A Great Introduction to Existentialism
588672
As soon as I saw the title for this movie, I knew it was going to be a great film.  It's really an exploration of Existentialism.  Whether we die from a meteor crashing into the Earth or we live out our lives in peace and good health - we all must eventually die.  So this film is really the sped-up version of the important responsible decisions and acts of genuine authenticity that we have to face in our lives.

There's two things you'll find interesting in this film.  One is how others around the central characters deal with their imminent demise.  There's nihilistic hedonism.  There's people who simply cannot process what's happening and just carry on with their now meaningless lives (that is, acting in "bad faith").  There's the anti-humanist, devout believer who's content in their prison cell - satisfied that the world is finally coming to an end.  There's people who commit shocking suicides, and those that hire someone else to put them out of their misery.  It's not exactly a comedy.  Like Dodge's friend's wife tells him, "You're not getting out of this one."

The second thing that you'll find interesting is how Dodge finds a type of "salvation" inside all this doom.  And I won't spoil that for you, but I'll just say that it's going to require an active, authentic decision on his part about how he wants to spend his last moments.

Also, thank-you so much to the film's writer(s) for not chickening out and giving this movie a fake, "Hollywood", happy ending.  I highly recommend this movie.  It will wake you up to life and its amazing possibilities.

P.S. ultimately, Existentialism is a failed philosophy, but that doesn't make it a bad one.  The last half of the 20th century was filled with European (Continental) philosophers explaining exactly *how* Existentialism is failed.  But I will leave that as an exercise to the truly curious and thoughtful.
2932837
This text will help you understand modern philosophers of the 20th century--existentialists, Heidegger, Sartre, Dewey, etc.  What is nice about the St. Louis U text is that it provides a flow of critique on philosophies that leave out a proper understanding of BEING--in a Thomistic and Aristotelian sense.  Consider this an addition to Etienne Gilson's Unity of Philosophical Experience.  This covers the rest of the story and updates us on post-Kantian thinkers.  A summary chapter provides a concise epistemology and existential critique.  If you can find it--read it.
1045570
A great addition to the modern philosophical literature. Clear exposition of W's paradox about rule following, epistemology, psychology. If you're thinking about buying this, you probably already know this is heady, but subtle stuff and difficult to assimilate to a comfort level at which you can actually "use" the concepts without getting really tripped up. I've probably read five or six other commentaries or exegeses of the Philosophical Investigations, each of which added a little. In light of the difficulty of the material I especially liked Kripke's occasional comments to the effect that he's not sure he's got it quite right, or that he's repeating himself in a little different way just because he's not totally sure he understands it, which is probably what most normal people experience with this amazing branch of philosophy. A little modesty goes a long way. I would suggest some companion pieces for the non-genius level reader that aim at similar points, namely, Ryle's Concept of MInd and Strawson's Individuals and especially the essay Persons. Oddly enough, since the work borders on psychology, another great approach to these matters is Schafer's "A New Language for Psychoanalysis" in which the metapsychological problems with "ordinary" concepts like "self" and the like are raked over until they are clear. None of this is advanced philosophy but it's well beyond most psychology. I don't know ANYTHING about Kripke otherwise, but this is real nice little book.
715684
John Russon's book is now one that I have used in both my introductory courses and in my upper division course on Heidegger's Being and Time.  In each case, students have reacted extremely well and have declared that Russon's is the most concrete and well-argued book in the course.
In my introductory course, I have used Russon's book after Descartes and Kant and before Simone de Beauvoir's Ethics of Ambiguity.  The problems of embodiment, of time, and of other people that Russon explores stand in stark contrast to Descartes' dualism and Kant's categorical imperative.  After reading Russon, students become more attuned to the way in which Descartes and Kant leave something important out of the description of human experience--namely, the experience of unity with others or mutual recognition.  Having recognized this, students are then prepared to read de Beauvoir, who challenges the classical notions of ethics and knowing in phenomenological/existential ways.
Ordinarily, I would be the first to argue that phenomenology is difficult to present to introductory students because so many of the primary texts are difficult for them to read.  Russon's book, however, is short and it covers a great deal of ground easily through his use of some key examples.  I am happy to say that I have found that even my less involved or weaker students are able to locate the critical sentences of Russon's argument, and they report that his examples assist them in explicating his argument in their own words.
In my course on Heidegger's Being and Time, I used Russon's book first.  This allowed students to come to grips with the issues of interpretation, memory, and other persons in ways that mattered to them.  Introducing them to the issues and to the type of examples that Heidegger could have in mind then really helped me make Heidegger's language more accessible.  Heidegger's introduction, which I find very difficult to teach, seemed to fly by for them, and we soon were able to delve into the concepts of being-in-the-world, etc.
What I noticed most about Russon's book in teaching it in the upper division course was that it was a book that easily sustained a variety of student levels.  It was concrete and direct enough for an introductory student to get something out of, yet it was sophisticated enough to allow me to assign three-page papers for upper-level students on each chapter.
Lest the reader of this review think that Russon's book is only for undergraduates, let me say that I think Russon's book is also a very helpful resource for graduate students in philosophy and for persons looking to get a handle on phenomenology as a whole.  It is possible to see within his chapters not only the logical development of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit but also the descriptive power of Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception.  Russon's is obviously a book written by someone who has dwelled within the texts of phenomenology and has internalized them to the degree that he is able to speak directly and clearly about them.
4255648
This is a very "situated" book: although the themes might be supposed to be universal (Kiekegaardian despair, "malaise," and so forth), the book only started to make sense to me on a second reading and after I'd visited New Orleans and spent some time living in and travelling through the American South. Subtly and without ever taking on the appearance of a philosophical treatise, the novel explores existentialist ideas of despair and authenticity in the specific context of 1950s America. More than anything else I've read to date, _The Moviegoer_ has given the beginnings of an intuitive feel for what the existentialists are trying to capture with these concepts.
2061861
Bakewell's way of combining biography with philosophy is both captivating and informative.  Wonderfully lucid and engaging introduction to the Existentialists.
1045528
The Present by Spencer Johnson is a self-proclaimed life changing book for those who would incorporate its principles. For those who have not read it, the book is all about living in the present, and focusing on the positive aspects of every moment, never focusing on the negative. It presents these teachings by telling a story (typical of existential philosophy). The story is about an old man (read: guru) who shares the secret of meaningful living throughout the life of a man seeking answers. The old man never seems worried; he is always relaxed and appears to be at peace with life and the world. Through a series of cryptic messages, the old man teaches the other man that he can find meaning in the "present," which essentially consists of an existential experience that each person defines for themselves. By focusing on the good in the moment, we can find peace, meaning, and success.

