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Irrational Man: A Study in Existential Philosophy
Books: Text Books: Philosophy: Item 6
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Irrational Man: A Study in Existential Philosophyby William Barrett
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62 of 66 people found the following review helpful: Living with despair, February 20, 2002 Reviewer:Pumpkin King (Oakland, CA United States) - IRRATIONAL MAN is a great read for anyone interested in existentialism. William Barrett does not bore, and he covers existentialism from its roots in Hebraism and Hellenism to its development by its most famous spokesman, Jean-Paul Sartre. For Barrett, existentialism is a personal and relevant matter, and he passionately reminds the reader that it is a philosophy for the modern age, an age of atomic weaponry. Though he has only four chapters on particular existentialists (Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre), he also addresses various other figures such as St. Augustine, Descartes, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy. The scope of this work is vast. The aforementioned "existentialists" have disparate views, but all share the understanding that reason has its limits, that man is alone in the world, and that to live, one must face one's own finitude. Each thinker comes to their ideas from a unique point of view and Barrett connects their ideas with their personal historical context. What we have is a study that is coherent and enlightening, passionate and somehow urgent. But perhaps it is a little too passionate, too grandiose. He has romantic notions of greatness, in art and in thought. Sometimes he seems too sure of his interpretations as well, but it is up to me to go to the original sources he writes about and try his findings against mine. In the end, the very fact that I desire to read directly the works of the four existentialists he writes about shows to me that Barrett has done a fine job, and he has simultaneously clarified and deepened my understanding of existentialism beyond the famous line "existence precedes essence." As an introduction or a supplement, IRRATIONAL MAN is an essential, and entertaining, work.
Book Description
Widely recognized as the finest definition of existentialist Philosophy, this book introduced existentialism to America in 1958. Barrett discusses the views of 19th and 20th century existentialists Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre and interprets the impact of their thinking on literature, art, and philosophy.
Publisher Description
Widely recognized as the finest definition of existentialist Philosophy, this book introduced existentialism to America in 1958. Barrett discusses the views of 19th and 20th century existentialists Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre and interprets the impact of their thinking on literature, art, and philosophy.
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