Transcendentalism Books

Emerson's works require repetitous reading and re-reading. Anyone that says you can "get it" from a single read doesn't understand the man or the truths he reveals about life and the universe. To call Emerson a transcendentalist is a cliche and the one calling him this doesn't understand that Emerson was about the here and now.

His best works for a truth seeker are Self-Reliance, Compensation and the Over-Soul. I suggest reading Compensation at least every night for three weeks. The world changes once you do.

To put Emerson in the same category as literary writers like those other reviewers have done is an injustice. He definitely deserves reading and he is an American writer, but he's more akin to Lao Tse than any American poet or novelist. They have a moment or two, Emerson is constant.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a transcendentalist (someone who espouses a philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the empirical), and a Christian minister, who was also steeped in the rich philosophical tradition of the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad-Gita. His essays are classic literature at its finest, with a rhythm and cadence that are, even in prose, poetic and musical. The beauty of this prose, in my opinion, is unparalleled.

What Emerson has to say is every bit as important as how he says it. He was a genius with "rough edges" who challenged society to question many of its unexamined assumptions. He did get into trouble for this, and was forced to resign as minister of his church, but Emerson refused to compromise on truth. A rugged individualism and stalwart non-conformity were the cornerstones of his personal philosophy. Emerson was well ahead of his time (1803-1882) and remains so to this day.

Emerson was a far more prominent voice in America than many people today might realize. If you decide to read Emerson, you may very well find yourself repeatedly saying, "so that's who said that." Many profound and moving quotes are attributed to him. His essays, "The Over-Soul" and "Self-Reliance" are justifiably considered among some of the best writing by an American author.

Emerson's voice will certainly not be to everyone's liking, and that is as true today as it was in his time. Because of the style of his prose and the nature of what he wrote about, there will be many who read him and who simply put him aside. On the other hand, don't be surprised if reading Emerson sends shock waves through your central nervous system. For those who really get hooked on Emerson, as I did 32 years ago, he will remain a lifetime companion offering a wealth of insight into the eternal verities of the soul and man's quest for the divine. For my money, there is no finer essayist or "philosopher" than Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I can hundred percent sure Emerson's essays will be venerable as Shakespare's works someday,he changed my predujice of English,which I thought English has no quality as French or Russian,those had depth of thinking that English cannot instead of.Now I recently contacted Emerson's poetics ,also fall in love with those lyric prose,they really touched my heart,those are not kind of verbose,oppositely with philosophy of his unique stance.Nothing can prove its well inspirations,except read it.So,just start your reading right now.

If I could create my ideal afterlife or heaven, I would wish to be forever cradled in the gentle arms and soothing prose of Emerson. Who needs prozac or any psychiatry for that matter when we have access to such beautiful writing?

Although he was considered during his lifetime to be a profoundly radical thinker, Emerson, the Transcendentalist chief, after his death, was soon reinterpreted as a bland Bostonian Brahmin, a mystic anarchist who was only brave on paper. It cannot be denied that his philosophy of a joyful and affirmationist acceptance of life, and of nature, his anti-slavery activities, his attacks on the state and on the sensualism of bourgeois society, could have easily provided the formula for a complete overthrow of the moral order of his time. His libertarian thrust, his serene integrity, his indefatiguable optimism and common sense, however, will continue to find admirers, notwithstanding the fact that political identifications have changed and emphases have shifted, or otherwise one can simply enjoy the polished beauty of his prose style. Though by no means a deep thinker, Emerson's brilliantly epigrammatic, allusive, declamatory, pithy style provides instances where the reader may extrapolate a number of meanings from even the shortest utterances, and it is due to this quality, perhaps, that the Emerson enigma came into being, enabling him to appeal to such numerous and diverse temperaments. His best essays include "The Over-Soul", "Compensation", "Self-Reliance" and "Manners", in which he preaches, in the rhetorical manner reminiscent of his background as a Unitarian minister, his ideals of contenment, joy, independence and self-confidence -- tonics of the soul.

The Scarlet Letter shows Nathaniel Hawthorne at his finest. The imagery is quite wonderful, but there's only so many times you can say the same thing. The images in this novel stretch out far longer than needed.

I nearly couldn't make it through. I do like to see every detail given it's fullest attention but even this is too much.

