Reviews (31)

Foucault's Disicpline
Foucault's "Discipline and Punish," is an excellent read. On point in his breakdown and analysis of where our modern day system of prison come from; readers will find this book well written easily understanble in its translation of the history of the prison system.

Excellent
For the people saying that this book is dense, impenetrable, hard to understand, etc., I would suggest simply going a little slower and, if possible, studying other works by Foucault in order to get used to his style. Among Foucault's books, I think this is probably the "easiest" to read in that the motives of its writing are clear, the themes are laid out for you in black and white, and the documented evidence/archival history that he returns to time and time again is at least documented and built on solidly. Foucault had a way with seeing history in new ways, this book is a beautiful demonstration of that, it uncovers and unveils currents at work within history other than the "accepted" or "offered" ones, one of his favorite projects, and as such...I think it's essential. As with his other books, though, be prepared for bold, grand statements and stylistic flourishes that are not always backed up with demonstrated evidence, but...he knew that part of writing was rhetoric. He states his case, and does so with amazing eloquence...this is a very powerful book.

BUYER BEWARE
I bought the book on a recommendation a year back and tried to read it but failed to concentrate enough as it was a pretty dense book. Recently I picked it up again, this time determined to finish it as it is considered an important work.
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Subjects:  1. Criminology    2. History & Surveys - Modern    3. Penology    4. Philosophy    5. Prison discipline    6. Prisons    7. Punishment    8. Sociology    9. French    10. Literary theory    11. Social Science / Criminology   

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - Modern    2. Movements - Humanism    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy / General    5. Political science & theory   

Reviews (5)

Appearances and Being
Arendt's premise - assuming that Chapter 1 is the place to start and the book is not a suspense novel, that "Being and Appearing coincide," and that nothing exists that does not presume a spectator, made it difficult for me to continue the book.She maintains, up front, that Being and Appearance are prominent (she refers to them as part of the "two-world theory") philosophical fallacies.What a place too begin?! And so dogmatically!She goes on to use the internal organs of a man as an example of "behind the appearances" (my quote marks), then spins off additional abstractions (as if philospophy needs them) such as semblance and authentic appearance and process.Later, she pronounces "thought without speech is inconceivable"; oh boy.
A must read
If you are interested in philosophy or religion, then you must read this book. I think book 2 on the will is the more important of the two books. The central issue is the movement of time, if time is linear then the will is central in creating reality, if time is circular then the will is an illusion.

Philosophically speaking, this is Arendt at her best.
In her typical straight-to-the-point style of writing, Arendt explores some of the most philosophically important questions asked since antiquity. She guides us through the ages of development on topics such as freewill, time, and Being. She is one of the most important thinkers, not of the 20th century, but of all "time". This is Arendt for the philosopher/thinker, not the political scientist. From Heraclitus to Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Arendt leaves no great thinker's stone unturned. I've read a lot of books, and this is probably one of the most important. Does she give us any answers to these important questions? NO. However, she shows that there are no answers to these questions, only better questions to be asked. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - Modern    2. Metaphysics    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy (General)    5. Thought and thinking    6. Philosophy of mind   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (8)

Good lord
Wow, this book is about as dense as the crust of the earth.It takes at least a few reads over to understand what the arguments are.While the arguments in this book are very well articulated, I found myself wanting to shoot myself in the face sometimes while reading this book.It can be really boring, but brings up some very interesting ideas of 80's culture and society.