This book ascribes to a combination of existential philosophy and Zen Budhism, blurring the line of truth. Truth is not seen as an objective thing, but an existential experience. Experience, not propositional truth, is the key to unlocking the meaning of life. Salvation comes through the teachings of a human guru leading to spiritual enlightenment, which man can achieve on his own. By definition, this is a godless philosophy.

The Present ignores the real problem of man: his depravity. I can be "in the moment," or practicing carpe diem while engaging in ungodly behavior. Of course, this is all up for interpretation. The existentialist is not interested in my definition of right and wrong, but only in his subjective experience. There is no authority to which one can appeal. So what if my carpe diem approach hurts others? It is up to the practicioner to decide if that is against his value system, which is determined by a kierkegaardian leap of faith, rather than any transcendent moral standard.

There is truth in most errors, though. That is were the deception lies. The message of focusing on the positive can be helpful, but only in the biblical sense of giving thanks to God in all circumstances (1 Thes 5:18), not in avoiding pain. What is right is more important than what makes me feel good. Jesus told his followers they would (and should) suffer, and exemplified it through the cross. While suffering, he cried out "My God, why have you foraken me" (Mark 15:34). This is the most poinent of the examples of partial truths, though there are others.

Much more could be said. The point is this: "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (Col. 2:8) In the end, what the author tries to do will not work: his program cannot offer real hope to mankind, for it does not deal with human depravity. Rather than seeking to find meaning by focusing on my present, we truly find it in God's presence. The quest for ultimate meaning is found in a relationship with the God of infinity, and through developing intimacy with Him. For a much better alternative to The Present, read Practicing His Presence by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach.
307408
This book, published after Camus's untimely death, has been alleged to be an early edition of THE STRANGER. A HAPPY DEATH is a longer read than THE STRANGER, but goes into a lot more depth as the main character undergoes an existential journey. Once the novel concludes, it is immediately apparent why it was titled as so. I won't give any spoilers, but I highly suggest the book to lovers of Camus or anyone interested in various dogma's of existentialism. This book seems to imply that life is about finding your own happiness, of course without reading like a self-help/inspirational book. Camus is an outstanding writer and one of my personal favorites.
4103977
I loved this book.  I did not agree with its final conclusions, but I loved the book.  It was written with clarity about a topic that I find endlessly fascinating.  The Free Market Existentialist was approachable, without the oblique and specialized vocabulary that has accompanied much of the philosophy or classical economics that I have tried to read.  This book proposes that existentialism by its requirement of radical free-will and self-responsibility has similarities to libertarianism.  The main link between existentialism and libertarianism is individualism. The individual is primary and the individual is responsible. (Kindle Location 247)
 Professor Irwin summarized existentialism like this: Existentialism is a philosophy that reacts to an apparently absurd or meaningless world by urging the individual to overcome alienation, oppression, and despair through freedom and self-creation in order to become a genuine person. (Kindle Locations 450-451) He went on to discuss alienation, oppression, despair, freedom and self-creation.  I was hooked on the clarity and moved by affinity, as he described anguish felt by a person for whom religious belief is no longer an option.
  However, I did disagree with the book in the following three ways.  William Irwin's description of "moral fictionalism" appears to be a contradiction of authenticity, a requisite to existentialism.  While he addresses that objection, I found it unconvincing.  Secondly, the professor's position requires that what is good for the individual is good for the group in aggregate.  John Maynard Keyne's "paradox of thrift" would appear to contradict this assertion.  Finally, the book appears to attribute far less societal impact on economic elites attempting to affect their ability to accumulate future resources, not through value creation but rather by rigging the game against other non-elites.  I find the professor to be unpersuasive, in spite of his use of the three generations from long-sleeves to short sleeves statistic.  I say these things as a compliment.  While I did not agree with the doctor's points in all cases, I was completely engaged and delighted in the intellectual arguments.
