Great book.
But now I will read something completely different. Barrett presents the central ideas in a clear manner which are easy to grasp for someone who's relatively new to philosophy and existentialism. We were warned 60 years ago, but have had to see the insanity for itself. Previous page of related Sponsored Products. A brief synopsis of this book sets out a general picture of existential philosophy and refutes the falsification that Sarter's thought is attributed mainly and solely to existential digging. The summary of Nietzsche is not particularly thorough or informative, and Barrett's dislike of Nietzsche comes through in the writing, rather than providing a balanced account of his work. Barrett speaks eloquently and directly to concerns of the 1990s: a period when the irrational and the absurd are no better integrated than before and when humankind is in even greater danger of destroying its existence without ever understanding the meaning of its existence. Overall it does its job fairly well and will help cement and reinforce any readings on the subject you may have done previously.
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2013. He traces a history of the philosophical idea of existence back to the Ancient Greek and Medieval philosophers; Parmenides to Duns Scotus. Yet Barrett, with great erudition, skill, and unsurpassable writing style, reveals the roots of existentialism as they reach back to classical and biblical times. In fact, existential philosophy has its roots in different traditions and countries, there have been jews, catholics, protestants, atheists existentialists. Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2017. "[1], Four existentialist thinkers - Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre - receive extended discussion from Barrett, who explains their main ideas and philosophical terminology. Welcome back. The fact that it speaks so acutely to us today shows how far--or as near (as the case may be)--we have moved since its publication. But there is also always some reason in madness. Irrational Man: A Study In Existential Philosophy is a 1958 book by the philosopher William Barrett, in which the author explains the philosophical background of existentialism and provides a discussion of several major existentialist thinkers, including Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, and Jean-Paul Sartre. There was a problem loading your book clubs. Would like to buy this for my students but yet want them to stumble upon this gem for themselves and have that same delight of reading a great book for themselves, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2020. Barrett calls Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883-1891) Nietzsche's "most lyrical book" and "the expression of the loneliest Nietzsche. He argues that the modern world is becoming increasingly secularized and that faith has become "attenuated". Quite a rewarding experience. This is the reason, I believe, he misses CG Jung's importance. by Anchor Books, Irrational Man: A Study in Existential Philosophy. Barrett discusses existentialism and its background, including the philosophical tradition to which existentialism was a reaction.
[9] Pulver identified the book as an influence on filmmaker Woody Allen, observing that the title of his film Irrational Man (2015) is clearly inspired by Barrett's book, which "no doubt formed part of Allen’s self-taught intellectual life in the late 50s and early 60s". Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. In Russia, the father Dostoyevsky has sprung the roots in the thoughts of Berdyaev and Shedtov, in Germany, it's attributed to Heidegger and Jaspers keen on philosophy of Nietzsche and Kierkegaard. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. For the time being, let me just say this: This book is good and bad. Old as this book is, it is still one of the best introductions to Existential Philosophy. [13] The philosopher Jon Stewart accused Barrett of caricaturing, and propagating myths about, Hegel. An older, but still the best, discussion of the philosophy of existentialism--a school of thought that predominated, and defined, European continental philosophy following WWII. 2025 Ratings. William Barrett does a good job of describing what it is and its history. The introduction to the four key philosophers is a good point, but as a previous reviewer remarked it's clear that Barrett favours some more than others.
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