Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Philosophy FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * "Reconstruction in Philosophy" by John Dewey * "Being and Nothingness" by Jean-Paul Sartre * "Being and Time" by Martin Heidegger * "Laughter" by Henri Bergson Last month, we highlighted some of the selections from Amazon.com's Best of the Century, a special feature listing our editors' choices for the 100 best fiction and nonfiction books of, that's right, the 20th century. Here are four more great philosophy books from that list, which can be viewed at http://www.amazon.com/books-century "Reconstruction in Philosophy" by John Dewey http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0807015857/entertainmentsit For those of us trying to make sense of the world and the institutions we devise to cope with it, John Dewey's "Reconstruction in Philosophy" offers tremendous insight. Writing a few years after World War I, the highly regarded American philosopher chose to embrace the modern sense of scientific optimism and apply it to the search for truth. He argued forcefully that our philosophical constructions are not based in reason, but only use higher thinking to justify themselves, and that we might find better ways of living if we examine our deepest beliefs and feelings with an eye toward their ultimate effects on us and others. This experimental philosophy, pragmatism, took several steps beyond the previous century's utilitarianism and was both hailed and reviled as a subsumption of philosophy and ethics into science. Written as lectures, "Reconstruction in Philosophy" is marginally less dry than other philosophical tracts, but for readers new to the jargon, some sections can be slow going. The pleasure of Dewey's works, though, comes from the intellectual stimulation of following a brilliant mind into then-uncharted epistemological territory. The last chapter, "Reconstruction As Affecting Social Philosophy," foreshadows so much 20th-century political thinking--from across the spectrum--that it ought to be required reading in high school civics classes. Did pragmatism change our lives for the better? The very fact that we can ask such a question is Dewey's legacy; the answer must remain an open question. "Being and Nothingness" by Jean-Paul Sartre http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671867806/entertainmentsit Jean-Paul Sartre, the seminal smarty-pants of mid-century thinking, launched the existentialist fleet with the publication of "Being and Nothingness" in 1943. Though the book is thick, dense, and unfriendly to careless readers, it is indispensable to those interested in the philosophy of consciousness and free will. Some of his arguments are fallacious, others are unclear, but for the most part Sartre's thoughts penetrate deeply into fundamental philosophical territory. Basing his conception of self-consciousness loosely on Heidegger's "being," Sartre proceeds to sharply delineate between conscious actions ("for themselves") and unconscious ("in themselves"). It is a conscious choice, he claims, to live one's life "authentically" and in a unified fashion, or not-- this is the fundamental freedom of our lives. Drawing on history and his own rich imagination for examples, Sartre offers compelling supplements to his more formal arguments. The waiter who detaches himself from his job role sticks in the reader's memory with greater tenacity than the lengthy discussion of inauthentic life and serves to bring the full force of the argument to life. "Being and Time" by Martin Heidegger http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0791426785/entertainmentsit Martin Heidegger paved the road trod on by the existentialists with the 1927 publication of "Being and Time." His encyclopedic knowledge of philosophy from ancient to modern times led him to reexamine the most basic concepts underlying our thinking about ourselves. Emphasizing the "sense of being" (dasein) over other interpretations of conscious existence, he argued that specific and concrete ideas form the bases of our perceptions, and that thinking about abstractions leads to confusion at best. Thus, for example, "time" is only meaningful as it is experienced: the time it takes to drive to work, eat lunch, or read a book is real to us; the concept of "time" is not. Unfortunately, his writing is difficult to follow, even for the dedicated student. Heidegger is best read in German: his neologisms and other wordplay strain the talents of even the best translators. Still, his thoughts about authentic being and his turning the philosophical ground inspired many of the greatest thinkers of the mid-20th century, from Sartre to Derrida. "Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic" by Henri Bergson http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1892295024/entertainmentsit Clem Kadiddlehopper wore a funny hat. Even animals other than humans seem to laugh, because they, too, possess emotions. And sometimes, when you're by yourself, you just start giggling for no reason. But that's not funny. As Henri Bergson would say, you can stop laughing now. We must rethink what tickles us. For Bergson, laughter is a purely intellectual response that serves the social purpose of assuaging discomfort over the unaccustomed and unexpected. We chuckle at Lucille Ball attempting to wrap the bonbons speeding by on a candy-factory conveyor belt because she's stuck in one place, performing the same task over and over, and failing; we hope that in similar situations we could be more flexible. Bergson recaps: "Rigidity is the comic, and laughter is its corrective." This little book resurrects a British translation that has long been out of print. While "Laughter" won't quite explain why the French love Jerry Lewis or keep you in stitches, it's a bracing read that will make you think twice about laughing the next time someone stumbles into a lamppost. ****** Looking for power tools? From screwdrivers to scroll saws, our brand-new Home Improvement Store offers the planet's best selection of tools and more. Home Improvement ****** You'll find more great books, articles, and interviews in Amazon.com's Philosophy section at Browse Book ******
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