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Fatherhood
A History of Love and Power by Augustine Sedge
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A father should be funny and good at hugging.
How has fatherhood changed over time?
In his recently published book, historian Augustine Sedgewick embarks on a sweeping journey from the Bronze Age to the present, tracing how the idea of “dad” has evolved, fractured, and been reinvented by everyone from Plato to Bob Dylan.
It’s an exploration of where our notions of fatherhood come from, why they matter, and how they’ve shaped the world we live in.
SMARTEST TAKEAWAYS
The History of Fatherhood
1️⃣ Fatherhood as Power and Myth: For thousands of years, the role of the father has been tangled up with authority, protection, and the foundation of patriarchy. Sedgewick shows how the “power of fathers” became the oldest and most widespread form of social hierarchy—shaping not just families, but entire societies.
2️⃣ The Impossible Standard: From ancient philosophers to modern icons, men have been handed a “godlike” mandate to provide and protect—standards that are, by design, impossible to fully meet. This has led to recurring crises of masculinity and shifting expectations about what it means to be a “good father”.
3️⃣ Fathers as Makers of Meaning: Through vivid portraits of figures like Aristotle, Darwin, Jefferson, and Freud, Sedgewick reveals how the personal struggles and contradictions of famous dads have rippled out to influence culture, science, and politics. Even absence or failure becomes part of the story we tell about fathers—and ourselves.
Augustine Sedgewick earned his doctorate at Harvard University and teaches at the City University of New York.
INSIGHTFUL EXAMPLE
Plato vs. Aristotle: The First Dad Debate
In the chaos of ancient Athens, Plato imagined a society where the family—and the father’s authority—would be abolished, replaced by a state-sized collective.
Aristotle, his student, pushed back: he believed fatherhood should be strengthened, not erased, as the backbone of both home and state. Their debate set the stage for centuries of arguing over what fathers are for—and who gets to decide.
BOOK FACTS
Fatherhood: A History of Love and Power
First Published: May 27, 2025
Print length: 320 pages
Listening length: 9:27
Ratings: 4.4 Amazon, 4.0 Goodreads
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NY TIMES OPINION
An Excerpt from the Author’s Essay
The word “father” and its close relations derive from a sound — “fa,” “pa,” “da” and so on — that’s common across the world’s languages. Linguists have observed that infants often attach this sound, one of the easiest and earliest to form, to the first thing that they learn to recognize outside of themselves. This nursery sound isn’t just an identifier, but often a way to ask for help.
This is the basis of my newfound understanding of fatherhood. A fatherhood not of directing and controlling, but of accompanying. Not only of teaching, but also of learning. Not of insisting that we know best, but of paying attention to what the people we care for are asking us to do and be: a fatherhood of listening.
Read the full essay here:
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