This book is one that is very vivid and quite pleasing to understand, but hard to read and not as easy to follow. Sometimes there's only one resourceful fact in a half a page paragraph.

Recommended.

In this powerful and moving piece by Hawthorne, he reveals the presence of societal pressures which affect character judgment. Set in the late 1840s and published around that time, Hawthorne's story takes place in Salem and Concord, Massachusetts. He writes in an omniscient point of view, revealing the thoughts and prejudices of each character while interjecting his opinion along with the side.

After the rather boring and tedious introduction which made me almost not want to read the book, the story opens with Hester Prynne holding an infant begat by immoral means emerging from the prison door and onto a scaffold for all to bear witness to the letter "A" for adulteress on her chest. Throughout the story, the focus will be on this symbol, and how it evolves over time with different perspectives.

I won't get into much detail as that may ruin the book for your readers, so I'll move on to Hawthorne's awesome and abundant use of imagery used as symbols for the hypocrisy of the times and so forth. With his use of imagery, he criticizes the mankind for their ignorance In addition he adds transcendentalist views into the story the show the ability of nature being able to outlast and survive over some of the whimsical presumptions of man, such as what the symbol represents.

Much of the book rely on symbols and what the characters represent. Reading and deciphering their meaning is not hard, but is not entirely obvious. What makes Hawthorne so clever is the way he shows the attributes of each character that define their symbol.

Initially, I almost gave up on the book due to the rather long and tedious introduction about the narrator of the story, but I stuck through since it was part of a reading assignment for my reading class. When I finished, I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I provides an insightful view of mankind's ways and our faults. Hawthorne created a timeless masterpiece and I suggest you guys to read it.

In high school I switched English levels, which left me lacking in a lot of classic high school reads. This includes authors from Twain to Salinger and just about every generic book that someone says: "Oh, I read that in high school." This weekend I finally gave in to read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter and it was brilliant. His short piece The Custom House precedes the story and it was so descriptive and funny and that's certainly one adjective (funny) that I've never heard paired with Hawthorne. Most everyone seems to be familiar with the plot (especially after the 1995 film) and it all together is a rather simple story line: a married woman whose husband has disappeared has an affair and becomes pregnant. She's forced to wear the letter A in scarlet on her bosom as punishment. From here some fabulous ideas of witchcraft and black magic pepper the story and a great ending.

I was always skeptical when teachers used the term "classic" when referring to a book. It always seemed to me to be a term to describe books I had to read that were going to suck. The Scarlet Letter was a happy exception; one that actually has meaning today as it did when written.

I really enjoy historical fiction. Hawthorne easily puts a reader into the time period by laying out the facts of puritan life and laws, the dress of the time, as well as with the old-fashioned dialog. Hestor's husband is "away" at sea and she has become pregnant. Normally, adultery would carry a very severe punishment, but the town can't prove her husband is alive. So, she is forced to wear a scarlet "A" (for adultery) on her chest whenever she's in public. This stigma will pass on to her daughter, despite her innocence in the matter. Hestor's stoic perseverence in the face of this humiliation is even more poignant when you learn who the father of her baby really is. This tale of a town forcing its morality on a person is still valid today. Women aren't forced to wear a scarlet A (at least in the US), but we still label people who are different or don't conform to our values.

Unfortunately, at the time this was written, authors were paid by the number of pages in their books. Readers can easily guess this caused uncessary bloating in stories and this book suffers the same. There is a lot of description and fluff that I found myself skimming over, but the heart of the story is still excellent. This tale is powerful and meaningful. Highly recommended!

Just look at a portrait of him as a young man, note the noble brow, the handsome features, the sensitivity, how romantic......... Curl up with this book and let Nathaniel tell you his tale in his beautiful poetic language . This is a book to be read quietly, alone, not in an airport lounge or on the subway, but preferably in a beautiful garden or sunroom with the windows open. Let the beauty of his language flow over you and transport you back in time.

It is over 200 years since Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem Massachusetts, his great great grandfather officiated at the Salem Witch Trials. He was both disturbed and intrigued by his ancestry. One day when working at The Custom House in Salem to make ends meet as a struggling young author, he discovered in one of the upstairs rooms some dusty old boxes, on opening them he found them to contain relics from the past, long since forgotten. Yellowing documents and an intriguing piece of embroidery, a scrap of faded and torn material with the letter A embroidered on it. He picked it up, and while wondering what it was, he held it up to his chest, and at that moment he claims to have felt a burning sensation which caused him to drop the piece of cloth. It gave him inspiration for this story along with documents he found about a woman called Hester Prynne.

