Reviews (15)

Great, human, endearing content (awful translation)
Niccolo's Smile is, undoubtedly, a masterpiece in accessibility, ease of prose, and historical flow. Viroli has written a book that is both deeply human and unabashedly humane, as well as enjoyable, both for the Machiavelli fan and the newcomer.
A Good Read and Excellent Intro to "Machia's" Life
Every now and then you read a book that brings its subject to life.Having studied Machiavelli from his writings, it helps to now know of his charms.This book contributed to my understanding of his works but more importantly to the background and history of his conversations.A good, quick read... Recommended.

It's better to act and repent then not to act and regret
Maurizio Viroli does a masterful job of bringing the teachings of the world's first modern philosopher, Niccolo Machiavelli, to light.Machiavelli has gained an unwarranted notorious reputation for his "evil" treatise on political thinking and acting through his authorship of "The Prince"."The Prince" received more notoriety than his politically erudite work "Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy" in which Machiavelli espouses his belief that the Roman Republic was the best and most virtuous form of government to emulate.His breadth and understanding of Roman history is remarkable.Viroli throughout his book emphasizes Machiavelli's love of his country Florence, and the proud political work as a minor government administrator and ambassador Machiavelli performed during its years as a republic.It was on his many ambassadorial trips to the French, Papal, and Italian courts that he learned to observe political leaders and their governmental institutions which formed the basis of his political theories in his many writings.My favorite quote from the book is from a letter Machiavelli writes to a friend; "It's better to act and repent then not to act and regret".
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. History & Surveys - Medieval    4. Philosophers    5. Political   

Reviews (10)

Life after music
Nietzsche unfolded an entire existential drama.The will to power is first power over oneself.Cheerfulness was achieved through ecstasy and composure.Nietzsche's writings were a major force in the development of various intellectual currents of the twentieth century.He was a laboratory of thinking.
Extremely Thorough!
My copy is actually orange.. but what's beneath the cover is most important.
unoriginal, uninspired!
The only thing that makes this book unique is that it organizes Nietzsche's ideas chronologically, according to their development.If not for that, there's nothing that makes this book any better than the hundreds of other books about Nietzsche. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. General    5. Philosophers    6. Biography: general    7. Western philosophy, c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (4)

plato
please don't think this book has any value.I haven't bought or read it -- it just appeared in my Amazon.com recommendations list, but the underlying concept of it as being an introduction to philosophy is simply wrong.Read Plato as a starting point.He'll challenge you, and you'll take away more from the "socratic dialogs" than reading this type of book over and over again.

A good starting point and linker
Well, I can't pretend that I understood it. I didn't understand "Sophie's World" either. I prefer the format of this lay textbook over the device of the bizarre story of Sophie's World as a structure for didacticism though I admit the bizarre stuff was there to illustrate the philosophical points. I read "One Hundred Philosophers" quickly to see what was available in it but would need to study it with additional texts to go in- depth and attempt to understand the actual philosophy.
Very nice reference!
This book is a very nice quick reference, and should be used perhaps like a dictionary.Influences and influenced thinkers are clearly presented, along with each philosopher's main interests and quotes or sometimes "in a nutshell" summaries of the philosophy.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. History & Surveys - General    4. Philosophers    5. Philosophy    6. Reference    7. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys   

Reviews (3)

