Book Description

Book Description

This brief text assists students in understanding Rorty's philosophy and thinking so that they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content. Part of the "Wadsworth Philosophers Series," (which will eventually consist of approximately 100 titles, each focusing on a single "thinker" from ancient times to the present), ON RORTY is written by a philosopher deeply versed in the philosophy of this key thinker. Like other books in the series, this concise book offers sufficient insight into the thinking of a notable philosopher better enabling students to engage the reading and to discuss the material in class and on paper. ... Read more

Book Description

St. Germain was considered a mystic, philosopher, and master alchemist of the 17th century who held the key to immortality. Sightings of him after his "death "by high-profile, credible people added to the legend. This is the most rare and sought after work concerning his life. The author was able to procure documents unavailable to others, which thereby allows some of the mystery to drop away. Nowhere beyond this book will one find documents written in St. Germain’s own hand, providing proof of his whereabouts and concerns during certain parts of his life. Cooper-Oakley does an impressive job tracing his movements between countries, thereby revealing many mysteries and secrets that surround him. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Detailed account of St. Germains life in Europe
This book is valuable for those who are searching for the practical life and evidence of Comte de St. Germain. An immortal who is still very active in the world today.

"The Man Who Does Not Die..."
Cooper-Oakley's biography on Comte de St. Germain is the first biographical sketch written about this enigmatic character. Called by Frederick the Great "The man who does not die" Saint Germain was said to possess the Elixir of Life, and to be virtually immortal. Germain was the friend, confident, and spy of European rulers for a generation. Two hundred years after his disappearance from the scene of politics, his reputation as an emissary from the Invisible Brotherhood intrigues us even more. While there is a definite Theosophical spin to her work, Cooper-Oakley's "Comte de St. German" remains to this day seminal reading for those interested in this "Unknown Superior" of Western Esotericism - Freemasonry and Rosicrucianism in particular - almost a century after it was written. A very good book and well worth reading by any one interested in the mysterious occult forces behind history. Jean Overton-Fuller's historical biography on Comte de Saint Germain is a fine follow-up to this one. ... Read more

Book Description

The extraordinary story of America’s most influential and revered psychic

Born in 1877, Edgar Cayce grew up in poverty with only an eighth grade education, but he would prove to have gifts beyond the ordinary and beyond this world. As a young boy, Cayce would converse with his dead grandfather and when he had reached his teens was able to memorize an entire book simply by placing it near his head when he slept. In the summer of 1929 he warned of imminent disaster in the financial markets. His medical readings, which were years ahead of their time, have been shown to be 90 percent accurate. As he grew older, Cayce’s gift led him on a path toward enlightenment and he used his abilities to seek answers to spiritual questions, both for himself and for his followers.

In this definitive audiobook biography, bestselling author Sidney D. Kirkpatrick examines how Cayce’s incredible psychic powers and his powers of healing brought him in contact with some of the most influential people of his day: politicians, stock brokers, scientists, and even Hollywood screenwriters. Today, his followers include Stephen Spielberg and Michael J. Fox, as well as thousands of people whose lives were forever transformed by Cayce.

Author Kirkpatrick was allowed special access by the family to the Cayce Foundation archives, which contained more than 14,000 recorded trance readings—the archives have since been closed to anyone else. Although he began as a skeptic, Kirkpatrick has become a passionate exponent of Cayce’s place in history. Listeners will find this riveting story to be one of Cayce’s most important works.
... Read more

Reviews (43)

Wow, What an Amazing Book!
I had heard of Edgar Cayce for many years but had never read anything about his life before I read this book. I thumbed-through the book, saw how detailed and precise it was with highly-substantiated information, read the praise about the book from previous authors of books on Cayce, and decided that this was the book for me.

The open channel that Cayce was to a higher form of consciousness was truly incredible. The accurate predictions he would make about others' lives and the cures he would come-up with for people who were given virtually no chance to live were indeed remarkable too. Oftentimes doctors would believe that his prescriptions for cures were totally ridiculous and those doctors would be proven wrong again and again.

With the documentation provided by Kirkpartick, one can only conclude that there truly is a higher form of consciousness that exists at all times. And Cayce clearly was very gifted in being able to constantly access this higher form of consciousness.

The gift was not without its downside, though, as Cayce continually experienced hardship in his own life in the areas of money, health, and a series of business partners who clearly took advantage of both him and his great gift to connect with "the source."

If you are at all interested in the arena of metaphysics I highly recommend this book to you.

A Skeptical Author Converted
Having studied the work of Edgar Cayce for many years, I was amazed at how much I learned from this book. The author freely admits that he was a skeptic and originally not interested in writing about Edgar Cayce. However, after researching and studying the voluminous files and interviewing people for six years, this professional writer was converted to a fan of Edgar Cayce.

Kirkpatrick was the first Cayce biographer to be given unrestricted access to the Cayce archives. Since the vast majority of people who had psychic Readings from Cayce are dead, the author was allowed to use real names and publish material that was never made public before. This includes Readings that Cayce gave at the White House and Readings given for famous people, including movie stars.

But the author makes no effort to deify Edgar Cayce. His personal shortcomings and struggles are portrayed in a forthright manner. Intimate family relationships and details highlight the humanity of this gifted seer. Personally, I found I could relate to the struggles of the Cayce family members. Sometimes they made wise choices and sometimes they did not. But through it all they grew, which is what Cayce said is the purpose of our lives.

I have read most of the books available about Edgar Cayce. I recommend this book very highly.

I Do Not Bear A Message: I Am The Message
Sidney R. Kirkpatrick's Edgar Cayce: An American Prophet methodically considers the facts in the life of a man whose story may be the best documented Fortean case study in modern history. Kirkpatrick writes well, and has clearly immersed himself in his subject.

