Existentialism Books

In "The Immaterial Self" John Foster defends the substance dualist theory of the mind as an immaterial substance. I think that Foster is one of the most original and insightful analytic philosophers around, and the "Immaterial Self" may be his most significant work, though it is hard to judge against his gem, "The Divine Lawmaker".
Foster is engaged on two fronts. First, he rejects versions of physicalist reductionism, according to which the mind is not an immaterial substance. Eliminativism, behaviourism, functionalism, and type- and token-identity theories are each carefully explained, and attacked with numerous objections.
Secondly, Foster defends the substance dualist theory about the mind. He first responds to problems of mechanism, showing that substance dualism faces no special problem in accounting for psycho-physical causation. Next the argument for the dualist theory of the mind is presented. Foster argues that if there is a mental subject, then it is essentially immaterial; and against the Humean bundle theory and in favour of the Cartesian theory that there is a mental subject.
The final chapter of the book is devoted to the subjects of personal identity and embodiment, and a defence of a libertarian account of free will.
Foster's coverage of contemporary analytic philosophy of mind is comprehensive and detailed. His arguments are generally set forth clearly and are often original.
The book is often subtle, sophisticated and very difficult, though I think that it will appeal to upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in the philosophy of mind as well as professional philosophers.
In my opinion, Foster's book has not received the attention it deserves because it defends a position that is unpopular among contemporary analytic philosophers of mind. Nevertheless, in my opinion, it is one of the finest books ever written in the philosophy of mind. Whether or not one ultimately agrees with Foster, I think that there is a lot to learn from this book. I recommend it strongly.

Why is substance dualism seemingly out of business? Whatever the reasons are, the neglect of books like this might be a candidate. I agree with the other reviewer that this book is too little read and discussed. Foster is a deep thinker, but he writes clearly. Throughout the book, his excellent understanding of the issues and the precision and rigor of his arguments shine forth.

Foster starts off by defining the position which he means to defend - that the mental realm is both CONCEPTUALLY and METAPHYSICALLY fundamental. He then goes on the offensive against different versions of materialism/physicalism. While Foster offers sustained attacks against these views, his conclusions are well-reasoned, and he does not stoop to the use of rhetoric. Rather, these views are carefully analyzed and evaluated: eliminative materialism, analytical reductionism, analytical behaviorism, analytical functionalism, the type-identity thesis, the token-identity thesis and metaphysical reductionism. Against each of these views, Foster offers several objections, and upon considering whether the materialist has a comeback to these objections, also shows which objection or combination of objections is fatal to a particular view. This takes up the first half of the book.

Having dealt with the problems materialists face, Foster moves on to consider common objections to an interactionist view of dualism - particularly with regard to how, given that the mental and physical are fundamentally different substances, they could causally interact. These include a priori objections to causal interaction, problems related to casual pairings (briefly: 1. causal relationships between events are always constituted by certain non-causal properties of the situation, together with the relevant covering laws, and 2. only be taking mental events to be physical can we, in cases of duplication, envisage laws which cover the causal pairings in the way which 1. requires), Davidson's argument against strict psycho-physical laws, and the argument from science that the physical realm is casually closed. Foster ably deals with each of these objections and argues that the interactionist can successfully deflect them.

The next step Foster embarks on is to give a positive thesis about the mental subject. He considers the potential problems in defining what a mental subject is, and goes on to look at the contrasting views of Descartes and Hume on the subject. Foster ends up defending the Cartesian ontology of basic subjects, with mental items as elements in their biographies, as opposed to the Humean view of mental items as ontologically autonomous. Follow these are some deep investigations into the nature of the self, and here Foster develops his theory of the mental subject.

Finally, in the last chapter, Foster shows how his notion of the mental subject and dualism in general can deal with the problems of personal identity and free will. He argues that there are viable criteria of personal identity and coherent notions of libertarian freedom given a mental subject.