good intro to Marx's thought
In addition to Marx's writings, this book consists of introductions to various sections of Marx's writings by Prof Kamenka, a chronology of events in Marx's life, letters and other documents by and about him and a glossary of Marxian terms. The writings can be tedious, windy full of run-on sentences, sometimes unreadable. I skipped some of them, including his speech "Value, price and profit," which Kamenka claims was a good laymen's introduction to the ideas of "Capital," but I gave it up after a few pages.The first section of writings is from before 1844. In the tradition of the enlightenment, he discusses the concept of "alienation," how human nature is based on the need to maximize one's creative potential.Yet under capitalism, the worker is turned into a machine; the product he makes, or help makes under the division of labor, does not give him any value, but the wealth from it goes to his boss. The workers intellectual capabilities and self-esteem are stunted. Thus, a truly just society would give the worker the freedom to pursue his dreams, not having to worry about renting himself out to capitalists to survive.Workers, those who actually produce wealth, would directly manage businesses (not state bureaucrats). A rich, accessible introduction to Karl Marx
"The Portable Karl Marx" is a splendid anthology of Marx'writings, political, philosophical and economic. The book also features aselection of Marx' personal letters, his university records and variousprivate documents, including his birth certificate, all which help toilluminate the character of one of the prophets of the modern age. Thecompendium of extracts traces Marx' intellectual trajectory, from his earlydiscipleship to the critical idealism of Hegel, onto his maturity, by whichtime he had established himself as a luminary of political thought. Thechief doctrines of his mature philosophy are expounded here, such ashistorical materialism, surplus value and the class struggle, which wouldbe generated by the contradictions and tensions of capitalism itself,leading to the growth of an educated proletariat which would freethemselves from their yoke and revolt to usher in the era of communism.Karl Marx is, along with Freud and Nietzsche, one of the focal points ofthe culture of the twentieth century. Contemporary debates on politicalphilosophy cannot do without having recourse to, or at least coming toterms with, his shattering insights and path-making formulations.

Students of philosophy, unite and buy this book!
This book is an outstanding overview of the life and thoughts of Karl Marx. The editor masterfully weaves together Marx's published works and private letters into a rich tapestry of history and ideas.Read more

Subjects:  1. Collected works    2. Communism    3. General    4. History & Theory - Radical Thought    5. History - General History    6. Political Ideologies - Communism & Socialism    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Biography & Autobiography / Philosophers    9. Socialism & left-of-centre democratic ideologies   

Reviews (12)

passionately rational loving
The Symposium of Plato is a profoundly thought-provoking, entertaining and inspiring piece of philosophical writing.It is very short, yet infinitely more substantial than many longer works.
Love, Grecian Style
. One of those works that will be read forever, hopefully...
Perhaps the most "literary" of all Plato's works, "Symposium" is the story of a dinner party gathering of great (and a few not so great) minds, whom engage in a discussion in praise of eros, or passionate love.It is considered literary because it is highly metaphorical, it's characters are drawn well and in some cases unforgettably, and it succeeds on many levels.It is not uncommon for Socrates to elevate the subject of discussion in any given dialogue to that of our earthly existence, and how we should go about it.Perhaps shocking to readers unfamiliar with the Greeks is the prevalence of homosexual love, particularly with young boys.But, if nothing else, this is an insight into ancient culture.And the absolutely magnificent speeches given by Aristophanes and Socrates remain profound and beautiful to modern readers, regardless of whether or not the other speeches are unpalatable to some.Also, Alcibiades, drunken, hilarious rant is not to be missed.Read in a single sitting, this work is almost sublime. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - Ancient & Classical    2. Philosophers    3. Philosophy    4. Plato    5. Ancient Western philosophy to c 500    6. Philosophy / Ancient    7. Philosophy | History | Ancient   

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."Read more

Subjects:  1. 1883-1969    2. 1889-1976    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Correspondence    5. Germany    6. Heidegger, Martin    7. Heidegger, Martin,    8. History & Surveys - Modern    9. Jaspers, Karl,    10. Letters    11. Philosophers    12. Philosophy    13. Philosophy Of The 20th Century   

Reviews (4)

Widening Circles
Joanna writes using all of the senses to 'catch' the reader's interest.I am inspired to say the least by her journey, her response to it and her willingness to share so candidly.