The scene he sets so vividly is somewhere around 350 years ago 150 years before he was born. In a time when behavior to which we can hardly be bothered to raise an eyebrow was in that day considered a punishable sin. A disgrace for life. Branded by having to wear a scarlet letter on the chest for all to see.

It is a feminist novel, (Nathaniel Hawthorne supported women's rights). Briefly, the protagonist Hester Prynne has a child from an adulterous relationship and refuses to name the father. Her husband a physician much older than she has never been a "proper" husband to her so she had looked elsewhere for love. The husband vows to find the father of the child, and in exchange for her freedom makes Hester swear she will never disclose who her husband is. Her husband being a physician quickly deduces who the father is from the way he is wasting away under his burden of guilt. He sets about a long period of torment of the young man of which Hester is aware but can say nothing because of her promise. Finally she has had enough and decides to come clean, shaming the devil, (her husband) and redeeming the young man. I do not want to spoil anything by divulging the name of the father of the child in case you do not know.

This is such a simple and brief account it would make Nathaniel wince to read it. There is so much more to the story. It states in the blurb that it is a psychological novel before there was a science called psychology. The way the characters in the story interact with each other, the symbolism, the different values of the day from Nathaniel's day, and then again to this day. The religious aspect in Puritan times, the emotional ups and downs as you empathize with first one and then another of the characters. It is a wonderful story and well deserving of its position as one of America's great classics.

I purchased this book based on recommendations by both Ken Wilber and David Deida. I felt that if they suggested it, there would probably be significant benefits to be had. This assumption has proved correct.

First off, I like this book because it isn't a strict "How to" guide. Yes there is a section that presents those considerations, but primarily it is a book that presents the experiences (good and bad) of a number of different couples. In reading these stories one comes to the conclusion that there really is no concrete pattern that occurs...each couple's experience is unique. This, in my opinion, mirrors the spiritual realities that I have witnessed (modest as they are).

I also like that the downsides are not ignored. One chapter in particular (chapter 10, Why Didn't Anyone Tell Us This Before?) specifically address some of the painful side effects that can occur, and offers some important precautions that should be observed. I personally appreciate this responsibility on behalf of the author.

If you are interested in the spiritual aspects of sex, I heartily recommend this book.

Jenny Wade interviewed 91 people (identified through personal acquaintance networks) who spontaneously experienced transcendent awarenesses during sexual encounters. They report these experiences were so profoundly moving that their sexual encounters paled by comparison. In fact, the sexual climax was often experienced as a distraction or even as an annoyance.

A variety of transcendent experiences were identified by her subjects, including transfiguration of the sexual partner, shape shifting, channeling of spirit awarenesses, totally being in the present moment, cosmic awareness, out of body experiences, and past life recall.

Wade writes clearly, providing the background for understanding these transcendent sexual experiences in the context of more commonly reported transcendent experiences. She illustrates each of these types of experience with fascinating quotes from her subjects.

"I was taken up beyond my body and the warmth of the sun on my skin and the clear blue sky until I went in that golden sunlight and cerulean blue. Then I shot out beyond it into the vastness of space where all was silence and the blackness lit by stars. Everything there looked clear and beautiful and cold, yet I could feel the life pulsating through it, the fierce fires of the distant suns and burning stars. It was beauty and it was love and there I was in the middle of this universe stretching forever. I wanted to stay there always. --Rachel" (p.111)

The only criticism I can muster about this book is a minor unclarity about whether these transcendent experiences as sexual encounters are ever shared by both partners. On page 141 Wade clarifies that past life awarenesses are the only transcendent experiences that couples regularly share.

While transcendent sex as a Tantric meditative practice has been well known and extensively described, Wade clearly expands the boundaries of these experiences in this groundbreaking book.

