Short description
An intimate discussion of sex and philosophy
Long description
Bringing sex and philosophy together on a blind date, Anne Dufourmantelle's provocative study uses this analogy to uncover and examine philosophy's blind spot. Delightful and startling comparisons spring from the date: both sex and philosophy are dangerous, both are socially subversive, and both are obsessions. Although sex and philosophy have much in common, however, they have scarcely known one another until now. Socrates and Diogenes had little to say about sex, and although it was notoriously explored by the Marquis de Sade, this study explains why philosophy has never been fully sexualized nor sex really philosophized. Blind Date highlights the marked deletion of sexual topics and themes from philosophical works, while also opening doors for their union. Inviting readers to remember that thought does not require repressed desire, Dufourmantelle argues that sex is everywhere, and it affects all kinds of thinking.
Review
Blind date contains a host of pithy statements about the nature of sex, the nature of philosophy, and the nature of their implication. Its insights have the piquancy and unexpectedness associated with psychoanalysis at its best. Those interested in sex and/or contemporary French philosophy will find it a stimulating reading experience. Peter Connor, associate professor of French and comparative literature, Barnard College