Coming to Understand Who We Really Are
I live in the Pacific Northwest.We are experiencing a rather intense conflict over whalehunting by the Makah Indian Nation.Many non-Indian (and some Native) environmentalists and animal lovers oppose the whalehunt, mainly on the grounds that it sets a poor precedent to restart it after a 70-year hiatus, and that it makes a mockery of attempts to preserve the natural environment. Some, in my opinion, have been particularly disrespectful of tribal elders and customs, publicly stating that the whaling traditions of the Makah are long since dead, and that since Indians now live in modern housing and hold down jobs like the rest of us, whaling is no longer relevant to the native culture. A life worth living
I read this book because I had already found 'World as Lover, World as Self' to be inspiring. Joanna Macy's combination of Buddhism, general systems theory and deep ecology seems to 'fit' for me, but here it is her sheer humanity that impresses most. In this memoir she is not afraid to lay open her weaknesses as well as her strenghths, her questions as well as her answers. While her story ends in Bodh Gaya, the Indian site of the Buddha's awakening, what struck me most was the distance Macy had travelled to get there - a whole lifetime of journeying, and seventy years of a dramatically changing world to negotiate. A common thread through many of these years is Macy's opposition to the nuclear military/industrial complex, from her two years employment with the CIA and its culture of 'tough-mindedness' (p.65), to her visit to the people of Novozybkov, poisoned by Chernobyl, her insistence on the need to recognise, express and work through grief is constant. Her ability to guide people through despair to empowerment is a highly significant contribution to the world. To read the story of her life is to see how it can be possible to live without cynicism and with hope intact in the nuclear age. Since I had not read 'Coming Back to Life', Macy's nuclear guardianship project was new to me, and I found it extremely brave and moving. Another thread that runs through Macy's life story is the development of an authentic spirituality. Macy says 'the widening circles of my life have not had as their center the Big Papa God of my preacher forebears. I walked out on that belief when I was twenty'. (p. 277) Despite leaving formal Christianity, she tells of how she 'failed as an atheist' and of her many adventures with Buddhism. These range from the intellectual adventure of studying 'dependent co-arising' to the practical adventures of being thrown out of Sri Lanka and, later, trying to smuggle herself into Tibet illegally. Macy seems too much of a free spirit to sign on the dotted line of any religion, and she is able here to critique as well as praise aspects of Buddhism as she has encountered it. A quote on the back cover of the book is worth repeating: 'A gem for all young people seeking to create a life of meaning, passion and purpose'. I would endorse this, and widen it to include the not-so-young. Its interesting that much of what Macy is known for today was achieved only after her fortieth birthday... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. General    5. Philosophers    6. Religious    7. Women    8. Biography & Autobiography / General    9. Biography: general    10. Macy, Joanna    11. The Environment   

Editorial Review

You can imagine how their eyes grow round when Ayya Khema's students are treated to tidbits of her life. "There was that time with the anaconda in Brazil.... We crashed on a cliffside Himalayan road on our way to meet the mir of Hunza.... Torched by rebels, and I had to decide what to do with my nuns on our island..." Of course, her students badger her to write a book.The Jewish/German refugee, California housewife, Australian farmer, global nomad, and Buddhist nun comes through with a quiet, methodical story, that, if written in any other way, would seem more hyperbole than biography.Read more

Reviews (6)

Interesting Life, Interesting Death
Ilse Kussel's, life covers over half of this autobiographical book, the remainder is the life of Ayya Khema; both lives are well worth reading.
From Ilse Kussel to Ayya Khema
Ayya Khema (1923-1997)played an important role in the ongoing revival of Western interest in Buddhism.Her autobiography "I give you my Life" (1997), completed just before her death, tells the story of the development of her commitment to Buddhism and spirituality and of her decision at age 55 to become a Buddhist nun.Each chapter in her brief book is introduced by a verse from the Dhammapada, a seminal Buddhist scriptural text consisting of short poems, which illuminates in a telling way the portion of her life under discussion. inspirational
i've read some of her other instructional books and have always found them to be very helpful . that sort of piqued my interest in the person itself , which is why i bought this book .Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Buddhism - General    5. Philosophers    6. Religious    7. Women    8. Biography: general    9. Buddhism    10. Religion / Buddhism    11. Religious communities & monasticism   

Reviews (6)