Considering that Cayce's personal history ostensibly involved dowsing, ancestors with unusual powers, a lifelong relationship with fairies ("little folk"), visitations from message - bearing, heaven - sent angels, mysterious turbaned men who disappear after uttering cryptic warnings, devastating, unexplainable fires, remarkable medical diagnoses given while in a trance state, accurate prophesies about the future, unaccountable knowledge of past events in the lives of strangers, ghosts, and shadowy government conspiracies, Cayce's abilities, encounters, and experiences were extraordinary indeed. Kirkpatrick takes the reader on a cautious, careful trip through the first half of Cayce's life in the American South and Midwest, supporting his case with persuasive evidence gathered from a variety of respected sources over a period of decades. However, Kirkpatrick occasionally seems too willing to accept Cayce's more unusual experiences at face value, and offers little in the way of skepticism, disbelief, or alternative explanations; for instance, the role that multiple family tragedies and serious head injuries may have played in Cayce's childhood experiences and later development go almost completely unexamined. Therefore, the book has Cayce's stamp upon it rather than Kirkpatrick's: from time to time Kirkpatrick seems more like a mild - mannered Cayce apologist than he does an unbiased, objective biographer.

For discriminating readers, the real problem with both Cayce's story and Kirkpatrick's biography comes in the later half of Cayce's life, when people began asking 'the Source' - the voice which responded to questions put to Cayce while in trance - about astrology, reincarnation, and death. As in most of the 'New Age' channeling cases of the eighties, suddenly Edgar, his family, and seemingly everyone they know has been a notorious historical figure at some point in their karmic cycle, a Helen of Troy, a Hector, an Achilles, or a Queen of England, a Pharaoh, or an apostle of Jesus Christ: no fishwives or shoemakers here. Cayce's young son, according to the Source, has been both a Pharaoh and one of Christ's apostles; Cayce's attractive, hard working young assistant, Gladys Davis, has been not only a British queen, but, as such, was also Cayce's own royal mother. With this lengthy series of revelations, Cayce's and Kirkpatrick's credibility quickly wilts, as the Source's claims become increasingly overextended, outlandish, and absurd. Readers may find themselves listlessly awaiting their own favorite historical figure to mthe, be it Diana of Nemi, Bishop Pontopippidan, Genghis Khan, Ponce de Leon, Cromwell, Major Andre, or Catherine the Great.

Sadly, Cayce, his family, and his followers whole - heartedly embraced the Source's pronouncements concerning their past lives, love affairs, and relationships. As Cayce and many of those around him were financially destitute, barely educated, and often hungry, Kirkpatrick should have thoroughly considered what needs these attractive grandiosities may have filled, and how these compensatory beliefs affected their individual and collective psyches. Cayce and his friends and followers were almost all fervent Christians -- Cayce was a biblical scholar and lecturer -- but clearly they all desperately needed something greater and closer to home to believe in. It's not difficult to understand why Cayce had so many followers: not only did he medically heal hundreds of people during his lifetime, but the Source's metaphysical doctrine continually emphasized the universe as a wholly benevolent place, one composed of a rich, intricate fabric of meaning, spiritual guidance, and continuous second chances. In the Source's cosmology, there is no such thing as genuine evil, but only pathology, vulnerability, misunderstanding, guilt, and a world of imperfect souls struggling towards the Godhead.

Ultimately, there is enough hard evidence to make a case for the validity of much of the otherwise inexplicable anomalous phenomena in the first half of Cayce's existence. Due to the substantial documentation, many of the events in Cayce's life can be used as Fortean test cases to establish standards by which the other paranormal phenomena can be judged and weighted. As the lives of Carl Jung, Hilda Doolitle, and William Butler Yeats attest, subjective experience -- especially concerning paranormal phenomena -- should never be mocked or dismissed out of hand. However, some Fortean phenomena, such as the notorious events believed to have occurred throughout the life of science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, appear to be the product of delusion, mental illness, or any number of other psychological factors, many of which are presently little understood, when compared to the Cayce evidence.

Edgar Cayce: An American Prophet will make an interesting object lesson for Forteans, including as it does detailed, well - supported information about the wide range of paranormal phenomena which dominated Cayce's life. Harry Houdini, Nicolas Telsa, Thomas Edison, and an American president also make brief appearances. Readers who credit all of Cayce's metaphysical divinations may also want to read the late Joe Fisher's harrowing The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts (2001) for another perspective on the validity and dangers of surrendering the human will to 'channeled' 'spirit guides' and the presumed souls of the dead.

America's contribution to the Metaphysical world
I love this book! I've been a student of the Cayce readings for 15 years and a member of the A.R.E and have read Sugrue's and Bro's biographies. Harmon Bro is a personal friend and both of the previous biographies are great works, but this one surpasses both of them. The detail is absolutely amazing and the devotion to the truth about this amazing man and his work is awe inspiring. Cayce came from very humble beginnings and went on to save many lives through the medical readings. He also brought the metaphysical world to our very fingertips with the life readings. All this in America, the land of great skepticism. Read this book and come away convinced for once and for all that we are much more that just a body!

AMERICA'S SEER
Edgar Cayce, one of America's well known clairvoyants, is given a thorough examination in this new biography by Sidney Kirkpatrick. Gone is the myth and legend of the man who has captured the hearts and minds of many New Age adherents. In its place, the reader is given an objective overview of this fascinating man whose mystical powers still baffle those of us today. Just who was this Edgar Cayce? What impact if any did he have on the lives of others and of our nation? While reading this book you will be astounded with the answers.

Journey with the author to Hopkinsville, Kentucky where the Cayce clan and related kin provide the foundation for this young seer. We find a family of tobacco growers, misfits and others who share some strange gifts that are known but kept under wraps. Into this environment comes Edgar Cayce who grows up in a conventional lifestyle of his time. Known as a quiet boy and prone to day dreaming there isn't anything extra ordinary about this child.

Kirkpatrick humanizes Cayce. We see the various facets of his life. He has a inferiority complex, a deep love of the Bible, struggles with his gift and is artistic. Cayce struggles throughout his lifetime to help others. We also meet the celeberties, entrepreneurs and government officials who also take an interest in Cayce. Their motivations in using this young man are not always pure or in the best interest of Cayce and the work he is called to do.

