The Embers and the Stars [Paperback]

Erazim Kohak (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226450171 | ISBN-13: 978-0226450179 | Publication Date: November 15, 1987

"It is hard to put this profound book into a category. Despite the author's criticisms of Thoreau, it is more like Walden than any other book I have read. . . . The book makes great strides toward bringing the best insights from medieval philosophy and from contemporary environmental ethics together. Anyone interested in both of these areas must read this book."—Daniel A. Dombrowski, The Thomist

"Those who share Kohák's concern to understand nature as other than a mere resource or matter in motion will find his temporally oriented interpretation of nature instructive. It is here in particular that Kohák turns moments of experience to account philosophically, turning what we habitually overlook or avoid into an opportunity and basis for self-knowledge. This is an impassioned attempt to see the vital order of nature and the moral order of our humanity as one."—Ethics

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Erazim Kohák is professor of philosophy at Boston University. His many books include a study of Husserl's phenomenology, Idea and Experience, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (November 15, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226450171
• ISBN-13: 978-0226450179
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful reflections on the moral sense of nature, June 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Embers and the Stars (Paperback)

Erazim Kohak's little known book combines a rich philosophical background and personal reflections of his experience of building a cottage in the woods. Unlike many philosophical works, Kohak doesn't argue to establish premises and reach a conclusion; he 'evokes a vision', as he says. Having read numerous philosophy and ethics texts, I found this book a breath of fresh air and pregnant with valuable insights into nature and the human's role in creation.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Combatting an Antropocentric POV, December 5, 2007

By 

J. Zachary Bailes (Owensboro, KY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Embers and the Stars (Paperback)

Erazim Kohak's work will leave one astounded and challenged. Astounded in the sense that what one encounters is not another moral sense granted by human decision. No. Instead what the reader encounters is a stauch challenged issued by someone who has lived it, and survived. What they have lived is a life in which they were open to creation and they were aware of the profound affect of being in communion with nature. Each reader will be challenged to put aside their anthropocentric point of view and learn what life and, more specifically, morality might look like if nature was what determined morality.

This is a must read for anyone studying environmental ethics, morality, or enjoys Thoreau or Emerson. Though, Kohak goes much deeper than the previous two. Nature is demonstrated in this book not as a retreat, but a place in which we learn. Our resonsibilties are revealed and our flaws exposed. But Nature forgives. There are many lessons to learn and a quick read will not do either the read or Kohak justice. There are times when the material is thick, but one must continue on. For the richness that lies in the pages is too great to be measured. Go forth and conquer!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful and well-written, October 13, 2006

By 

Christine Neulieb - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Embers and the Stars (Paperback)

Erazim Kohak combines depth of thought with elegance of prose, making this book a pleasure to read. It's that rare book of philosophy that you can really savor. Kohak's reflections evoke a world where the rationality and law that govern human existence blend seamlessly with the rhythms of nature. There is no alienation here, no great divide between man and the world around him, and yet the book never degenerates into mere romanticism about returning to nature. It's persuasive, mature, insightful. It has become one of my favorite books of all time, one that I return to again and again, and I think it deserves a wider readership than it's had thus far.