 I greatly enjoyed the book and found it to be clear and encouraging title.  It reminded me of things I had forgotten and facilitated my thinking about many things of which my knowledge was fuzzy, incomplete or in error.  In spite of my gratitude and respect for the title, I cannot move past the fact that the conclusions do not necessarily follow from the suppositions.  Specifically, I found free will fictionalism to be a hurdle that I could not overcome in being willing to be led to the conclusions of the author.  Still, I am very glad I read it, and have since ordered another book by the same author.
4460152
It's hard to believe that at one time philosophy was in vogue in the United States and the particular brand of philosophy was existentialism.  During the fifties and sixties if one did not speak the prose of existentialism one could not consider oneself 'hip' - in an academic way that is.  As a result scads of books were published concerning existentialism; these were either translations of European writers or commentaries on the work created by these writers.  Scan any philosophy section at your local used bookstore and you will likely find some of these books repleat with funky cover art and publishing dates that most likely range from 1955 - 1970.  This is precisely how I came across this book.
Marjorie Grene, once a seminal figure in the study of continental philosophy, has accomplished in this book exactly what its title suggests - an introduction to existentialism. (Actually its original title was something like Condemned Freedom)  Useful for the Existential initiate this introduction is short and concise.  However, compared with many other introductions of similar topic, Grene's is relatively narrow in scope, focusing primarily on Kierkegaard, Heidegger and Sartre.  This is certainly made up for by the content of what is included.  The Kierkegaard section is a fairly thourough but general explication yet the Heidegger and Sartre Sections justifies the purchase of the book.  It offers the reader a solid explication of both of these thinkers plus a comparative component that allows one to trace the development of existentialism from Heidegger to Sartre and back again.
Granted, with all the books written then and recently covering existentialism this little book is perhaps more valuable for its history then content.  However, a used copy will undoubtedly be inexpensive and, for my purposes, it was well worth the two bucks that I paid.
2827301
Rosen opens the book with a long introduction surveying the history of Philosophy. He begins by citing Aristole's famous 'All men desire to know' and relates the philosophical quest to a comprehensive effort on the part of human beings to understand both for understanding's sake alone, and in order to bring blessedness and happiness to life. He concludes the survey by somewhat surprisingly indicating that the philosophical enterprise has come to an end in our own day. He speaks about Heidegger as having presented a vast metaphysical system only to have retreated from its conclusions, and end his life writing mystical poetic meditations. He speaks too of Wittgenstein as representing a philosophical coda, and not inspiration to new and great understanding.. Rosen connects this all with the rise of Science and he in fact devotes one whole section of the book to essays on the History of Science including the famous Thomas Kuhn essay on Scientific Paradigms. The selections from the great philosophers do provide an overall sense of what the philosophical enterprise has been about through the centuries. But Rosen's belief that we have reached a point where no one can even begin to offer a comprehensive political or moral philosophy seems to me to underestimate the human capacity for surprise in creation which as I understand it is God's great gift to us. i.e. The Philosophy which in understanding the world recreates it, in understanding human nature also recreates this will bring forth new names, perhaps even new systems for comprehending our worlds and worlds beyond our world in ways we cannot understand now.
4096024
This is a book for anyone interested in Heidegger, phenomenology and/or Continental Philosophy. Capobianco offers a refreshing (and accurate) perspective to the litter of Heideggerian work focusing, for some reason, on the grim, anxiety-ridden, finite, wounded, etc. individual existing subject. While Heidegger, of course, does outline some of these facets of Dasein (the human kind of being), they are certainly not the centerpiece of his work, nor do they occupy most of Heidegger's attention.  Heidegger's thinking is a sustained reverie, reflection, meditation upon Being and our relationship to Being. Capobianco reflects the whole of Heidegger's work and makes it accessible -- no small feat.
2204158
I enjoyed how Harris opens up the idea of a deeper sort of atheistic nihilism. He draws upon his experiences around the world, training with yogis and other "Masters," but refreshingly, he presents his learnings in an atheistic, non "woo"-filled manner.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who would like to explore spirituality and alternative states-of-mind without reading an author who has a religious or occult agenda.

