes: A
Theory). Surfing With Sartre, however, is not only a fun and
informative read, it's also an important achievement in the way it
draws together phenomenology and existentialism with a fresh look
at some of the most serious ills plaguing modern life today--all
told through a surfer theory of how to work less and be stoked
more, and in so doing, make the world a more sustainable place. If
it sounds silly, it's not: Surfing With Sartre recalls the zen
glories of Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance and Hubert Dreyfus's and Sean Dorrance Kelly's All
Things Shining with the uberdude axioms of Point Break and The Big
Lebowski. This is Nietzsche on a surfboard, and it's an epic
ride."
--Sierra Club staff
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