What Raymond Moody did for our understanding of death, Jenny Wade has done for sex -- namely, to show how sexual encounters between ordinary people can vault them into the realm of the transcendent, unleash powerful forces of spiritual transformation and ultimately lead to God-consciousness itself. "Transcendent Sex" is a superbly written work, with many fascinating stories of extraordinary experiences that can be spontaneously triggered by sex, and also demonstrates that many of these experiences are no different in form and content from those that are deliberately sought through a variety of spiritual practices. In addition, there are practical guides -- and warnings -- for those readers who would like to cultivate such episodes in their own sexual life. The author deserves a great deal of credit for bringing these experiences to light and showing how sex itself is not merely a hedonic delight that pleasures the senses, but can also become a means of spiritual awakening. A heaven-breaking book.

Caught this book out of the corner of my eye in the store, read the back and took it home... Had never seen or heard anything like it, and I'd love to find more info in this area.

If you've never had an "Experience", you may not get the message, but for those that have, it'll change your understanding of it. I wish I could sit down with the author.

She's done it again! In Transcendent Sex, Dr. Jenny Wade relates the experiences of people just like you and me who have touched the divine, not by meditation or yoga or drugs, but simply by making love. Often these folks didn't even plan on having a transcendent experience, it just happened!

In her first book, Changes of Mind, Dr. Wade showed how consciousness develops over our lifetime and more importantly, how these discrete stages of development, she calls them MindSets, persist and shape our interactions at work and in other relationships. In effect we don't just have one `mind' inside our head, but several--each with it's own values, strengths and weaknesses--some more `evolved' than others. Gaining access to the higher states was thought to be a path reserved for the devoted practitioners of the mystic arts, but now she presents the stories of ordinary people having truly extraordinary experiences which transcend their day-to-day conscious minds. For some it reflects attainment of a higher state of awareness.

Why is this book important? I don't want to spoil the pleasure of your experience of sex, but if one of these invitations to glimpse a world beyond the limits of your bedroom comes unbidden, it will be comforting to know that you are not losing your mind, but in a way finding it. If these transcendent insights occur to one partner and not the other, you now have a basis for a deeper understanding of each other and the wonder of the universe by reflecting on the perhaps similar experiences of others.

As with Changes of Mind, Dr. Wade shows her uncanny ability to tease a taxonomy out of what some might leave as a collection of interesting but disparate tales. Using her familiar metrics of sense of self, sense of place and sense of time, she sifts the ninety or so interviews into groupings that not only enhance the reading, but also facilitate a quick reference should something troubling occur.

On that note, I should paraphrase Dr. Wade's admonition: not all transcendent experiences are welcome and some may be downright unsettling. While this is not a `How To' book, she does give some pointers on being open to the experience and also some advice on dealing with the darker aspects. Above all this is not a book about Sex or a guide to better orgasms: if pressed, I would say it's about the boundless spiritual energy that we all possess. It is a phenomenal book!

Schafer's book is by far the best I have read on the relationship between mind and matter. He makes a convincing case that matter arises from the mind and not the other way around as classical physics and neo-Darwinism insist. The key to understanding how matter arises from the mind is the wave/particle duality. Schafer shows how it takes an act of observation to collapse a ghostly wave of probabilities into a specific bit of real matter. His chapter on the wave/particle dualty is superb, again the best I have read.. Schafer, in my opinion, does a far better job than E.O. Wilson, in his recent book Consilience, of unifying human knowledge within the framework of science. The difference is that Schafer uses Quantum Physics while Wilson hardly mentions it, and stays largely with the old mechansitic and materialistic world view of Newtonian or classical physics.