Po-Mo Schmomo?
Ask ten academics about what to call our present fin-de-siecle epoch and you'll get ten different labels, but "postmodernism" seems always the default term. Although it's twelve years old, Harvey's book is the best I've read about the pluralistic fabric we daily inhabit. It's edifyingly reader-friendly (especially compared to some of the Franco-drunk rhetoricians out there trying to get a handle on our current world). In precise prose Harvey outlines the shift to our information-as-capital paradigm since the mid-sixties, and the causes of the growth of the temp sector and "just-in-time" production capabilities. Harvey traces the arrival of "flexible accumulation" to the collapse of Fordist production practices in the 1966-73 waves of recession, but covers far more than just economic factors--architecture, art, literature, cinema--without any self-conscious Neo-Marxist whistling-in-the-dark. In his project to articulate a new (meta?)narrative, Harvey's book will probably give post-structuralists a new constellation of ideas to obfuscate with hip terminology and dense prose... Best overview of modern/postmodern condition I have found
This is a great overview of concepts that are, by definition, very fractured.Harvey clarifies and pulls together a number of seemingly disparate elements in a masterful manner. Though this book could work as a good introduction to these concepts, I think readers with some background in the major writers of modernism and postmodernism will get more out of it. Dogmatic postmodernists may be put off that Harvey has the "temerity" to suggest that postmodernism might be an extension of modernism or that he finds some good in modernism and some excesses in postmodern approaches but, they should get over themselves and realize that their insistence that "all meta-narratives are bad" is their own meta-narrative. Overall, Harvey manages to convincingly express his ideas while maintaining a remarkably evenhanded approach.I especially enjoy the fact that he avoids the postmodernist tendency to ignore the complexities of modernism and, thus create a postmodern meta-narrative about the modernist project. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1950-    2. Capitalism    3. Civilization, Modern    4. Historiography    5. History & Surveys - Modern    6. History - General History    7. History Of Civilization And Culture (General)    8. Modern - 20th Century    9. Philosophy    10. Postmodernism    11. Space and time    12. Historia Moderna    13. Philosophy / Modern    14. Sociology, Social Studies    15. Western philosophy, from c 1900 -   

Subjects:  1. 1889-1976    2. General    3. Heidegger, Martin    4. Heidegger, Martin,    5. History & Surveys - Modern    6. Philosophy    7. 20th century    8. Germany    9. Other prose: from c 1900 -    10. Reference / General    11. Western philosophy, from c 1900 -    12. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (19)

Abstractionist Exploitation
For all its cleverness, the kind of dodgy, edgy, self-important prose that lures wannabe philosophers into its trap, this book is one incorrect premise after another, one humanocentric argument posing as "ecological" thought on top of another.
The Crowning Achievement Of (Post)Modern French Philosophy
That this book is receiving one star, given the title of my review, should surprise no one.
Works Well with Techno Music

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Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - Modern    2. Philosophy    3. Postmodernism    4. Psychoanalysis    5. Psychology    6. Psychopathology - General    7. Radicalism   

Reviews (27)

Semantics from the world of 1933
An interesting view that is not to be overlooked. As in physics we changed or concepts from Newtonian (space and time) to Einstein or non-Newtonian (space/time). We see this in any fields and some of us embrace the change and see how infinite our views can still work; others of us resist knowing that there is something fundamentally wrong if you can not put your finger on it.
Unrecognized Genius
Korzybski aimed his discussion at professionals, so disregarded definitions (multi-ordinal anyway), etc.Despite this many criticisms resulted, some from professionals, notably Martin Gardner (1993): "...poorly organized, verbose, philosophically naive, repetitious, mish-mash of sound ideas borrowed from abler scientists."
Mediocrity and Genius Collide!
Reading the other reviews of this book, I'd have to say I agree equally with every review. It is true that the ideas contained in this text are of first class and of life changing quality. It's also true that Korzybski might not be as eminent as some think. At the begining of each chapter, Korzybski qoutes specialists from different fields, and reading these is almost like discovering the fingerprints of a thief. You quickly realize that almost none of these ideas are of Korzybski's creation. It would seem that his intentions were to compile theories from Philosophy, physics, abstract mathematics and phycology and create a unified group, the only problem is that Korzybski repeatedly uses the phrase "my theory", when after about page 350, it becomes apparent that he has no real way of collecting these elements, and his only objective is to repeat verbatim in every other paragraph "The whole of Knowledge is structure, which is based on multiordinal relations, which include infinite-value order." After about the 15th time he has made this statement, you'll be ready to give up like I did. Suffice to say, this book did lead me to some real thinkers, Russell, Whitehead and poincare, and it did give me a new interest in the study of the human nervous system, but as the text stands on it's own... it doesn't. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. Philosophy    3. Philosophy / Epistemology    4. Philosophy Of Science    5. Philosophy Of The 20th Century    6. Psychology & Psychiatry / Applied Psychology    7. Applied Psychology    8. Behavior    9. Epistemology    10. General semantics    11. Semantics   

Reviews (5)

Best Available Secondary Source on Heidegger
The best secondary source on Heidegger's early philosophy available in English. Sets the standard for clear and forthright assessment of Heidegger's achievement.