I found it fascinating to read the interviews from the entities that possess Cayce's body and give out advice. Even in the written word their presence is frightening and powerful. It is amusing to hear one of them chastise Cayce for not following its advice and its annoyance in answering the "stupid" questions of people who just don't get what is said.

The book also looks at the loves in Cayce's life most notably his relationship with Gladys Davis, his secretary, and a woman he met during his engagement with his fiance. You find a complex man tied up in some strange love triangles. This is an enjoyable work which puts him in the context of his time and also focuses on the investigation of spiritualism, clairvoyance and other mysterious phenomena of the day. You get a clearer historical perspective of what were the attitudes of the day. Oddly enough Cayce was praised and reviled during his day. America was both repelled and attracted to this seer.

Edgar Cayce:An American Prophet is insightful, funny and historical in its presentation of a figure who led an unconventional life during the early 20th century. You will enjoy his story and gain a better perspective on the life of America's greatest Clairvoyant. ... Read more

Book Description

Michael Clanchy introduces the reader to medieval life through the experience of Peter Abelard, the master of the Paris schools whose career included seducing Heloise (his student), being castrated, accused of treason, condemned as a heretic (twice) as well as writing his memoirs - his "story of calamities".Because Abelard touched so many aspects of life, this book is structured naturally around the roles he played. The author describes in vivid and concrete terms what it meant in the twelfth century to be a famous scientist (the master of Latin, logic and philosophy), then a dedicated monk and pioneer of the discipline of theology - and yet one who was at various times a wandering scholar, courtier and jester. The author's many new findings include the discovery that it was Heloise who inspired many of Abelard's most profound ideas. She educated him: up to now historians have assumed it to be the other way round.This, the first biography of Abelard for over 30 years, combines the most recent international research with a re-reading of the sources line by line. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

What Did Heloise Know and When Did She Tell Abelard?
M. T. Clanchy has written what will surely be regarded as the definitive biography of Abelard in years to come. Clanchy presents us with a portrait of a philosopher/theologian who made enemies with the same ease that he applied to the problems of God and man. Instead of a sterilt, academic look at the man's thought we are instead treated to a panorama of medieval politics and their impact upon both the man and his thought, which was responsible for getting Abelard in hot water on many an occasion, coming as he did under the jaundiced eye of the Inquisition. Along the way Abelard picks up his own personal Inquisitor in the person of St. Bernard, who finds himself at odds with Abelard's writings and Ableard's frequent public defense of his thought.

As if this weren't enough, what separates this work from the rest is its speculation on the role of Heloise in the thought of Abelard. The standard portrait of Heloise through they years has been one of a young woman was was taught, then seduced by her teacher, Peter Abelard. They married, the marriage was annuled by her family and Abelard paid the price by being castrated. Heloise escaped to a monastery where she became a nun and later superior. But history also tells us that Heloise was very respected for her sagacity and intelligence. Clanchy makes the obvious speculation that as their relationship as lovers grew over the years, so did their intellectual partnership. He points to several instances where the thought of Abelard undergoes changes after the relationship with Heloise was well underway. Given the times and the historical portrait of both lovers, this argument comnes across as a refreshing revision in the intellectual development of one of Europe's leading thinkers.

For those interested in the development of medieval philosophy and those interested in a good solid biography, this volume fills both needs without insulting its reader. ... Read more

Book Description

"Philosophy is shaped by life and life is shaped by philosophy. This is reflected in The Philosophical I, a collection of 16 autobiographical essays by prominent philosophers. Candid and philosophically insightful, these personal narratives critically call into question the belief that philosophy should be kept separate from the personal experience of philosophers. Each contributor traces the fundamental influences-both philosophical and otherwise-that have shaped his or her identity. In this postmodern world, the self is often viewed as fragmented and fractured, but the reflections in this volume point to a self that is a continuous, though dynamic, storyline. What shines through in each of these essays is that philosophy is a profoundly personal adventure." ... Read more

Book Description

Rene Descartes's insights into the nature of knowledge and the mind have inspired awe and debate through the centuries.But while philosophers have sought to understand the ramifications of his theories, they have paid much less attention to how, exactly, he arrived at his ideas.What twists and turns of his intellect brought him to his epochal conclusions?How did his personal ambitions and the social conditions of his era shape his thought?These questions and more are masterfully answered in Stephen Gaukroger's Descartes, a fascinating look at this most influential of all Renaissance thinkers.

In his quest to retrace Descartes's development as a scientist and philosopher, Gaukroger leaves no stone unturned.From the great man's first book on music theory (Compendium Musicae) to his masterworks Discours, Essais, Meditationes, and Principia, from his study of mathematics while attending a Jesuit college at age ten, through his dying days in the service of Christina, Queen of Sweden, Descartes brims with penetrating and often surprising insights into the philosopher's life and work.We discover, for example, that he wasn't as concerned with developing an all-encompassing theory of knowledge as he was with establishing a natural philosophy that supported the teachings of Copernicus, a man whose work he deeply admired.We also learn that Descartes was willing to alter his publically stated views to accommodate church doctrine--especially after witnessing Galileo's condemnation in 1633. We observe how his personal triumphs and failures--from his rumored nervous breakdown in 1614, to his joy at the popular reception of Discours and Essais, to his protracted and very public dispute with the implacable professor Voetius--affected his intellectual development. Along the way, Gaukroger details how Descartes's theories of metaphysics, mechanics, cognition, and cosmology have been both championed and distorted by philosophers of all stripes for over three hundred years.Packed with helpful diagrams and in-depth interpretations of Descartes's most celebrated works, the book also includes a useful chronology that highlights his important accomplishments and personal milestones.

Descartes is an exhaustively detailed, magisterial look at the dazzling intellectual achievements of the father of modern philosophy. Splendidly written by a renowned authority on the subject, it will serve as the definitive guide to Descartes's thoughts, works, and life for years to come. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Historical raisons d¿être of Descartes¿ intellectual pursuit
Gaukroger ends his introduction with the words: "An intellectual biography forces one to think in very specific terms, hopefully yielding a kind of understanding which historians of philosophy of science have missed". This point of view marks one of the strengths as well as one of the weaknesses of this work on Descartes.