donw@techline.com or dwallace@crc.stmartin.edu END

Lothar Schafer: In Search of Divine Reality

KEYWORDS: SCIENCE AND RELIGION; QUANTUM MECHANICS AND SPIRITUALITY

In the context of Encounters of Science and Religion, "In Search of Divine Reality" proposes that the traditional conflict between the two disciplines is mainly one involving classical,Newtonian Science and many of its most pressing issues have been solved by the discovery of Quantum Mechanics. In Classical Physics, there is no room for the spiritual and for God. In the World of Quantum Mechanics, the foundations of physical reality have revealed all the aspects of a transcendent reality; with non-material entities at the basis of material things; with components of ordinary things that are not as real as the things that they make; with instantaneous, long-distance (non-local) influences pervading the universe; and with elementary entities that have mind-like properties. Thus, in the same way in which dead atoms can form living organisms and stupid molecules can form intelligent brains, the metaphysical can engender the physical. Without the employment of advanced mathematics, the book uses the phenomena of Quantum Reality to provide a clear and generally understandable description of the concepts of Quantum Mechanics and its consequences for our views of human nature. In the words of Prof. Quentin Smith, Department of Philosophy, Western Michigan University, Author (with W. L. Craig) of "Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology": "Schafer's book is an integrative approach to Modern Science and Religion that aims to show how some traditional religious and philosophical notions can be understood or redefined in terms of modern science. The scientific explanations are reliable and the scientific interpretations of religious ideas are interesting and should be taken seriously and respectfully by even the most sober-minded adherents of the scientific world-view. Rather than science being opposed or or subordinated to religion, religious views are refashioned in terms of currently accepted scientific theories. Most of the arguments of the book are based on conclusions drawn from the phenomena of quantum reality and it is one of the clearest introductory explanations of quantum mechanics on the market. Schafer's book is written in a lively and accessible style that will appeal to the general reader. I really enjoyed reading this book."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lothar Schafer is Distinguished Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Arkansas. His research interests include topics in Computational Chemistry and Molecular Structural Studies by Electron Diffraction.

In addition to its thought-provoking philosophy, "In Search of Divine Reality" is also an excellent introduction to the basics of quantum mechanics. Dr. Schafer explains these usually intimidating concepts in a way that most laypeople will have no difficulty understanding. If you are one of those people who has been scared of the "hard sciences" since high school, this is the book for you. It's bound to get anyone as excited as a kid with a new chemistry set.

An excellent and well-written discussion of how quantum physics makes it possible to conceive of a new notion of spirituality that is consistent with available scientific data, yet provides meaning and a moral basis for our lives. The author has a deep understanding of both physics and metaphysics, reserves the technical aspects of his argument for appendices, and provides a multitude of informative references. The book possesses a conciseness and clarity uncommon in literature of this sort, and reflects the author's passion for the subject. A truly worthwhile read.

This book is a wonderful, wonderful read. I would highly recommend that you read The Celestine Prophecy series first and then follow with this book as it is an excellent "sequel" of sorts. This book is so interesting and captivating. It's all about Dahn Hak Yoga (creator Ilichi Lee) and the journey of a woman through coincidence and destiny.... I didn't put it down and I'll read it again. You wont regret buying this book.

HEAVEN WITHIN takes the reader through an adventure of growth and transformation based on one woman's determined decision to reach enlightenment. This book introduces the beauty of ancient Korean wisdom and training and is a great affirmation for anyone experiencing the trials of living a more uplifted life.

When I read this book I could feel such brightness and truth emanating from the message in the pages. It rang true for me. If you are interested in a great spiritual adventure this is the book to read. I urge you to take this journey.

This was the most entertaining and exciting novel about the perennial search for enlightenment that I have ever read. It is a novel full of rich symbolism and practical usage for ancient Eastern wisdom. I was able to draw many parallels from my own life's journey to that of the main character, Kari. The book begins with an exciting discovery and culminates in an adventure to Mt. Bakdu in Korea, one of the world's vortexes. I was able to learn much about the human spirit through the physical and spiritual training received by Kari. The title of the book says it all - Heaven is in Within you. Once our mind-body connection is healthy and stable then true happiness is possible. Kari was able to find a newer and deeper meaning to her life in the face of numerous emotional and physical hardhsips. The book outlines a path we can all take to avoid stress and realize health and harmony. The book correctly points out that we live in a world of self-imposed limitations and prejudices. If you are interested in recovering your health, exploring your soul or appreciate the concept of self-healing then I highly recommend this book.

This book and this series is one of the best intelligent series of expose's that I have ever seen. Critical photos and maps help you to navigate the areas these literay/artist's lived and worked as well as the level of verbage does not talk down to the reader, but elevates his knowledge of subject and makes it a stimulating experience as well. I can hardly wait to see the others. I hope they do one on the Pre-Raphaelites, and there are many other exciting subjects that this series could and should cover in their wonderful eclectic, intelligent format.

This book is fascinating and full of information, well presented. The photographs are beautiful and the entire layout of the book is unusual and charming. The ArtPlace series books are a special collection and the Felton books are really top-notch. Great gifts and get one for yourself.

