The Experience of Nothingness [Paperback]

Michael Novak (Author, Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1997

"Michael Novak is a truly creative thinker at a time when American religious thought is dominated by fads His book bears rare fruit for the contemporary student of man." --The Nation

In this book, Michael Novak has two objectives: First, he shows the paths by which the experience of nothingness is becoming common among all those who live in free societies. Second, he details the various experiences that lead to the nothingness point of view.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"Novak has presented us with an important reflection on a timely subject," said LJ's reviewer. Here, philosopher Novak waxes on humankind's "growing awareness of inner emptiness" (LJ 7/70) and our ability nonetheless to carry ourselves beyond despair. This edition contains a new introduction in which Novak delves further into his theory. This much ado about nothing is more for the academic crowd.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Michael Novak is George Frederick Jewett Scholar in Religion, Philosophy, and Public Policy at American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. He has twice been ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission and is member of the National Endowment for Democracy Board. He is the author of over two dozen books and numerous scholarly articles, which have appeared in First Things, The Weekly Standard, and National Review Online.

Product Details

• Paperback: 145 pages
• Publisher: Transaction Publishers; Rev Exp edition (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560009888
• ISBN-13: 978-1560009887
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,236,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What does anything mean?, August 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Experience of Nothingness (Paperback)

If you are interested in considering meaning, the lack of meaning, what makes something meaningful or not, self-identity, the nature of reality and other trivial topics like these, this is a wonderful book and a small one, that will none-the-less take much time to read because of its density. By "density" I don't mean Novak is hard to understand... exactly the opposite. Many of his insights are so filled with meaning and implication that I, for one, can go but a few pages at a time.... writing notes all the while. Highly recommended, if you are a "thinker".

11 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Neglected, April 12, 2005

By 

Cioran Sellers (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Experience of Nothingness (Paperback)

A very good little book that is rather tarnished by the fact that the author went on to become a right wing shill. Quite how someone who could confront the "void" with such clarity and seeming courage could end up falling for the most vapid conservative twaddle is quite beyond me. Perhaps he was exhausted by living life standing straight up and felt the need to just throw in the towel? As someone said of Huysmans after such a book one either falls at the foot of a cross or the takes a revolver in the mouth...Novak hit the foot of the cross and apparently left his intelligence behind...Still this is an essential read. And for once an American patrolling these waters and not say Camus or even Celine.

6 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Illogical, September 29, 2005

By 

Jennifer Kerns (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Experience of Nothingness (Paperback)

I'm interested in the topic of nihilism, and for a while, it seems that Novak has something to say about the topic. Unfortunately, the book is just one logical fallacy after another. At first, it was still an interesting book, because it showed what a flawed view on the topic would look like, but you can only take so many pages of non-sequiturs, bald assertions and stolen concepts before moving on to better books.

I give the book two stars instead of one because he does have some interesting things to say. If you're reading in the sense of having a nice conversation on the topic, the content of which is to be largely forgotten at the end, it might be worth a run-through. But if you're looking to gain knowledge about nihilism, it's not very useful, not very well-integrated, and not at all well-argued. A careful reading yields disappointment after a few dozen pages.