This intellectual biography offers a detailed exposition on the intellectual development and evolution of thought of René Descartes. The book strictly follows the chronology of events in Descartes' intellectual life and starts with his early childhood and education at La Flèche. This chapter excels in providing insight in 17th-century Jesuit education systems and the influence they had on Descartes' methodology and fields of study. Chapter 3 focuses on Descartes' apprenticeship with Isaac Beeckman in Holland and the decisive influence the latter's corpuscalarian thinking had on the natural philosophy of Descartes. Starting from this corpuscalar theory, Descartes developed an arithmetical account of consonance in music and alternative explanations for the kinematics of falling bodies and the problems of hydrostatics. During this period, Descartes discovered the proportional compass (mesolabe), which led him to the ambitious idea of a general theory of mathematics. In chapter 4 Gaukroger puts forward the interesting thesis that Descartes' search for a general theory of "method" was partly influenced by the contact he had with the Rosicrucians in Germany and he was to share in something like the generality and the delusions of grandeur of their vision of a universal language, generating all truths from basic premises. Later, on returning to France, Descartes had to defend himself against charges of being a Rosicrucian, which was considered to be a political threat. During these libertine Paris years, covered in chapter 5, Descartes pursued his interests in natural philosophy and mathematics in close contact with Mersenne, Mydorge and others. During these three years Descartes discovered the law of refraction in optics, lays the foundation of analytic geometry by the arithmetization of geometrical problems and develops a theory of perceptual cognition. In 1629 Descartes moved to Holland and stayed there for almost 20 years. During these years, discussed in chapters 6 to 8, Descartes worked on several publications: Le Monde, his most important work on natural philosophy, L'Homme, an exposition of a mechanist physiology, Geometry, a first account of analytic geometry, and Discourse of Method, a metaphysical foundation of his thinking, which established him as the best known philosopher of the 17th century. Gaukroger meticulously traces origins and dates of the respective chapters in these books and points them to specific periods of Descartes' intellectual life. Descartes' attempts to systematisation, his later publications and the critics these evoked, are discussed in the final chapters.

Gaukroger establishes a rationale for Descartes' intellectual pursuits both in terms of his motivations and in terms of the specific cultural context in which these motivations bear fruit and thus fulfils his goals for writing this intellectual biography. The book will appeal to students of philosophy and history of science that are already familiar with Descartes. A close reading of this book will guard them from the homogenization from thought in previous writing on Descartes and offer them a better understanding of the genesis of and significant changes in his doctrines. However, this biography fails in both precisely identifying many of the mathematical problems studied by Descartes, and in placing them within their correct historical context. A particular example is Descartes' solution for the problem of a depressed quartic equation, cited in every textbook on the history of mathematics. Gaukroger fails to provide an appreciation of the problem, to discuss previous solutions given by Viète and 16th-century Italian mathematicians and to explain Descartes' solution. Offering a better understanding of Descartes' study fields may indeed not have been Gaukroger's ambition but I am convinced that many readers will be missing this aspect in a scholarly biography of one of the most inspiring natural philosophers of the 17th century.

Great exposition of Descartes
Anyone interested in the ideas of Rene Descartes would be mad to miss this book. As the title suggests, emphasis is placed on the development of his ideas, placing them in context and giving a clear exposition of the concepts involved, with only as much personal background as is interesting and necessary to this end. Gaukroger is justly regarded as one of the world's leading Descartes scholars. And I'm sure he is very kind to dogs.

Well written book; have remarks though.
It was Descartes whose analysis that dogs don't have feelings led to the justification of all manner of cruelty towards animals. For anyone planning to read this book, also expand your horizons and read "The Intelligence of Dogs" by Stanley Coren, psychologist and dog trainer ... Read more

Book Description

For more than 30 years, Sunanda Patwardhan was a secretary, student, and confidant to the renowned spiritual teacher J. Krishnamurti. In her travels, discussions, and experiences with the respected leader, Mrs. Patwardhan had many occasions to reflect on her own life and thinking. The nature of work, motherhood, devotion, self-sacrifice, and intellectual challenge are themes that are woven throughout this memoir. Patwardhan's memories of her years "at the feet of the master" shine a light of understanding on Krishnamurti as a scholar and teacher. Krishnamurti's letters and recorded conversations add insight into his personality, habits, and relationships. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Sacred Search.
One gets the impression from reading this Wonderfull book that Sunanda was a warm hearted, sincere and intelligent seeker of spiritual truth.

Since her first meeting with Krishnamurti in 1947 to her death in 1999 she did a lot of work for Krishnamurti and the Krishnamurti foundation in India. This book is a collection af meditation on the Spiritual Search and the influence of Krishnamurti and his Teaching on her. She says that she often got a sense of the Sacred around Krishnamurti and in situations like that it's so easy fo fall into the Guru trap and to stop thinking for oneself and just relying on the words and influence of others, But as Krishnamurti said to her " I can tell you that there is a lovely garden beyond the hill. I can hold your hand, But You have to walk and climb the hill."(p-11).

This book is inspiring and gives one a lot to think on, and her writing is Poetic and Clear.

Also recomended are the Krishnamurti Biograpy's by Pupul Jayakar and Mary Lutyens and some of Krishnamurti's books like his Notebook and Freedom from the Known.

A Wonderful New Book on Krishnamurti
A VISION OF THE SACRED: My Personal Journey with Krishnamurti By Sunanda Patwardhan Ph.D.

Reviewed by Satish Telgar Ph.D.

J.Krishnamurti the peripatetic teacher who ever since his apostasy from the Theosophical Society in the 1930's traveled around the world and talked to thousands of people touched and transformed many lives. Mrs. Sunanda Patwardhan the author of this wonderful little book A Vision of the Sacred had the rare privilege of being his close friend and confidant, records in it in a frank and candid manner the number of conversations and anecdotes that she was privy to. As she says in the introduction to the book the reason to write it was an earnest wish to share with the reader the events, insights and conversations with Krishnamurti and how it helped her face her own conflicts and begin her inward pilgrimage. The book has yet another lofty purpose, which is to communicate the sense of the sacred she witnessed in the remarkable presence of Krishnamurti. She hopes as she says in the introduction that a reader in the next century, which is upon us now, should be able to get a glimpse of this sense of the sacred that radiated from Krishnamurti by reading the book.