A highly misleading interpretation of Heidegger
There's no getting away from Heidegger; most of the intellectual life of the later 20th century is a series of commentaries on or arguments with Being and Time. But the book is almost as difficult as its reputation would have it. Most of us need some help. The clearest account of Heidegger's thought to date.
BEING-IN-THE-WORLD : A Commentary on Heidegger's 'Being and Time,' Division I.By Herbert L. Dreyfus.370 pp.Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press, Eighth Printing 1999 (1991).ISBN 0-262-54056-8 (pbk.)Read more

Subjects:  1. 1889-1976    2. General    3. Heidegger, Martin,    4. Metaphysics    5. Ontology    6. Philosophy    7. Sein und Zeit    8. Space and time    9. Modern Western philosophy, c 1600 to the present    10. Philosophy / General   

Editorial Review

Written by one of the century's truly great thinkers, Ludwig Wittgenstein's Read more

Reviews (25)

Interesting short read, but not challenging
I think many readers are turned off by the broken up nature of the text. The format does not bother me. Wittgenstein freely admits in the preface that he did not have time to finsh the book or do it justice. Instead we have a series of numbered paragraphs/thoughts/ideas/questions. My favorite investigateion, if I were to pick one, was #47, that was a highpoint of the book for me. Look that one up for a taste of the book.
Not one of the great books.
Wittgenstein was cryptic in the extreme.This has been mistaken for wisdom.Though he was considered an oracle by the 20th century he is likely, as was Herbert Spencer, famous in his own day, to be ignored by the subsequent generation.
Learn from it but there is no need to worship it
This is a book which at one time was worshipped. It was taken to be the holy text that gave the true answers to the philosophical puzzles that graduate students in philosophy were puzzling over. Wittgenstein was the hero and his manner of ' doing philosophy' of walking and holding his forehead, and waiting in silence and thinking for long stretches of time while puzzling it out was imitated by his many followers. The 'Investigations' did not like the 'Tractatus ' before it present the system that would tell the whole truth , answer it all , as it were. It instead put the focus on philosophizing as an activity. And it is a remarkable, enigmatic, aphoristic text rich in suggestions and quandaries. It truly is a book that presents perplexing questions and makes it seem as if ' thinking' is a most serious and difficult business.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History & Surveys - Modern    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (37)

A Small Book of Enormous Importance
I first read this book in my twenties and it instantly became a companion for life. I was raised a Christian, but an attempt to read the whole Bible had left me a skeptic and suddenly open to the anxieties which faith had held at bay. Then I stumbled across this wonderful book, which was an exhilarating read, because it described my predicament exactly. It is the first book I read which is a guide to "mindful living" and it remains the best. This is in large part because Alan Watts wrote with such luminous clarity and with startling metaphors. For example, to help explain living in the present he writes, "You do not play a symphony in order to get to the last note." If you ever feel that you're not fully alive or that life is passing you by, or you think you might be in an existentialist crisis, you must read this book!
The REAL Power Of Now Back in 1951..A sure way to cure Neurosis and Anxiety
All thinkers should read this little book since it is one of the masterpieces of religious literature...
A Masterpiece of Poetic Wisdom
I think Alan Watts was the finest writer of English prose I've ever read, and "The Wisdom of Insecurity" is one of his very clearest, wisest, and best works.If you doubt me, just read his opening words in the chapter "The Age of Anxiety" here on this site.Does anyone write more clearly and beautifully than this, especially about such profound matters?
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Subjects:  1. Christianity - General    2. Fear    3. History & Surveys - Modern    4. Philosophy    5. Religion    6. Security (Psychology)    7. Philosophy / General    8. Philosophy / history of ideas   

Reviews (34)

amazing
i cant say anythinng others havent said, if you like nietzsche then this is a must have. contains nietzsches best!