Without even leaving your living room, Todd Felton's new book will make you feel like you have visited New England on a perfect crisp fall day. The lush colors of this travel book evoke the fall colors in Massachusetts. Starting with an understandable definition of what transcendentalism is, Felton segues in to an exploration of how Boston, Cambridge, Concord, Walden, Salem and Amherst influenced the Transcendentalists that lived, worked and created their art in these places. You feel it as you read it at home, but all the better if you can take this book with you on a visit.

Like Shakespeare said, brief let me be. Ok, this book gives the reader an insight into how Thoreau thought and reacted to the many stimuli he encountered in his journey through life and how this influenced his writings. It gives you an understanding of why he wrote the way he did. This is, after all, essentially why we read Thoreau in the first place: to understand the man and see life through his eyes and mind.

I'm finding out, by reading a fair number of scholarly books on Thoreau, how each author has a somewhat different understanding of Thoreau's interests and intentions. Of course, no one would wish to write what someone else had already written, but I also suspect Thoreau was such a unique individual that he can't easily be fitted into our preferred categories.

In this book, the specific emphasis is on Thoreau's most complex and rewarding relationship--his on-going discourse with the natural world itself. It traces Thoreau's disappointment with and estrangement from the world of men, and his simultaneous exploration of and integration practically into the landscape itself. Thoreau's books become a record of this experience as well as a ground-breaking path to such a relationship with nature.

This book is also an extended literary analysis, an in-depth, point-by-point discussion of Thoreau's writings. It is certainly well done for what it is, and should be of great interest to dedicated Thoreauvians, aspiring naturalists and intrepid English majors.

I've been reading Thoreau criticism for well over twenty years now, and I have never been as excited about a critical study of Thoreau. Robinson nails what is most important in Thoreau and then convincingly uses that insight to trace the arc of Thoreau's career. An astonishing achievement, indeed. If you have the time or interest to read only one critical study of Thoreau, this is the study you will want to read. An added bonus is the unusually low price, particularly for a critical study by a university press.

19th Century writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau has had an impact on the public imagination that endure down to this very day. The former editor of 'Vermont Life Magazine' and a student of Thoreau's writings from three decades, Tom Slayton has written and compiled seminal essays arising from his travels to the places associated with Thoreau. These deftly written, articulate, engaging commentaries are published collectively as "Searching For Thoreau: On The Trails And Shore Of Wild New England". The individual essays include Walden Pond and 'Walden'; A Walk in the Concord Woods; A Day on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers; The Mountains of Hme; Katahdin Means Greatest Mountain; Northern Main: Big woods, Big Question; Walking Cape Cod; Mount Washington, Two Times; and Conclusion: What's Left. Enhanced with a 'Chronology of Thoreau's Travels'; 'When You God: Tips on Tracking Thoreau'; a Bibliography, and a Sources list, "Searching For Thoreau" will aptly serve as an instructive guide for readers who would like to make their own way to those outdoor New England wilds that so inspired Thoreau in his time. A 'must read' for the legions of Thoreau fans, "Search For Theoreau" is enthusiastically recommended for personal and community library collections, and as an addition to academic Thoreau Studies supplemental reading lists.

This book was well written and offers some beautiful pictures of Walden Pond and the mountains, Lakes and streams of New England. The author's discriptions of the wilderness areas in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont made me want to go back and enjoy the places that Thoreau wrote about. It was refreshing to read that most of the places were still identifiable and produced a longing to go back and see for myself.

Allan Odell, Redding, Ca.

Great stuff. The author is a good writer armed with an intimate knowledge not only of Thoreau's prose and philosophy, but also Thoreau's terrain. People who are hikers and climbers familiar with New England landscapes will especially enjoy this volume.

