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Title: Being and Nothingness: A Phenomenological Essay on Ontology by Jean-Paul Sartre, Hazel E. Barnes ISBN: 0671867806 Publisher: Washington Square Press Pub. Date: August, 1993 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.93
Rating: 4
Summary: Enough to make your head hurt
Comment: For starters, I think this book deserves 3.5 stars, not 4.
It's very confusing, I must give it that. I had read reviews before-hand so I picked up his other works first. "Existentialism and Human Emotion" was an excellent introduction to existentialist thought and I could find understanding and even-do I dare say- relation in it. Then I read essays in existentialism, which has Part 1 of "Being and Nothingness" in it.
One of the more unfortunate things about Sartre is his frequent mentions of other philosophers, being the well read philosopher he is himself. Descartes, Hegel, Heidegger, Kant, Kierkegaard and a few minor others come into mention several times. Rather than reading all of these philosophers' major works (in which you'll also find mention of even mroe philosophers, leading you in an endless loop) to get an understanding of why Sartre agrees or disagrees, it would be easier to just brush over an encyclopedia.
Rather than the reader forcing the book with a side of asprin (I would be lying if I said I didn't find myself popping a few), I would suggest that the reader take advantage of the glossary of terms in the back. The gloassary doesn't especially make sense alone. One would either have to have read the book or be immersed in the reading at the time to understand the terms and how they tie in with Sartre's concepts. It would be best to transcribe them for easy access and, well, a quick overview.
Sartre really changed my mode of thinking though. The only problem is that I didn't really see further elaboration of his theory until latter chapters of the book (I'd say the about last 250 pages or so). I saw an initial build up of theory, but it seemed to just amble along, explaining how far reaching it was with endless expansion after expansion, adding in new terms along the way (or maybe that was seemingly that 300-400 page's agenda). I would say that this middle part, other than the addition of necessary terms for later, is very discouraging. It being 800 pages alone is very discouraging, but it really tried my patience, and I consider myself a very patient reader.
Rating: 5
Summary: Being and Nothingness: Why the world is full of strangers
Comment: It is often said that Sartre's premier text is a misreading of Heidegger's Sein und Zeit. Misreading because Heidegger searched for a way of doing philosophy that freed the tradition from the Cartesion subject/object duality, while Sartre embraces that tradition.
Does this mean that Sartre is too retro to be interesting, or that he is really only a "romantic rationalist" as one commentator claims? Perhaps.
And yet...and yet the work continues to exert a strong fascination. Let's suppose that you are a person who struggles to do away with belief (and recognizing that this is different from, for example, not believing in a god. It is more a negation of the will to believe.) Let's suppose that you have no longer any presence with which to ground your life, but find instead that your interpretations are interpretations as far as you can take them. Let's suppose that you find in ethics a compilation of various peoples' prejudices.
Given these originary hypotheses, what sort of ontic or ontological claims might you make? Being and Nothingness explores this question, and more. It is still a philosophy book worth reading in a scientific age.
Rating: 4
Summary: Starts out well, but not enough laughs
Comment: "Being and Nothingness" reminds me of a fine meal with a bad dessert. You end up saying, "Can't I come away with more than fruit?" In a metaphoric sense, I wish there were more dark chocolate sprinkled in, more cream, more butter. But this is a common criticism of Sartre and I don't mean to belabor the point.
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Title: The Transcendence of the Ego: An Existentialist Theory of Consciousness by Jean Paul Sartre ISBN: 0809015455 Publisher: Hill & Wang Pub Pub. Date: January, 1991 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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Title: Existentialism and Human Emotions (A Philosophical Library Book) by Joan Paul Sartre, Jean-Paul Sartre ISBN: 0806509023 Publisher: Lyle Stuart Hardcover Pub. Date: June, 1984 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre, H. Carruth, Lloyd Alexander ISBN: 0811201880 Publisher: New Directions Publishing Pub. Date: January, 1975 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: Being and Time by Martin Heidegger ISBN: 0060638508 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 01 August, 1962 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays (Vintage International) by Albert Camus, Justin O'Brien ISBN: 0679733736 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: May, 1991 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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