This is it
This is where you have to start if you're going to start reading Nietzsche.And you have to read the whole of Walter Kaufmann's introduction, front to back.It's an indispensible gateway into the work of this big, profound, tortured, hilarious, flawed, sensitive and misunderstood genius, and something you must read if you're going to say you really read Nietzsche.
Incredible force and eloquence........
Frederick Nietzsche writes with a force and passion rarely found amongst philosophers. His ability to coherently place his powerful and ranging intellect onto paper is simply amazing.
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Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - 19th Century    2. History & Surveys - Modern    3. Philosophy    4. Literary Collections / Essays    5. Modern Western philosophy, c 1600 to the present   

Editorial Review

This account of men and women's place in a universe of sex and gender, self and society, spirit and soul is written in question-and-answer format, making it both readable and accessible.Wilber offers a series oforiginal views on many topics of current controversy, including the gender wars, multiculturalism, modern liberation movements, and the conflictbetween various approaches to spirituality. ... Read more

Reviews (89)

Nutritious food for the mind
I postponed reading Wilber for a long time, because I felt that time had yet to come for me to be exposed to such a mindblow, like I knew this would turn to be. Sometimes you don't want to set your mind in a certain direction yet.
too many words for a simple message
basically Wilber's philosophy is: there are people out there who are stuck in their cultural conceptions. In other words, some people are closed minded. Some people need to open their minds to other's views and allow themselves to grow a little. This confirms Wilbur's own admission as to why he really is not accepted in academia: he is not really saying anything of substance. Not only has he admitted this but he followed it up with saying that's why he took his message to the people. Of course, the average joe will eat this stuff up as though it is a step toward enlightenment. Dont bother with this guy...he seems too full of himself.

On the road to consciousness . . .
This is the second book I have read of the many that Ken Wilber has produced. I admit to struggling with the concept he is presenting, but that has nothing to do with his writing which is clear and concise. I suppose it speaks to where I am, presently, in evolving my own consciousness.
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Subjects:  1. Cosmology    2. Evolution    3. History & Surveys - Modern    4. Movements - Humanism    5. Philosophy    6. Soul    7. Spirit    8. History    9. Philosophy / General    10. Reference works   

Reviews (6)

Stunning
All the "Seth" books are nothing short of stunning.They are also gripping, mind boggling, unforgettable, and life-changing.
why do things happen?
Why do we have world events, disasters, weather, etc the way they occur?This book address these questions.Reading this book, one can see how we create our realities as societies, cultures, countries, etc.We can gain additional, if not totally new, insight on this matter.What you will find out may surprise you, it may even make you angry or just make you not believe what the book says.To gain further insight, read The Personal Nature of Reality also which will show you how we create our own immediate reality.To me it was difficult to read but others that I know had no problem.Possibly it was hard to read was because it was packed full of information?I give it 4 stars because the way it was written.I think it could have been written so that it is less verbose and easier to understand.This book was written in the 70's when this kind of information was new and hard to find.

New to Seth? This book may perplex.
Don't get me wrong. All the Seth books by Jane Roberts are worthwhile. And given recent global events, this book is more timely than ever. So I highly recommend that at some point you purchase this book so that you can read and reread it many times over. You should definitely aim to have all the Seth books as part of your personal library. I surely do. And I can pick a Seth book at random, turn to any page, and come away with a fresh insight. But if you are not sure who or what Seth is? Then this book may only confuse and perplex you. If you are new to Seth, I highly recommend that you start with "The Coming of Seth," followed by "The Seth Material," and then the must-have-Seth-book-of-all-time, "The Nature of Personal Reality." Then you will most surely want to read "The Individual and the Nature of Mass Events." My only complaint about this book? The "current" events referred to in this book may seem like ancient history to some. Oh, how I wish Ms. Roberts were alive today for Seth to comment upon such things as the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the more recent terrorist attacks. But indirectly, this book will help you come to terms with all these events and more. So in this respect, it is more important now than ever before. And one of the reasons that I include it on my list of "Timely Tomes for Troubled Times." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    2. Philosophy Of The 20th Century    3. Self-Help    4. Spirit writings    5. Spiritualism - General    6. Occultism & quasi-religious beliefs    7. Religion: general   