Overall, this book is an excellent piece of analytic philosophy. At times, the book does get rather technical, and these areas might be difficult for the layman or a novice with regards to philosophy. As such, it is not recommended as an entry-level introduction to substance dualism. However, the inclusion of more technical issues does not come across as redundant or excessive. Foster is dealing with a deep metaphysical problem here, and he is not afraid to plumb its depths. Rather than using vague terms to gloss over the inherent difficulties in the mind-body problem, he responds with incisive analysis that does justice to the issues involved. As a result, the whole work is imbued with original insights and powerful grounds that constitute reasons for embracing substance dualism. Together with Swinburne's "The Evolution of the Soul," this book is a testament to the fact that substance dualism can very much stand on its own rational basis. Given books like The Immaterial Self, the relative paucity of substance dualists speaks sadly of non-rational factors in motivating philosophical views. Anyone who is serious about philosophy of mind should give this book honest and serious consideration.

One of the most astonishing and original works of phenomenology and continental philosophy to be written in many years! It should perhaps be read in tandem with David Abram's recent "The Spell of the Sensuous", another intensely original and ethical work of continental philosophy. Like Abram, Lingis is carrying the profoundly embodied and embedded insights of Maurice Merleau-Ponty into new and outrageously beautiful territory. These guys are exploring the ethically-charged landscapes that await us on the far side of post-modernism. Some of the most evocative philosophical prose I have ever read. In the space of a few years, these recent 2 books by Lingis and Abram are rescusitating the entire project of phenomenological inquiry.

It was my great privilege to read this book in manuscript form. Lingis already has a wide reputation as a master stylist and a unique philosophical personality. _The Imperative_ is his most systematic work yet, and the most reflective of his characteristic insights, which have up till now been dispersed among dozens of memorable essays and books.

The central thesis of the book is simple: the ethical imperative found in thinkers from Kant to Levinas is too narrowly focused on the realm of human interaction. Lingis argues that there are actually countless imperatives in the field of reality. In addition to describing the seductive imperative worked upon us by objects ("it looks delicious"; "it looks beautiful"), Lingis makes an original appeal to the work of Merleau-Ponty to show how a structuring imperative is already at work even in the most rudimentary forms of perception. In short, there is a new vision of Continental philosophy in this work, one that paves the way for a return to the things themselves after decades of textual-linguistic hegemony.

The names most often tossed about as the leading figures in American Continental thought tend to be _interpreters_, ace readers of Heidegger or Derrida who rarely attempt any speculative risks of their own. With this latest book, Lingis again proves himself a thinker of a higher caliber-- in fact, the most original writer in this tradition in the English-speaking world.

Over the last decade, Leonard Lawlor has established himself as one of the most rigorous, most original and most insightful readers of the French philosophy that first emerged in the 1960s. In Implications of Immanence, he advances further his rich interpretations of Derrida, Foucault and Merleau-Ponty through studies of a range of their texts, including the most recent texts by Derrida. Throughout, Lawlor shows the powerful place and significance of Merleau-Ponty's thought in later French Philosophy, while also identifying the subtle difference that separates his work for that of Derrida and Foucault, and also the subtle difference that separates Derrida from Foucault. This is a set of highly valuable studies that powerfully illuminate both the larger issues of the philosophical tradition and the specific texts under investigation. Especially strong, in my view, are the chapters on "Memoirs of the Blind" and "Le Toucher, Jean-Luc Nancy"; these essays in particular are essential reading to students of these texts by Derrida.

"The Implications Of Immanence: Toward A New Concept of Life" by Leonard Lawlor (Faudree-Hardin University Professor of Philosophy, University of Memphis) draws from postphenomenological French philosophers such as Merleau-Ponty, Derrida, and Foucault, along with Husserl and Heidegger to expound upon a philosophy of life that is in opposition to the concept of 'bio-power' which reduced humanity to a mere biological existence. "The Implications Of Immanence" begins with the current and on-going genocide in Darfur and goes on to provide conceptual tools for such diverse cultural issues as the AIDS epidemic and care for the terminally ill. Professor Lawlor's writings are insightful, articulate, scholastically rigorous, thoughtful and thought-provoking. Also available in a hardcover edition, "The Implications Of Immanence" is a highly recommended addition to personal and academic library Philosophy Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