Kant never effectively addressed the question of the independent reality of "things" (thing in itself). He supplied an outline of the epistemologic structure of human thinking that, based as it was on forms and concepts that were transcendental i.e. universal and necessary and therefore a priori, gave as close as he believed we could get to objective "truth". Because we are hardwired to apply the pure forms of intuition (space and time) and the schematized pure concepts of the understanding (rules by which we make judgments, in conjunction with the pure forms of intuition and empiric intuitions and concepts from sensibility) to "experience" our world, we are able to engage in a meaningful discourse with others of our type who share the same hard wiring.
This means that space and time and the schematized pure concepts, such as cause and effect, may have no independent reality. We can never know since we can never travel beyond the limitations our minds impose upon us. Of course this means that "things", as they really are, are closed off to knowing. So how does Heidegger make use of Kant to come to what is a "thing"?
In fact Heidegger would be much like a transcendental idealist if he were concerned with the term. It is his orientation that is different. For Heidegger the issue is not the epistemic makeup of humans but the ontological structure of human Being (Dasein). If Kant is simply turned upside down he is the perfect compliment. Kant is describing the structure of Dasein's knowing, and is saying that we have access to this, through logic and the necessary character of the transcendental forms and concepts, that we can never have to the external world (one can argue whether the pure forms of intuition and the pure concepts of the understanding are really "things" in themselves and if so why can we know them). Kant is therefore describing an aspect of Dasein's ontologic structure.
This same privileged access to self knowledge is what Heidegger would like to say about Dasein's exploration of its Being. We have an immediate access to it that we cannot necessarily have to other things. The "things" of the world take their importance and relevance, for us, from their relationships to Dasein's projects. Their independent reality is not as important or is not knowable. The importance of "things in themselves" lies in their importance to Dasein- not in their reality independent of Dasein. This finishes the circle then. Kant says we can know the truth of the basic epistemic structure of human Being (one of its ontologic characteristics) but not the truth of other beings. Heidegger says we can know other ontologic aspects of human Being and that the importance of other beings is settled in what they say about Dasein and not in themselves.
This book gives a fair picture of Kant's basic theory from the Critique of Pure Reason, but through a Heideggerian lens. I personally would not read it to understand Kant, it is at once too simplified and too eccentric in its view. Its importance is in demonstrating how the thinking of the two philosophers meshes when their emphasis is so far apart.

The best guide to this book is the contents, pages iii-iv, which have topic titles for every few pages that probably won't mean a thing the first time you read them. If you are serious about this book, you will pay attention to those titles. Unless you speak German or Latin, or have a fantastic memory of why an expert like Heidegger would mention conglomerating thinkers like Hegel, the titles in the Contents will be the best guide you will have to figuring out what you are already supposed to know, when it finally matters. You won't get such help again, when you finally reach long sections on judgment (pp. 153-181), synthetic judgments (pp. 181-184), and the final section of:

II. The Question About the Thing in Kant's Main Work . . .

7. Systematic representation of all the synthetic principles of pure understanding (pp. 184-244).

If there was ever a question that Martin Heidegger could use to demonstrate his knowledge of philosophy as a distinctly human outlook on what anyone might encounter, the book WHAT IS A THING? puts that question in the title. Most of the book is a discussion of Kant's philosophical project, as seen from a far more modern perspective. A short Preface by Martin Heidegger, dated April, 1962, states:

This work presents the text of a lecture which was held in the winter semester, 1935-36, at the University of Freiburg. The lecture was entitled "Basic Questions of Metaphysics."

The English translation by W. B. Barton, Jr. and Vera Deutsch is followed by an analysis by Eugene T. Gendlin of the University of Chicago, as published in 1967. The Contents has detailed titles for the sections at the beginning of the book, including 12 items and an enumerated "13. Summary" on "A. Various Ways of Questioning About the Thing" before getting to the main topic, "B. Kant's Manner of Asking About the Thing." I was puzzled by the opening remarks, but the Analysis points out, "Although written as a simple common-sense discussion, it contains all of Heidegger's major points." (p. 247). Most of the Analysis sticks to English, but four pages are referred to as supporting the idea, "An object in German is a Gegenstand, literally a standing-against." (p.260). There is an index of German Terms in which ten pages of Heidegger's lecture are listed for the term Gegenstand, one page for Gegenheit, another page for Gegenstandlichkeit, another for Gegenstehen, a few for Gegenstehenlassen, and even one for Gegen-uns-stehenden. (p. 302). I don't know German well enough to know if this is getting too personal for you, but something bipolar seems to be an aspect of WHAT IS A THING?

The indices are of Names, German Terms, Latin Terms, and Greek Terms. The topics listed in the Contents manage to be in English for Part A., but the first word in B. I. 4. is in Greek characters, which I believe can be transliterated as Logos. Heidegger is close to the ancient Greek beginnings of philosophy, the problems encountered in Plato and the attempt at scientific determinations which Aristotle wrote about extensively. The concern with Latin in this book seems to be derived from the work of Sir Isaac Newton, whose Principia in Latin was published in 1686-87. A major topic in Heidegger's lectures seems to spring from the shift in philosophy from Aristotle through Newton to Kant:

"Five years after the publication of the CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON, exactly one hundred years after Newton's PRINCIPIA, Kant published an essay entitled THE METAPHYSICAL PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL SCIENCE (1786). On the basis of the position reached in the CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON it is a conscious supplement and counterpart to Newton's work. At the conclusion of the preface to his piece Kant expressly refers to Newton's work." (p. 77).