Those of us who tend to think of metaphysical and religious truths as 'distant' and 'inaccessible' without undergoing rigorous practices of meditation will be surprised to discover that much of it has to do with observation of one's daily life with its attendant conflicts and problems. Time and again the reader is offered with anecdotes and suggestions which point out the need to be aware of what is happening to oneself as the key to unlock the unknown.

Mrs. Patwardhan refers to an incident where Krishnamurti admonishes her and refers to her vanity and the need to be aware of it. Through careful observation one can see the self as it is instead of resorting to speculation. Speculative thinking brings into play in its wake the deeply encrusted thought process and distorts our perception. Intellect is the main instrument of speculative thought. Krishnamurti urges us to transcend the intellect as he is quoted saying, " You have sharpened your intellect. It is capable of analysis, clear thinking. That's enough. Now turn to other direction, the unexplained part, an explosion of silence in the mind". Silence and solitude are an essential part of Krishnamurti's teaching. One is reminded here of what the Buddha said that despite the fact that he had taught for nearly forty years yet he was in silence.

Every now and then as one reads the book one gets a glimpse of Krishnamurti's probing mind. In one such revealing conversation, in response to a query from Krishnamurti, Mrs. Patwardhan refers to how in her own life through perception she was able to negate formation of things in her mind and accomplish this in a successive manner with other perceptions as well and thereby gaining insight into the ending of time. Krishnamurti points out that by going from one act of perception-negation to another it becomes a process and so it is still in the realm of time. He goes on to add through an exhortation, "....... Stop saying, ' I know, then the process ends'". To someone like me, who teaches philosophy, that statement resonates and reverberates with an ever-deeper meaning. In the Apology of Plato one of the great texts of philosophy in the western tradition, Socrates says that all he knows is that he does not know. Plato's dialogues may be seen as an attempt to understand this great utterance of Socrates.

There are many interesting anecdotes and passages in the book, which will hold the attention of the thoughtful reader. One such passage is Mrs. Patwardhan talking about her many miscarriages and her failure to attain motherhood. This leaves a great sense of void. Talking about it to Krishnamurti she says that she has accepted her inevitable fate of not being a mother and in a sense made peace with herself. Krishnamurti's response to this is very revealing. He raises many interesting questions all calculated to expose the deep lingering desire to have a child and the consequent frustration of not having one. He asks if she has observed very clearly her inner reactions when she sees photographs of lovely children, sees a mother being tender to her baby etc,. The moral of this story is clear; it is not a matter of acceptance or rejection but deep and careful observation. It is only through deep and careful observation that the hidden and buried content of our consciousness can be eviscerated to clear view.

The book is divided into convenient sections covering a wide array of topics ranging from Mrs. Patwardhan's first impressions of Krishnamurti and her own brahminical background to the subject of social change, tradition, education, living and dying, inner revolution, and theosophy. The language of the book is simple, direct, clear and straight from the heart. Some of us who are fortunate enough to have known Mrs. Patwardhan personally will immediately sense the gentleness and openness that was so characteristic of her personality as we read the book. The fact that Mrs. Patwardhan was a fine stenographer as well and kept scrupulous notes makes the quotations from Krishnamurti all the more authentic. The book is a great contribution not only to those who are discovering the teachings of Krishnamurti anew, but to others as well who have been familiar and who cannot afford to lose the ever renewing challenge of the vastness and depth of a great body of teachings that Krishnamurti has left behind for posterity. ... Read more

Book Description

Stanley Cavell has been one of the most creative and independent of contemporary philosophical voices. At the core of his thought is the view that skepticism is not a theoretical position to be refuted by philosophical theory but is a reflection of the fundamental limits of human knowledge of the self, of others and of the external world that must be accepted. This volume is the first attempt systematically and accessibly to describe and assess the full range of Cavell's work. There are new accounts of Cavell's contribution to the philosophy of mind and language, the theory of action, ethics, aesthetics, Romanticism, American philosophy.Richard Eldridge is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Philsophy Department at Swarthmore College. He is author of The Persistence of Romanticism (Cambridge, 2001), On Moral Personhood: Philosophy, Literature, Criticism, and Self-Understanding (Chicago, 1989) and Leading a Human Life: Wittengenstein, Intentionality, and Romanticism (Chicago, 1997), which won the 1998 Jean-Pierre Barricelli Book Prize awarded by the American Conference on Romanticism. He is the editor of Beyond Representation: Philosophy and Poetic Imagination (Cambridge, 1996). ... Read more

Book Description

Now in paperback, the "amazing" (Los Angeles Times) and "engrossing" (Publishers Weekly) love letters of Simone de Beauvoir to Nelson Algren. Called "intimate, intelligent, and sincere" by The New Yorker, the more than three hundred love letters written by Simone de Beauvoir to Nelson Algren after their love-at-first-sight meeting in 1947 are collected for the first time in A Transatlantic Love Affair. A unique cross between a personal memoir and an insider's intellectual history of Left Bank life in post-war Paris, this "tender and intimate" (Booklist) collection chronicles their passionate affair, spanning twenty years and four continents. Penned as she was writing The Mandarins, America Day by Day, and The Second Sex, the letters provide a new backdrop for those now classic works. Frank, tender, and often humorous, they are praised by The Nation as "fascinating" and by the Los Angeles Times Book Review as "reveal[ing] a lighter, funnier, and more physically sensuous de Beauvoir than we are used to." ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Fantastic book with insights into de Beauvoir's character
To correct the reader from Brookline, this book is exactly the same as "Beloved Chicago Man"- it's the same book with different titles in the US and the UK. As the reviewers below state, this is a great window into the relationship between Algren & de Beauvoir, and shows the truth feelings of de Beauvoir.