I picked up this casette because I've long wanted to know more about the underpinnings of western philosophy--why we think the way we do--what came before and shaped 20th century thought? But who has time to read the great books in a day--or to take extensive coursework in philosophy? This tape was just about the best thing I could have asked for. It took the last 3000 years and rolled them up in a comprehensive and understandable ball. I now stand on a sturdier platform to be able to ask more cogent questions. And I gained this stance by listening during my commute, which is normally a waste of time. (Incidentally, I am now a huge tape fan, and I believe there are about 6 others in the series). Indeed "the unexamined life is not worth living," and now I am clearer on why, but most importantly, who said it.

A wonderful overview of Philosophy, covering the likes of Plato, Aristotle and the rest of the boys. Packed with information, but very comprehensible. Makes you want to learn more about each philosopher. The degree to which certain famous philosophers differ is facinating. I get something out of this audio tape everytime...

I regard Kierkegaard not only as the true father of existentialism but also as an outstanding philosopher whose ideas have been, and still are, a major inspiration for thinkers in the world of philosophy, psychology and religion. Michael Watts has presented an extraordinary introduction that will appeal not only to the complete beginner but also to advanced students of philosophy. His lucid and inspiring explanations of Kierkegaard's thought have considerably improved my understanding of Kierkegaard's conceptions of faith and anxiety, and his coverage of Kierkegaard's most important work 'Fear and Trembling' is by far the clearest and most comprehensive I have come across. I thoroughly and confidently recommend this text, expecially since Professor Alistair Hannay of the University of Oslo, who is an acknowledged world authority on Kierkegaard, wrote a two page foreword in praise of this book!

What an absolute pleasure it was to finally read a book on Kierkegaard that not only gets to the salient themes & thought of `The Father Of Existentialism' but also presents them in a readily understandable manner. Michael Watts has added a very important source book to the ever-expanding library of literary works on Kierkegaard. He has been able to distill Kierkegaard's complex original works into meaningful & manageable vignettes that compel the serious reader to seek out & explore more of the Danish philosopher's works. Michael Watts' work on Kierkegaard invites the reader to stop, look & listen to personal `truths' in Kierkegaard's works that one can be guided by in one's own ongoing process of becoming the `self'.

To be published in English in paperback in November 2003 by Fordham University Press, this important book explores the central role of historical thought in the full range of Heidegger's thought, both the early writings leading up to "Being in Time", and after the "reversal" or Kehre that inaugurated his later work.

fIRST PUBLISHED IN 1989, THIS BOOK HAS BEEN OUT OF PRINT FOR ONE YEAR AND THERE ARE NO PLANS FOR ITS REPUBLICATION IN ENGLISH. AN UPDATED GERMAN TRANSLATION WILL APPEAR IN THE FALL OF THIS YEAR THROUGH KOENIGSHAUSEN UND NEUMANN, WUERZBURG UNDER THE TITLE: HEIDEGGER UND DER HISTORISMUS. SINN DER GESCHICHTE UND GESCHICHTLICHKEIT DES SINNS