Worth a Look
This book is both a memoir and yet another introduction to philosophy.McGinn tries to come at introducing philosophy in a different way:through his autobiography and through the issues that prompted his interests in philosophy, the ideas he found interesting as a young man studying philosophy, and what he has thought about at particular times in his career as an academic. Writing for general public is not THIS easy
Professor McGinn seems to be rather proud of his writings for the general public. I haven't seen the other popularizations, but I suspect that he has got a little carried away with his earlier successes. Pompous Crap
After slogging through most of this book, I had to stop and put it down.It is horriblyboring, long-winded, and pompous.Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History & Surveys - Modern    3. History Of Philosophy    4. Philosophers    5. Philosophy    6. Philosophy / Modern   

Reviews (7)

A Comprehensive but Complex Introduction
This is book presents a comprehensive and very detailed introduction to Socrates. The book provides an overview of Socrates' life as well as an overview of the primary and secondary literature regarding Socratic scholarship. Socrates is one of most elusive philosophers of the Western tradition, given that he never wrote a single word. Primary knowledge of Socrates is derived from the Socratic dialogues of Plato and Xenophon, Aristophanes' comedy "The Clouds," and less significant references and fragments. Although I agree with other reviewers that this text is indeed too advanced for the introductory reader, it contains so much detailed information that it will prove to be a useful reference to be consulted over and over again for guidance.Taylor's navigation of Socratic literature (Ch. 3), although perhaps too ambitious for a short introduction, is impressive and shows the signs of true scholarship. As an "introduction for advanced readers," so to speak, the book is a success, given that it is saturated with detailed information regarding Socratic literature. However, for the introductory reader, such detailed information may be too overwhelming.

Very good introduction to Socrates, with qualifications.
Prof. Taylor teaches philosophy at Oxford University, and clearly knows his subject.However, his writing style leaves much to be desired.He tends to be convoluted and verbose, with too many parentheses.This is fine for an academic paper, but not for "A Very Short Introduction".He is worst in the first three chapters, in which he reviews Socrates' life and historical context.His discussion of "the Socratic problem" in chapter 3 drags at times, but if you plow through it, ends up being actually pretty good.However, it does not compare for clarity and crispness of reasoning with the discussions of the problem by Prof. Vlastos.
This Classicist Does Not "Get It."
Like so many classicists, Taylor's writing style will repel all but the most pedantic scholar.Instead of a book that engages general readers as well as scholars (it is possible to do both), this book is a dry summary. Taylor's narrow, unimaginative approach fails to capture the greatness of Socrates.The book also does not provide the historical context of ancient Athens that is important in understanding Socrates, the most inspiring philosopher in history.Interest in the classics has declined considerably in recent years.Sadly, this book will only contribute to the decline. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Greek Philosophy    2. History & Surveys - Ancient & Classical    3. Philosophers    4. Philosophy    5. Socrates    6. Ancient Greece    7. Ancient Greek & Roman philosophy    8. Philosophy / Ancient    9. Philosophy | History | Ancient   

Reviews (5)

Useful and Informative
I read this to learn about the relationship between the two protagonists, Camus and Sartre.Both authors were previously familiar to me through their writings and also via some incidental biographical material; what was not familiar was the story of their collaboration during WWII and thereafter, and the specific nature of their philosophical difference, blossoming as it did into a very public and influential break.
Sartre is fairly repulsive (I'm more of a Gabriel Marcel....
man myself)and it's difficult to stomach an "even-handed" (i.e., non-judgemental) account of his behavior during and after WWII, but, solely from the perspective of this work being a window into the relationship of, arguably, the two foremost French thinkers of the twentith century (and please don't throw-up Foucault, Derrida and crew against C & S) - it has considerable value and is worth the read.

Reflections in a Cold War mirror
The friendship and then the falling out between Sartre and Camus is more than biography and tells the story of the Cold War in story book dialectical form. This account brings this self-reflective history to light, beginning with the period of the War, the Vichy regime and the Resistance, then the postwar euphorias of both authors as they become public intellectuals par excellence. Their friendship and vanguard solidarity conceals hidden differences, and as the Cold War gets into gear the divergence of 'lefts' finds its exemplars. It would seem sad in one way, and yet this encounter and division produced the dialectic needed to confront the legacy of Communism and capitalism in collision, as if a fated broil. Within a few years all the issues, later the stuff of endless discourse, were tabled, and the stakes clear til the end in 1989. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1905-    2. 1905-1980    3. 1913-1960    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Camus, Albert,    6. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    7. General    8. Literary    9. Philosophers    10. Philosophy    11. Sartre, Jean Paul,    12. Sartre, Jean-Paul,    13. Philosophy / Modern   

