Telling the History of Philosophy: Philosophical Thought in Sirvan la cicuta, crucifiquen al autómata

Abstract

The latest work by Pablo Rolando Arango, professor and philosopher from Caldas (Colombia), is an appealing way to update our understanding of the spirit of philosophy. In its charm and texture, the book Sirvan la cicuta, crucifiquen al autómata is an example of a deep understanding of the history of thought through prose that, at the same time, characterizes a return to good writing in a genre that lost its energy at the beginning of the 21st century: the essay. The pretext, in this case, is the biographies of Plato, Saint Augustine, and Descartes, but the recipe includes the ingredients that give quality to the consolidation of the essays: discursive agility, everyday humor, and historiographical erudition. This article aims to encourage both the reading of the work and support for the reasons that led its author to turn his usual critiques of the world of contemporary philosophy into prose.