Man in the Modern Age [Paperback]

Karl Jaspers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1978 | ISBN-10: 0404145582 | ISBN-13: 978-0404145583

First published in English in 1933, this detailed philosophical examination of the contemporary state and nature of mankind is a seminal work by influential German philosopher Karl Jaspers. Elucidating his theories on a variety of topics pertaining to contemporary and future human existence, Man in the Modern Age is an ambitious and wide-ranging work, which meditates upon such diverse subjects as the tension between mass-order and individual human life, our present conception of human life and the potential for mankind’s future existence. Written shortly before the accession to power of Hitler and National Socialism, this is not only an important philosophical work, but also an insightful and intriguing historical document.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 243 pages
• Publisher: Ams Pr Inc (June 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0404145582
• ISBN-13: 978-0404145583
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,471,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Karl Jaspers at his best!, June 5, 2004

By 

M. Lawrence "pronoia" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Man in the Modern Age (Paperback)

In a letter to Hannah Arendt, Jaspers complained about the English translation of this work - we need a new translation! The contents of this work are as relevant today as they were in 1933. What I found most fascinating, though, was that many of his ideas mirror the existentialism (authenticity, etc) of Heidegger's Being in Time, even though Jaspers claimed he couldn't make it through his former friend's work. His concerns with technology (technique as it is translated) and nihilism (nullity) also mirror Heidegger's concern in the 30's.
Sometimes Jaspers is difficult to read, possibly because he presents arguments in the form of antinomies - these difficulties are absent in this passionate work from the heart. It is accessible for any reader and should be used in existentialism courses in philosophy departments.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to Find, but What a Find, April 3, 2003

By 

John D. Dooley "PhiloX" (Southern California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Man in the Modern Age (Paperback)

Most of Karl Jaspers better books are out of print or are very hard to get. This is one of them, I had the book custom made from a computer print out & then hard bound. Written between World War One & World War Two, in 1933, I am surprised on how well Karl Jaspers understands humanity trapped within modern technology with its so-called promises yet in the end traps. The book explains the origin of modern techonolgy & how it developed into the present state of existence that humanity now finds itself. The middle secion deals with the Limits of the Life Order (Humanity as a Mass), the Will in the Whole (the State & Education), & the Decay & Possibilities of the Mind (Culture & Mental Creation: Art, Science, & Philosophy) and then the book ends with our Present existence in the fields of Sociology, Psychology, & Anthropology, & what humanity can become. A great find & here it is in Amazon.com as a special order.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scarry insights, April 14, 2007

By 

Matko Vladanovic (Zagreb, Croatia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man in the Modern Age (Paperback)

If you, by any chance, stumble upon this book, most probably it will be in a library of some sort, you'll be looking to a small masterpiece. I am well aware of the fact that calling something 'masterpiece' in these days doesn' mean a lot. Everything is a masterpiece for some person or another, and in these days of hiperproduction one is constantly on a verge of loosing any notion of critical ability that existed somewhere. But enoguh of that. Considering what has been said, one should expect of me to say why something, precisely this book, is a maasterpiece.

As with all masterpieces it is really hard to say. It depends on a perspective you are taking. For instance, Mona Lisa. Looked upon with ordinary eyes, it is just a painting of some lady that is smiling with some arcadian background. What's so special about that? To answer that question one has to have special kind of glasses. Ones that will give him the insight in entire history of art, of all things that precedded Leonardos painting. Eventually, one would find the answer that he seeks. It is slightly different with this book.

Here, it is not the past that matters, it is the future. Consider this book being written in 1931., few years away from massive slaughter and dawnfall of humankind and entire humanities (as viewed by some intellectuals). It is surprising, and somewhat scarry, reading about the events that happened after the book was written. Certain insights, feelings of depression that is present in entire body of text, when looked upon from some historical distance, seems like a work of sad, mad, genius that looked upon the heart of humanity and found only destruction and despair there.

Maybe it is not masterpiece, maybe it is just a classic. No matter what, it is a book that should be read by any one who is interested in history, in development of modern thought, by anyone who is in trouble with the course modern world is taking today.