Masters of Small Worlds views the relationship between yeomen and planters from a new perspective. Selecting the Low Country of South Carolina for her study, Stephanie McCurry uncovers documents revealing the presence of a much-ignored yeoman class and contrasts their political and social motivations with that of the economically dominant planter aristocracy. McCurry, an Associate Professor of History in the University of California, San Diego and winner of two awards for Masters of Small Worlds, claims that yeomen were not seeking an egalitarian society, but one of republican democracy. McCurry argues that not only were these yeomen masters of their own domain, but they were instrumental in the South Carolinian secession of 1860, acting "in defense of their own identity, as masters of small worlds" (page 304). In order to support her claim, McCurry first identifies her study group. The yeomen of South Carolina, a previously ignored and invisible group accordi! ! ng to the author, emerge as a cohesive and numerically significant class from census documents and court records. McCurry selected the South Carolina Low Country as her study area because of its unique geography that placed yeomen next to planters. This side-by-side arrangement necessitated yeoman-planter interaction. McCurry's argument focuses on the patriarchal structure of plantations and yeomen families. The author cites numerous comparative examples, contrasting the planter and yeomen social relationships and successfully illustrates that white males with absolute authority ran the estates of both. The similarity of structure allowed elite manipulation of the yeomen toward planter-oriented political stances. For example, McCurry states that yeomen identified with the planters enough to feel that a threat to the established social order was a threat to their own mastery and manhood. Ultimately, this identification led yeomen to perceive abolition and unionist sentiment as ! ! a threat and enlist in the secessionist cause. While docume! nting the similarities between planters and yeomen, McCurry also notes the similarities between involuntary servitude and marriage. The author equates the lack of rights and loss of identity for women with slavery, and thus strengthens her argument that the yeomen male was a master in his own domicile. Although arguing that planters and yeomen shared similar social motivations, McCurry stresses that the two classes were unequal socially. To support this claim, the author cites examples of planter wives who snubbed yeomen or wrote of their animosity towards them. Interestingly, women, rather than men, provide clear examples of class inequality. McCurry suggests that men were forced to interact and maintain good relationships with their neighbors, regardless of class, due to business and political dealings. However, women were not so encumbered, and, according to McCurry, rarely interacted. McCurry also addresses the role that evangelism played in the social and political struct! ! ure of South Carolina. According to McCurry, although the churches initially were a yeomen institution, the ministers adopted the elitist doctrine of planters and helped create a yeoman following for paternalism, republicanism, and the continuance of servitude. Ultimately, the pulpit was used to rally church members to the cause of secession, which the ministers assured the congregation God supported. While presenting her arguments, McCurry provides many enlightening insights into the yeomen's world, not the least is the often elusive definition of 'yeoman'. While McCurry notes and even partly adopts traditional definitions, she also uncovers a self-descriptive definition provided by yeoman narratives: a "self-working farmer." This definition clearly states what other historians have missed. Rather than tie a class to the number of slaves or the value of assets, the fact that a farmer did not have enough slaves and owned sufficient land to require "self-work&quo! ! t; made him a yeoman. By taking into account variables such! as land and slaves, this elegant definition is far superior to popular definitions that must be qualified to account for many exceptions. For instance, McCurry classifies families that had up to nine slaves as yeoman because the majority of the slaves were women and children. Many definitions would place these families outside of the yeoman class, as they limit yeomen slave ownership to less than five slaves. However, the productivity of the bondsmen would not be taken into account. McCurry supports Bertram Wyatt-Brown's claim that private space did not exist for southerners. While describing the yeomen, McCurry states that the division of private and public spaces had no meaning. However, McCurry supports this conclusion differently than Wyatt-Brown. McCurry notes that the difference between northern and southern social structures was great, and that the Cult of Domesticity did not penetrate to South Carolina. Because of this, private and public spaces were not considered se! ! parate in the South. Of course, this conclusion dovetails with Wyatt-Brown's code of honor and peer influence and suggests an explanation of this phenomenon. McCurry also notes that a common practice of planters was an annual party that yeomanry attended. According to the author, the purpose of the event was to show off art and architecture to the "hordes" of yeomen and poor whites. While this fact is not significant by itself and, in fact, the author used it to show the inequality of planter and yeomen, it also illustrates that yeomen were not only witnessed planter culture, but were deliberately exposed to it. Coupling this information with the claim that yeomen viewed themselves as potential entrants into the planter class, we can see that architectural emulation is a logical path for the yeomen to take. The information that McCurry presents allows for a greater understanding of the yeomen families that were so important to the South. The yeomen of South Carolin! ! a share much with other southern yeomen. Thus, McCurry's fi! ndings suggest similar motivations for other southerners. For example, the geographic proximity of yeomen to planters in South Carolina is similar to the proximity of yeomen to planters in North Alabama, where valleys and mountains divide holdings of the two classes rather than swamps and rivers. Additionally, the affects of evangelism and its influence on yeomanry and planters in South Carolina equally apply to other parts of the South. Another similarity exists between the South Carolina that McCurry studied and Alabama. Both states had an elite group controlling government by limited representation. In South Carolina, representation of the yeomen class was unequally assigned and the public denied the right to directly express their political positions. Similarly, Alabamians had limited electoral powers, as indirect representation was common. While McCurry's study of the Low Country of South Carolina appears to be a flawless and comprehensive study, its usefulness in stud! ! ying yeomen outside of South Carolina may be limited. Although many similarities exist in the social order of the study and in other parts of the South, South Carolina has a reputation for non-conformity. Therefore, other studies must be cautious about applying McCurry's findings to other areas. McCurry presents readers with many enlightening views of yeomanry. Boldly challenging the popular opinion that yeomen subscribed to an egalitarian/Jacksonian social order, her argument for a republican democracy is convincing. While her findings may not apply universally to all yeomen, McCurry offers many alternative viewpoints to consider when studying cultural patterns of the South. Additionally, the author finds many surprising parallels between planter and yeomen social structures. These revelations, together with her successful argument make Masters of Small Worlds a valuable and interesting addition to any study of yeomen as well as planters in the Old South.

