Philosophy is a dangerous profession, risking censorship, prison, even death. And no wonder: philosophers have questioned traditional pieties and threatened the established political order. Some claimed to know what was thought unknowable; others doubted what was believed to be certain. Some attacked religion in the name of science; others attacked science in the name of mystical poetry; some served tyrants; others were radical revolutionaries.

This historically-based collection reveals their hopes and hesitations, their triumphs and struggles, their deepest doubts and convictions. These pieces discuss not only philosophy, but personal travails, struggles with daily life, personal relationships, as well as insights into philosophy itself and the nature of humanity. Together they reveal philosophy's true face: obsessive, curious, lonely and wise.