Greek terms for mathematics can be found on pages 69-75 and 91. Latin terms for universal mathematics and common mathematics appear on page 101. On the pages in between (77, 92), the Latin phrase `axiomata sive leges motus' this title of a section of Newton's work "in which he presents the fundamental determinations about things as moved" (p. 92) is almost translated as "The project is axiomatic. Insofar as every science and cognition is expressed in propositions, the cognition which is taken and posited in the mathematical project is of such a kind as to set things upon their foundation in advance." (p. 92). Trying to put Heidegger's point in a Latin phrase and basic German words:

"1. The mathematical is, as mente concipere, a project (Entwarf) of thingness (Dingheit) which, as it were, skips over the things. The project first opens a domain (Spielraum) where things--i.e., facts--show themselves." (p. 92).

Some people who read reviews don't like to have the ending of a book spoiled by an explanation which ruins the suspense. Only a few philosophers are mentioned in this book, and much more attention is devoted to philosophy before Kant than to the few philosophers whose work was a reaction to Kant's thinking. This is really a book about how people think about things, and those who adopted Heidegger's approach to how a philosopher sees basic questions arising in any ambiguous situation have been successful in the field of philosophy, far more than those who lacked some guide to the complexities involved in this kind of study. The gap between thinking and engaging in activities might be dismissed by those who don't think in German terms like `Entgegenstehenlassen.' If you react adversely to words like that, perhaps this book would be a bitter lesson to you, more than anything else. Don't try to read it unless you would be interested in what might happen on that level, Heidegger having been what he was, primarily a philosopher, as he definitely is in this book.

Why is this out of print? That it is, and has been for a long time, is a lamentable shame. In this relatively short book (the translation could do with a bit of revision) Heidegger provides one of the best and clearest introductions to Kant's First Critique available in any language. Almost nothing in the English-language secondary literature on Kant makes clear what Kant means by "synthetic judgment", and since the stated theme of the First Critique is "how are synthetic judgments a priori possible?", this makes for a lot of useless English language secondary literature. Much of the fault for this situation lies with Norman Kemp-Smith, whose translation of Kant's text was the one used by most English-speaking readers for a long time. Interstingly, the structure of synthetic judgements, fudged and rendered incoherent by Kemp-Smith, is the first thing Heidegger zeroes in on in explaining what Kant's about. I would steer anyone who wants to read Kant first to this book, for an explanation of the basic terms of the First Critique, and then to Deleuze's little book on Kant, to get an overview, taking in all three of the Critiques, of Kant's philosophy in general.

As a further bonus, this book's introductory sections provide a very enlightening and provocative discussion of the theme of mathesis in early modern philosophy and science.

Transcendentalism has never been easy to define, all the more so because its two most well-known adherents, Emerson and Thoreau, were highly poetic souls who had much better uses for their rhetoric than in crafting creeds or clear-cut manifestoes. It is a pleasure then to read Grodzins' biography of Theodore Parker, in whose life and work we can see more clearly the philosophical and personal dramas that played themselves out within the Unitarian Church in regard to its Transcendentalist sympathizers - in particular, the attempts of one Transcendentalist to define his views against the charges of Deism. Religion is a key concern for Transcendentalism, though in Emerson and Thoreau there is no sense that organized religion can play a key role in the individual's enlightenment. Parker remained in the Church as he struggled to know and preach Truth, and gained a large following. Our understanding of Transcendentalism is eminently richer for our appreciation of his struggle.

Grodzins has written an astonishingly thorough and readable biography of an important but neglected 19th Century American. Parker is one of the most influential Americans of the mid-1800s, a brilliant scholar and powerful preacher who became a crucial figure in our religious and political history.

The book is destined to become the standard biography of Parker for generations. Anyone interested in American political thought and the evolution of American religious doctrine will find this book invaluable. Any New Englander will find this a treasure trove of well-written stories.