Reviews (4)

Great historian's perspective of a great thinker
Johan Huizinga writes great history. I do not think many contemporary historians can match his prose. He does an excellent job of providing the reader a unique perspective of certain events, and the people involved with them as they unfold.
"An Intimate Portrait of the Great Erasmus"
Of all volumes of study which concern the learned scholar Desiderius Erasmus, it must be said, quite simply, that Johan Huizinga's work stands out among the greatest.Huizinga skillfully and colorfully weaves the many aspects of Erasmus' life together into one intimate portrait which places the man respectfully within the setting of his time. In this work, the reader will find that Huizinga always seems to surface the inmost sentiments of Erasmus, even amidst all the triumph, turmoil, and controversy which marked the age he lived in.From Erasmus' early years as an Augustinian canon, to his final days as an accomplished and conscientious scholar, the same underlining genius will be discovered by anyone who comes to grips with this classic work.Huizinga's, Erasmus and the Age of the Reformation, is a work worthy of praise, even eighty years after its first publication.Also, found here are several valuable letters of Erasmus', which display his dutiful correspondence with individuals like St Thomas More and Martin Luther.Any study of Desiderius Erasmus is not complete without Huizinga's timeless masterpiece at hand.

Man in the Middle
Of particular value to the reader is the preface of this work, penned in 1952 by the then Provost of Oriel College, Oxford, G.N. Clark. The brief preface introduces not only the work but the author, Johan Huizinga, perhaps as a halting effort at rehabilitation. Clark reminds the readers that Huizinga had suffered through two world wars and was imprisoned by the Nazis, and died in February, 1945, literally days before his beloved Holland was liberated: an apologia of sorts for a most controversial scholar. Read more

Subjects:  1. Authors, Latin (Medieval and m    2. Authors, Latin (Medieval and modern)    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Erasmus, Desiderius,    8. General    9. Historical - General    10. Humanists    11. Netherlands    12. Philosophers    13. Scholars, Medieval    14. d. 1536    15. Erasmus, Desiderius    16. History / General   

Reviews (13)

Deconstructing the Self
I am currently finishing An Unknown Woman for the second time. This time was even more useful than the first - which was many years ago. I dug deep into the box hidden at the back of the closet for what I knew would help me in my current internal journey. Yes, there is much about her dog Logos. But like a good movie, the characters must be developed before they can mean anything in the epiphany. I love the process of how she deconstructs her patterns and thoughts to get to some source of each one of them, following a thread until it leads her to a place of realization. And only the realization can stop the process. Along the way I did some deconstructing of myself and developed once again a pattern of looking at my choices that is actually helpful in revealing my own truths hidden under the daily machinations which cover it all up. It is hard to be true to yourself. I am glad to have books like this that continue to aid me in my journey to be free.

perceptive read
Thirtysomething Alice Koller looked in the mirror and didn't recognize the face she saw.Feeling the urgent need to reassess her life, she saved up enough money to spend several months in a secluded house in Nantucket.Her only companion was her puppy, Logos. Faced with solitude, she began the challenging task of dissecting who she was and deciding who she wanted to become.She found that her adult self was not that much different from the child who so desperately sought her mother's attention and affection.She finds her difficulty with jobs and men have their roots in her early conflict with her mother.She emerges clear-sighted and independent: "I don't need anyone to tell me what I'm like, what I do well, what I ought to try. I know who I am a little bit more each day." Through writing and vigorous soul searching she comes to realize this.And the reader will share in her ultimate triumph.
Entertaining yet serious self-searching
Well worth reading; entertaining and enlightening, up to a point. Some minor complaints: too much walking around to no purpose, too much boring talk about the dog, too much melodrama and tears, etc. But these are mostly minor distracti