McCurry's 1995 work "Masters of Small Worlds," is an attempt to fill the traditional gap in American historiography of theclass between slave and planters. Her work attempts to address the question of why the South Carolina yeoman elected to defend slavery and the present social hierarchy in the nullification struggle and the succession crisis of 1860. In this aim she is largely successful, by arguing that yeoman's may not have been planters political or social equals, but the institutions of slavery and a rigid defense of property rights gave yeoman's their own sense of power within their own households and communities. Her analysis involves gender relations in the state. Men's position of dominance rested on the cultural institutions that grew out of slavery. Making them masters of small worlds

On the hole: this work is a deeply reward read. Its difficult narrative and heavily structured natures make it a challenge to read but the benefit greatly outweigh the costs.

There is another answer to the existential question- an answer full of hope and not despair. Gabriel Marcel shows us a path to the beauty of who we are and who we can become.

There was a time in my life when I read and reread this work. This does not mean that I understood it fully. But the idea of 'intersubjectivity' and that it is through being with and understanding others that we become most truly human is one which had great influence on me. It took me away as I was looking to be taken away from a kind of philosophical solipsism a kind of sense that all should rest only in 'I' and 'I' that would prove upon reflection 'unstable as water'. Marcel is a humane thinker, one who tries to take us from the celebration of Nothingness and Death to the celebration of life in community with others. I doubt that he is read much today in the English- language world, but to my mind he is a very valuable and helpful thinker . A mensch of philosophy.

Dixon has resolved the conflicting views of two modern geniuses on the lack of wholeness in modern technological culture. This is as current as the madness in Kosovo and Littleton. She cuts throught the jargon, lays out their real, common, and divergent viewpoints, and links them to classical Christian and Grecian thinking. Much of Nietzsche's writings has been totally misread, for several reasons. Buttressed by vast references she explains why, rebuts the errors and reveals an astonishing concurrence between Philosophy and Psychology. She is amazing and very readable while maintaining the highest scholarship.

This is one of the best books on Nietzsche and Jung. It argues very effectively that Nietzsche was not a simple atheist but had his own religious quest. The book is very clearly written despite the difficulty of its subjects. The scholarship is luminous on every page. I've studied Nietzsche and Jung for over twenty years but found myself learning many new things. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in either Nietzsche and Jung. Despite the high price of the book it will be a splendid addition to your library.

I've read many books about Nietzsche. This is by far the best. Unlike Heidegger, Lowith neither looks for nor finds himself in Nietzsche. Rather, he engages with Nietzsche's thought and really tries to understand what the latter understood by his "eternal recurrence of the same."

It's not an easy read, but it is well worth the effort. A marvelous work.

Lowith was a brilliant German-Jewish scholar whose work was published in Berlin at the onset of National Socialism. However, he could not teach due to the racial Laws of the regime. Lowith's book is clearly and beautifully written, and is a superb analysis of the centrality of the Eternal Recurrence and the Superman idea to Nietzsche studies. Highly recommended to advanced students of Nietzsche.