I gave it 5 stars because I couldn't really think of a reason not to.
3922772
This short and well written book achieves it's goal. Terry Eagleton produced a clear and well balanced essay about the meaning of life, familiarizing the reader with the different concepts, even with the ones that reject the question. The philosophy's and theology's insights are considered and related with the main question. The reader can grasp the most important facets of the problem, considering the challenges posed by this enterprise. This short introduction makes it happen!
3177726
This an excellent introduction to Schopenhauer in all senses possible. Mr. David E. Cartwright has accomplished the double task to show the life of this secluded thinker and also the essence of his work. For that he has explained the core of the thinking by Schopenhauer in each of his successive works along  sections that alternates with sheer biographical portrait. I guess that 90% or more of the readers of this book are previous reader of original Schopenhauer work, but probably not many has read all his books, so even in this case the one by Mr. Cartwright hit a target. Schopenhauer is presented by the author in all his features, bad and good, giving to us a full picture of the man and also, as a side sight, of the ambiance of scholarly life in Germany in those middle XIX century years. The prose of  Cartwright is not only clear as should be treating about a master of clearness as Schopenhauer was, but also has some light notes of humor here and there that enliven a lot the narration. A very good book indeed.
367948
Advertised as a "catalog of worldviews", this truly exceptional book follows the evolution of philosophical thought from the theism of the 1700 to 20th century existentialism and New Age schools, including Eastern thought.
 The author has done an exceptionally good job in presenting complex material in a readable way.  This book may change the way you look at the life in a fundamental way; it did for me.
212806
The clearest exposition I've ever read of philosophers and philosophy, with emphasis, of course, on the lives and ideas of the Existentialists.