![[(Existentialism : A Beginner's Guide)] [By (author) Thomas E. Wartenberg] published on (September, 2008)](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41GZWrVzvoL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
Having read another Beginners Guide book, the one covering the Enlightenment, I thought I may get a benefit reading this one. I was well rewarded! I have done previous reading about existentialism including some books that author Thomas Wartenberg cites such as Walter Kaufmann's Existentialism and titles by Kierkegaard plus various shows on TV or small theatre, where existentialist themes are often conveyed - all getting vague since this was decades ago.
Another motive was my thought this would make a suitable first book to read with my new Kindle Paperwhite e-reader. It was nice way to read this book and provided lots of motives to learn how to jump around the e-book.
Existentialism is a different approach to philosophy from the Anglo-American approach which is more "professional" with much of it remote from everyday life, not that they nevertheless ultimately have profound implications for everyday life, just that it's hard for the ordinary person to get it! Existentialism is directly much closer to concerns of everyday life, questions which we usually associate with what religions deal with but within this stream of thought we have atheistical existentialists as well as religious ones such as Kierkegaard. Existentialism is looked down upon by Anglo-American philosophy but as Wartenberg shows this is not justified. He speaks as a practicing professional Anglo-American philosopher.
As you would expect this beginners guide is expository not too argumentative. Wartenberg starts his consideration as to what existentialism is or what the nature of the questions it asks are by citing Hamlet's reflecting whether to be or not to be, that is the question. So existentialism can be seen as thinking associated with our basic existence, consciousness, self-consciousness, that, if we are not oppressed we are utterly free which ironically? poses challenges for us. It shades into introspective psychology but it is not the same as that because there are philosophical issues regardless of how well or badly we psychologically adapt to the fact or facts of our existence. Furthermore, it is our individual existence and not so much our existence in community although existentialism deals with certain existential implications of how other people regard us as self-aware beings.
I think the author has done a good job of deciphering certain extremely difficult notions which on careless examination comes across as complete nonsense. An example would be when Sartre talks about nothing as if it is something and conversely things are nothing! In this section he pleads with reader to be patient! It is easy to be dismissive and throw the book aside!
I've been interested in this stream of thought particularly having given talks recently about some famous names, David Hume, Immanuel Kant and Bertrand Russell in a communitarian association.
Particularly from Immanuel Kant, who was a philosopher on the Continent, it was his ideas which lead to a series of thinkers on the Continent influencing one to another which led to the thinkers whom we know today clearly as the existentialists. The Anglos were also deeply influenced by Kant but in a different way.
The author tells of his personal journey how he got onto existentialism having been a professional philosopher in the Anglo-American tradition.
The title chapter titles apart from the introduction and such like are: Existence, Freedom, Others, Anxiety, Finitude, The Absurd, Authenticity, Oppression. These terms themselves give clear suggestion as to the nature of this realm of philosophy.
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Top reviews from other countries
Denis Beauchamp
«To Be or not to Be, that is the question»
Reviewed in Canada on July 8, 2016Patrick Phillips
Nothing wrong with this book except for the subject. ...
Reviewed in Australia on November 2, 2016
Elginson
This is the introduction to buy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2014Ruben
This book is great! I was completely new to existentialism and loved ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2016Michael McFadden
Clear and concise. Excellent for novice.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 20, 2022