Tiresome, Repetitive, Naive
Having read all of De Beauvoir's autobiographies, this book was disappointing. The content can only be described as a mere extension of 'Beloved Chicago Man' (again relating to her relationship with Nelson Algren). In the latter, the letters to Algren are immediatly captivating, but quickly become repetitive rather than developed and by the end seem embarrassingly girlish and naive leaving a strong feeling of voyeuristic intrusion. This latest publication is an unnecessary extension of Beloved Chicago Man.

Exceptional Characters, Universal Human Conditions
This tome unites fascinating, ethereal elements of time and place with the more mundane features of long-distance love.

First, the unique bits of which only Simone de Beauvoir can honestly write: The intellectual scene of post-WWII Paris, firsthand knowledge of Camus and Sartre, a complex network of friendships mixing the communities of European intelligentsia, fascists, existentialists, writers, and actors. Then, of course, there is the head-over-heels love in which she found herself with Nelson Algren, noted American author, immediately upon making his acquaintance. All of these interesting facets add spice to this book.

Surprisingly, what truly makes this book unforgettable, impossible to put down, at times embarrassing in its candor and recognizable to the reader are its themes of commonality to everyone else on the planet. Anyone who has ever fallen in love, suffered instant infatuation for another, missed the touch of a far-away lover, or slogged through a long-distance relationship will relate/commiserate/understand/anticipate both the words and the feelings behind them.

Simone de Beauvoir wrote all of these letters to Nelson Algren in English (not her native French); happily, the misspellings and grammatical errors are preserved without correction. The reader will note progressive improvement in her English abilities as the correspondence lengthens and her relationship matures.

I believe all readers will find these pages touching, satisfying, and intriguing. Those of you who have experienced long-distance passion will enjoy the letters as well, but with the distinct pain of knowing the inevitable conclusion in advance.

Amazing insights in de Beauvoir
This book gives a real insight into de Beauvoir's character- after reading these letters, one will never again look upon her as a cold intellectual. If anything, they show that the passion she felt with Algren could not compare to whatever sort of relationship she had with Sartre. Reveals de Beauvoir's true self more than any of her autobiographies. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

misses the boat
Zagorin has not added much to the great mystery of Francis Bacon. He has written a superficial understanding of the life and as a result left out many salient aspects that would have provided greater insight into Bacon's motivations and philosophy. Save your money on this one and buy a copy of Alfred Dodd's:"Francis Bacon's Personal Life Story"instead. ... Read more

Book Description

These letters, translated into English here for the first time, provide extraordinary insights, both personal and philosophical, into two major thinkers of the twentieth century.Martin Heidegger and Karl Jaspers met in 1920 at a celebration marking the sixty-first birthday of Edmund Husserl.Recognizing in each other a shared vision of what philosophy should be, they struck up a friendship, which continued through correspondence carried on over four decades and which weathered intellectual, social, and personal struggles.

While the first thirteen years of their acquaintance were marked by a collegial exchange of views on philosophical issues of mutual interest, their relationship changed significantly in 1933, when Heidegger publicly supported the National Socialist revolution, and, as a party member, implemented the National Socialist agenda as rector of Freiburg University.By contrast, Jaspers, whose wife was Jewish, was forced into retirement.After the war, during the Freiburg de-Nazification process, Jaspers sharply criticized Heidegger's conduct but nonetheless stressed the lasting value of his philosophical contributions.Despite this conflict, the two men continued to find common ground and correspnded until 1963.

The letters touch on many points of philosophical interest to both men, yet only hint at the political turmoil that swirled around them.They discuss how they came to see themselves as personally connected but publicly misidentified as "existentialists."There are also many illuminating exchanges concerning Hannah Arendt, Karl Lowith, Max Weber, Edmund Husserl, and others.Editors Walter Biemel and Hans Saner provide a wealth of references and annotations that make these personal letters accessible to contemporary readers.

This first English translation of the correspondence between two giants of twentieth-century German philosophy will be of great interest to philosophers, historians, and anyone intrigued by the Heidegger controversy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

They Were Giants Then
The history of 20th century German philosophy can be neatly summed up in three words: Husserl, Heidegger and Jaspers. They were the giants of the rich philosophical tradition and most of 20the century thought is influenced by them, either as followers who adapted their thought to other paths or as opponents, deriding what was seen as a preponderence of metaphysics over "clear thinking."

The emphasis on Heidegger in recent years has expanded into an investigation of his personal life, intertwined as it was with the Nazi regime during the '30s. We have access to the Arendt-Jaspers correspondence, but only get to know Heidegger second-hand. That is why the release of the Heidegger-Jaspers correspondence is a tresure for every student of philosophy. Not only do we gain valuable insights into the workings of each author's conception of existentialism, but we also get to soak in the atmosphere of German university life, and its view of scholarship, so different from our own universities today, which now serve as little else than extensions of high school.

The letters also give us the opportunity to see how the Heidegger-Japsers friendship fared over the years. (The letters are from 1920 to 1963.) During the '20s, the two are very close and share critiques of each others philosphy. During the '30s, with the rise of the Nazis, we see a cooling off due to the fact Heidegger sides with the Nazis and Jaspers, whose wife was Jewish,was appalled by what was happening to Germany. Very few letters are exchanged during the period from 1936 to 1948, when Heidegger, by now defanged by the Allied occupation, once again ventures into the public eye. The letters of this perios lack the warmth of the letters from the '20s, with Heidegger wishing to forget what happened in the '30s and Jaspers wanting an explanation.

