A Delphic Quest

Born in Mississippi during the Great Depression, Hollis Ransom regrets the racial and economic injustices about him, but doesn't want to become engaged in social causes, which he regards as complicated, uncertain, and emotionally disturbing. Instead, he prefers to dwell in the world of pure philosophy, keeping his ties to the practical world as simple as possible. After joining the faculty at the University of Georgia, he eventually devotes himself to the traditional philosophical task...
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Born in Mississippi during the Great Depression, Hollis Ransom regrets the racial and economic injustices about him, but doesn't want to become engaged in social causes, which he regards as complicated, uncertain, and emotionally disturbing. Instead, he prefers to dwell in the world of pure philosophy, keeping his ties to the practical world as simple as possible. After joining the faculty at the University of Georgia, he eventually devotes himself to the traditional philosophical task of self-understanding, but finds that his practical world borders on chaos. He and his wife cannot have children, which pushes him to have an adulterous affair. Desegregation, the feminist movement, Vietnam War protests, student rights, faculty governance, the military-industrial complex, gay rights, and the anti-smoking campaign keep interrupting his search for self-understanding.