Existentialism [Paperback]

Robert C. Solomon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0195174631 | ISBN-13: 978-0195174632 | Edition: 2

Existentialism, 2/e, offers an exceptional and accessible introduction to the richness and diversity of existentialist thought. Retaining the focus of the highly successful first edition, the second edition provides extensive material on the "big four" existentialists--Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre--while also including selections from twenty-four other authors. Giving readers a sense of the variety of existentialist thought around the world, this edition also adds new readings by such figures as Luis Borges, Viktor Frankl, Gabriel Garcia M�rquez, Keiji Nishitani, and Rainer Maria Rilke.

Existentialism, 2/e, also features:
* New translations of Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Buber
* More extensive selections from Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre
* New selections by Hazel E. Barnes, Miguel de Unamuno, Joseph Heller, Philip Roth, and Colin Wilson
* The Grand Inquisitor (from Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov)

Ideal for undergraduate courses in existentialism and Continental philosophy, Existentialism, 2/e, is fascinating reading for anyone interested in the subject.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert C. Solomon is at University of Texas, Austin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (September 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195174631
• ISBN-13: 978-0195174632
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #171,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

G. Lee Bowie received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Stanford University and has taught at University of Michigan, University of Mass, Amherst College, and Hampshire College. Currently he is Professor of Philosophy at Mount Holyoke College. Meredith W. Michaels received a Ph.D. in philosophy (with Clancy Martin), ETHICS AND EXCELLENCE, THE JOY OF PHILOSOPHY, and TRUE TO OUR FEELINGS, and he was co-editor of TWENTY QUESTIONS, Fifth Edition (with Lee Bowie and Meredith Michaels), and SINCE SOCRATES (with Clancy Martin).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good choice of selections, February 7, 2002

By 

M. Rittman (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Existentialism (Modern Library College Editions) (Paperback)

_Existentialism_ includes excerpts from 26 existentialists, from a couple pages in length to over 40 in the case of Jean-Paul Sartre. These excerpts are each preceded by a brief biographical introduction. If the purpose of this book was to pique my interest in further reading of the included authors, it accomplished its purpose. I found myself really touched by the excerpts of Kierkegaard, for example, and have since read much more of him. Editing the work of these great thinkers, might on the surface, seem like a simple task, but now that I am more specifically aware of body of work by Kierkegaard and to a lesser extent, a few of the others, I appreciate the job Solomon did of selecting these texts. Athough I am pleased, I am sure Solomon didn't please everyone!

Robert C. Solomon begins this book with a fine eleven page essay on existentialism. Here are a few excerpts:

"It is a commonly accepted half-truth that existentialism is a revolt against traditional Western rationalistic philosophy. It is also a demonstrable half-truth that existentialist philosophy is very much a continuation and logical expansion of themes and problems in Descartes, Kant, Hegel, Marx, and Husserl. Existentialism is not simply a philosophy or philosophical revolt. Existentialist philosophy is an explicit conceptual manifestation of the existential attitude--a spirit of `the present age.' It is a philosophical realization of self-conscious living in a `broken world' (Marcel), an `ambiguous world' (de Beauvoir), a `dislocated world' (Merleau-Ponty)..."

"So long as we think of philosophy as a set of (hopefully) true propositions, we will continue to be tempted by notions that philosophy can be a `science,' that there is a correct way of doing philosophy, that philosophical judgement or body of judgement can be true. If instead we allow ourselves to think of philosophy as expression, these rigid demands seem pointless or vulgar."

Some might consider it poor form to read through a book of excerpts, but had there not been such a text, I don't think I would have been exposed to many of the writers that are featured. My appreciation and thanks goes to Robert C. Solomon.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dreadfully good selection, December 8, 2004

By 

Gary Sprandel (Frankfort, Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Existentialism (Modern Library College Editions) (Paperback)

Solomon selects 26 authors, that give a flavor of the attitude of existentialism (up through 1974). The selections from the novelists such as Dostoevsky, Hesse, Camus, Becket and Saul Bellow capture the tone best for me. Although the more philosophical writings of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Sartre are all fairly readable, the selections from Heidegger and Jaspers were rough going. Each author is introduced with a brief background that presents the author in context.

Solomon does not define existentialism nor offer a single dogma to the herd. This is a good thing! Solomon allows the authors to speak for themselves, and nothing more should be expected of this most individualistic of philosophies. Contrasted to Nietzsche's "God is Dead", Existentialism is not necessarily atheistic, as the inclusion of Kierkegaard, Marcel, Dostoevsky, Buber, and Tillich illustrate. Existentialism is nothing if it doesn't emphasize individual existence, so make the choice to stop reading this review, and read the book and write your own review!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good, cheap existential dread, fits in your pocket, April 4, 2003

By 

Pen Name? "fluxus" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Existentialism (Modern Library College Editions) (Paperback)

This is a diverse and engaging collection of excerpts from a range of works, many of which I have never seen collected in "existentialist" compilations. A good cheap overview of the major writers. I believe these are still first edition paperbacks, and as far as I know, only Amazon.com still has them. So if you want it, you'd better get it now. And if you just want a single volume, inexpensive intro. to Existentialism, then this is what you want.