This is an unforgettable foray into the livers anf thought of two giants of twentieth century philosophy, and, as such, is a must for every philosophical library. ... Read more

Book Description

This brief text assists students in understanding Merleau-Ponty's philosophy and thinking so they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content. Part of the Wadsworth Notes Series, (which will eventually consist of approximately 100 titles, each focusing on a single "thinker" from ancient times to the present), ON MERLEAU-PONTY is written by a philosopher deeply versed in the philosophy of this key thinker. Like other books in the series, this concise book offers sufficient insight into the thinking of a notable philosopher, better enabling students to engage in reading and to discuss the material in class and on paper. ... Read more

Book Description

Isaiah Berlin is one of the towering intellectual figures of the twentieth century, the most famous English thinker of the post-war era, and the focus of growing interest and discussion.Above all, he is one of the best modern exponents of the disappearing art of letter-writing. 'Life is not worth living unless one can be indiscreet to intimate friends,' wrote Berlin to a correspondent.This first volume inaugurates a long awaited edition of his letters that might well adopt this remark as an epigraph. Berlin's life was well worth living, both for himself and for the world. Fortunately he said a great deal to his friends on paper as well as in person. Berlin's letters reveal the significant growth and development of his personality and career over the two decades covered within them. Starting with his days as an eighteen year old student at St. Paul's School in London, they cover his years at Oxford as scholar and professor and the authorship of his famous biography of Karl Marx. The letters progress to his World War II stay in the U.S. and finally, his trip to the Soviet Union in 1945-6 and return to Oxford in 1946. "Emotional exploitation, cannibalism, which I think I dislike more than anything else in the world." To Ben Nicolson, September 1937 "Valery delivered an agreeable but dull lecture here. He said words were like thin planks over precipices, and if you crossed rapidly nothing happened, but if you stopped on any of them and stared into the gulf you would get vertigo and that was what philosophers were doing."To Cressida Bonham Carter, March 1939 "I never don't moralize." To Mary Fisher, 18 April 1940 "I only feel happy when I feel the solidarity of the majority of people I respect with and behind me." To Marion Frankfurter, 23 August 1940 "Certainly no politics are more real than those of academic life, no loves deeper, no hatreds more burning, no principles more sacred." To Freya Stark, 12 June 1944 "Nobody is so fiercely bureaucratic, or so stern with soldiers and regular civil servants, as the don disguised as temporary government official armed with an indestructible superiority complex." To Freya Stark, 12 June 1944 "My view on this is that you will not find life in the country lively enough for persons of your temperament. Life in the country in England depends entirely on (a) motor cars (b) rural tastes. As you possess neither, it is my considered view that apart from a weekend cottage or something of that sort, life in the country would bore you stiff within a very short time." To his parents, 31 January 1944 "This country is undoubtedly the largest assembly of fundamentally benevolent human beings ever gathered together, but the thought of staying here remains a nightmare." To his parents, 31 January 1944 "I am a hopeless dilettante about matters of fact really and only good for a column of gossip, if that." To W. J. Turner, 12 June 1945"England is an old chronic complaint: every day in the afternoon in the left knee and the left leg below the kneecap, tiresome, annoying, not bad enough to go to bed with, probably incurable and madly irritating but not necessarily unlikely to lead to a really serious crisis unless complications set in." To Angus Malcolm, 20 February 1946 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

700 Pages of Irrepressible Isaiah Berlin
If you are interested in Isaiah Berlin, and in understanding his roots and evolution, this is the book for you. These letters cover the period of 1928-1946, and deals with some very fascinating topics such as Oxford in the 1930's, Berlin's service in Washington and New York during World War II, and a cast of well known British, Continental and American characters. The collection is immeasurably enhanced by yet another superb job of editing by Henry Hardy, including an extended preface, extensive notes and a biographical directory which save the American reader from becoming too lost. But Berlin being Berlin, the letters are sometimes overly long, may deal with mundate topics, can be maddeningly repetitive, or lose one in the intricacies of Oxford and the academic life. Berlin is absolutely unrestrained in his comments, both pro and con, since these were meant to be private letters, and his views of some fellow academics can be devastating. However, he can positively support some individuals, such as H.L.A. Hart whose initial appointment as Fellow and Philosophy Tutor at New College Berlin strongly advocated. The book is dedicated to Hart's wife who provided indispensable assistance to Hardy in putting all this material together. As the letters illustrate, Berlin's prolonged struggle in writing his book on Karl Marx goes a long way toward explaining why his book output was so limited and he preferred to express his thinking in essays. This first volume concludes when Berlin is 37 and has returned to Oxford. By this point in the letters, one begins to have a very solid grasp of Berlin's character, interests, interactions, and ambitions. "Berlin on Berlin" is beyond question the best way to come to know and understand him. ... Read more

Book Description

"A Quest Among the Bewildered" is Wulf Zendik's first full-length work, written at the artistic height of the Beat Generation. More than 40 years later, this tough, witty, semi-autobiographical take on the madness surging through the veins of modern day culture still hits home like a hammer blow—detailing one man's search for Love and integrity in a sea of lies, loneliness and deceit. Written in riveting free-form prose, this is Art on the edge, a live-wire ride into the psyche of a deeply human, deeply humane genius. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Honest, Powerful and True
I agree that this is the best thing I've yet read by a Beat Author - I'd love to have been at those places, met those people and witnessed the scenes described by Zendik. The writing style is so moving and poetic. His revelations and observations about love, romance, sex, the women he was with and the artists he knew are a missing piece of true history about that time and place. Just going through those experiences would change anyone, but the courage to go forward in pursuit of those ideals, that's what gives me courage in my life to believe in my own possibilities. And the possibilities for humanity.

Definitely the most honest powerful book I've ever read, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to "think outside the box". Zendik writes with a great hunger to express, but precisely, and with generous wit - always with the willingness to turn the penetrating look on himself. I found myself identifying with the feelings and attitudes described, and more than a few times it struck me how absolutely true it is that everybody has these types of thoughts and feelings...

If you're a fan of Henry Miller, J.D. Salinger, Hunter Thompson or Kurt Vonnegut - I recommend this book to you... this is a fierce piece of work...

Dennis Holcombe - Asheville, NC

"Honest, Powerful and True..."
I agree that this is the best thing I've yet read by a Beat Author - I'd love to have been at those places, met those people and witnessed the scenes described by Zendik. The writing style is so moving and poetic. His revelations and observations about love, romance, sex, the women he was with and the artists he knew are a missing piece of true history about that time and place. Just going through those experiences would change anyone, but the courage to go forward in pursuit of those ideals, that's what gives me courage in my life to believe in my own possibilities. And the possibilities for humanity.