Reviews (18)

The truth, but not perhaps all the truth, about 'lying'
There are certain books whose subjects seem so importantthat when one comes across them one immediately takes interest in them. Fortunate and wise is the writer who is able to find or define such a subject. Sissela Bok does this in her philosophical consideration of the subject of 'lying'.
Sissela Bok's Lying -- Good Book
really enjoyed reading Bok's thoughts on lying--her explorations into why we lie, how we justify it, and if our justifications are valid.I thought it was most interesting to read about lying for the public good and that a great amount of Americans expect their leaders to lie.I think it's sad that an expectation of lying in our society and especially among our political leaders even exists.
Lying - Or How To Be Honest
In "Lying," Sissela Bok analyzes the mechanics of deceit. She does a masterful job of analyzing the implications, motivations, justifications and rationalizations that precede or follow deceitful acts or passivity that renders a deceitful result or intention.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History & Surveys - Modern    3. Interpersonal Relations    4. Philosophy    5. Sociology - General    6. Truthfulness and falsehood    7. Philosophy / Modern   

Reviews (7)

Quite Good
Along with Culler's Literary Theory Butler's Postmodernism represents a commendable "Very Short Introduction" to controversial ideas in the humanities.Both volumes are even-handed and well-explained.This is in sharp contrast to Catherine Belsey's Poststructualism: A Very Short Introduction.In the latter volume, the reader doesn't get anything like an even-handed overview. Instead, the reader gets one-sided advocacy of poststructuralist thinking, complete with the movement's characteristically strained logic and unconcern for clear expression.

Postmodernism for beginners (but then, aren't we all...)
Postmodernism is a tricky thing to define. According to Christopher Butler, 'it is certain of its uncertainty', and he intentionally writes 'about postmodern artists, intellectual gurus, academic critics, philosophers, and social scientists...as if they were all members of a loosely constituted and quarrelsome political party.' Butler draws on the work of Derrida, Jameson, Barthes, Althusser and Foucault to provide an intellectual basis for the idea of postmodernism, but does not confine his study to critical and literary theory. The idea of postmodernism is one that has spread into politics and other social sciences, art and the humanities, and even the hard sciences in many ways.
disappointing read
I've read the Very Short Introduction series on Poststructuralism and Art Theory, and they were excellent (I use them in my classes, because they're so clear and concise, beautifully outlined, and so well written, and I've recommended them to my students). I already know quite a lot about these subjects, but I learned a lot.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History & Surveys - Modern    3. History - Modern (Late 19th Century to 1945)    4. Movements - Humanism    5. Philosophy    6. Postmodernism    7. Literary Criticism & Collections / General    8. Literary theory    9. Literature/English | Literary Theory    10. Theory of art   

Reviews (139)

Russell, the Apologist's Nightmare
This is one of those books that wakes you up. Although some of this collection of essays was more relevant to Edwardian England in its social commentary, the greater part of Russell's logic and his ideas are universal (and perhaps even more current today as social criticism given the recent popularity of design arguments among those grasping for a rational basis for religious faith).But the best thing about this book is simply enjoying the style of a gifted writer who was also one of history's most gifted thinkers.You cannot read this book without having a visceral reaction.The atheist will smile, perhaps even laugh.The believer, of whatever stripe, will be shaken and likely will toss the book away as though shunning Satan.The agnostic will have even more reason to think about how much we as a race do not know.
Expose the lies of religion, but logic is not always the answe