Definitely the most honest powerful book I've ever read, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to "think outside the box". Zendik writes with a great hunger to express, but precisely, and with generous wit - always with the willingness to turn the penetrating look on himself. I found myself identifying with the feelings and attitudes described, and more than a few times it struck me how absolutely true it is that everybody has these types of thoughts and feelings...

If you're a fan of Henry Miller, J.D. Salinger, Hunter Thompson or Kurt Vonnegut - I recommend this book to you... this is a fierce piece of work...

AMAZING
This book is amazing......thats all i have to say....he (Wulf Zendik) actually created a commune that lives on TODAY as the embodiement of his ideals in this book......just browse for "Zendik Farm" and you will find it......The work that they have done has had a HUGE influence on me.....and not in a bad way but making me a better more world consious and compassionate person......if you want truth read this....

"The Line Between Living and Meditating"
Reviewer: A. Boggess from Adirondack Review, NY When a publisher I had never heard of queried me about a posthumously-published novel by an "undiscovered Beat," I was skeptical at first, but also curious.  The Beats to me are like a secret lover to the more literary wife I cling to most of the time.  I pick up 'Naked Lunch' or 'The Dharma Bums' whenever I want a break from the highbrow fiction I am accustomed to reading.  Needless to say, the thought of something new in the Beat vein intrigued me.  As I said, though, I was hesitant.  After all, any Beat writer worth publishing would have been "discovered" 50 years ago at the height of the movement.  Right?  Well, apparently not. Wulf Zendik easily fits in with the likes of Burroughs, Kerouac, Ferlinghetti and the rest.  His writing is equal parts Bukowski and Buddha, as much Ginsburg as Gao Xingjian. 
      In 'A Quest Among the Bewildered', described as an "early semi autobiographical novel," Zendik straddles the traditional Beat line between living and meditating.  He touches on all the familiar themes: love, lust, homosexuality, intoxication, spirituality, the subculture, and the quest for enlightenment as found in experiencing all the rest and moving beyond.  His language rages and burns, then mellows, slows, lulls the reader into a feeling of safety before lunging with a sharp blade:

       ...Zendik writes with the enthusiasm of a young seeker, while topping off his prose with the insights of a learned master.  While all the Beat basics are here: the energy of Kerouac, the poetics of Ginsburg, the over-the-top edginess of Burroughs, Zendik's work often resembles something more eloquent and grand.  It often reminded me of Rilke's novel 'The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge' in the way the narrator stops to contemplate the simplest things while keeping what can loosely be called a story hidden far in the background.
      'A Quest Among the Bewildered' is the kind of novel one hesitates to enter, but rejoices in having left after its unexpected soul-searching, its journey to places of self and society, its magnificent dreamscape of language and idea.  How Zendik remained an "undiscovered Beat" seems as much a curiosity as his work.  This book makes a case for his being included among the more noted writers of his generation.  At times harsh, at times dazzling, Zendik's prose touches every nerve and reaches every secret desire.  It hooks the reader and refuses to let go, not in the way a Stephen King novel might, more in the way carnival rides and conversations do.
      Recommendation: BUY THIS ONE.  While it might be the last book on your shelf, it will not be last in your thoughts.  The words and insights will stay with you for days until you feel the urge to pick it up again, go back for a second helping of life at its most raw, its most fascinating.  Expect a truly wonderful reading experience. ... Read more

Book Description

What happens, asks Patrick Riley, when a life transformed becomes an autobiography? What is the relationship between the subjective upheaval of conversion and the representation of character? Who, then, is this "self" writing the narrative of a life? Thinking of conversion as a radical turning point or fulcrum on which incompatible configurations of character are precariously balanced, Riley examines both historically and tropologically the paradoxes of identity and life writing that conversion raises. While conversion can motivate the writing of an autobiography that ties together threads of a life story, it also implies a fragmentation of character. As it creates a unified framework for the subject's history, it also disrupts any stable conception of the self.

Beginning with Augustine's Confessions as the canonical model of religious conversion, the author investigates the changing forms of conversion in selected works by Montaigne and Descartes, culminating in reformulations by Rousseau and Sartre. Moving from a purely religious rebirth to works grounded in a personal philosophy or aesthetic vocation, the autobiographies considered in this book stand as episodes in a genealogy of conversion.

Riley argues that the metamorphoses of character inherent to conversion disrupt any interpretation or even representation of the self as static. It is no longer clear that the narrator represents the subject in any but a nominal way. In fact, Riley contends, the subject of an autobiography can never be self-identical.

Challenging predominant theories of subjectivity in autobiography, Character and Conversion in Autobiography recognizes subjectivity as a dynamic process and suggests a redefinition of how we examine character and life writing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For a dog?Why yes...
I enjoyed this book very much.It's written in the style of an introduction to moral philosophy with application to how we think of and relate to animals, especially pets.Though I haven't read any of the philosophers the author references and so may not be the best judge, I don't think the philosophical discussions are dumbed down at all.Many times over the course of reading this book I had to read a passage more than once, and slowly, to try to figure out exactly what he is saying, not because the writing is unclear but because the concepts are not simple.He does a great job of weaving abstract arguments with compelling and heartfelt experiences in the real world.It was a rewarding experience to read an author whose commitment both to his subject and his audience is so clear.I may not agree with every conclusion or conjecture he offers, but I absolutely appreciate his efforts to demonstrate the value of clear thinking to deepen appreciation of things we love.Definitely a thought provoking book in the best sense.If you enjoy quality writing, philosophical dilemmas and the company of animals, I highly recommend this book.Note on one of the editorial reviews: if he takes issue with the idea of a "doctrine of animal rights" he does not mean people should be free to do whatever they please to animals.Quite the contrary.His ideas are compassionate and carefully thought out, and well worth exploring.Thanks to this book, I've found myself accidentally thinking deep thoughts when I should be pondering the latest celebrity scandal or exciting product offering.Kudos to Mr. Gaita! ... Read more