Some readers will put this down halfway through, driven mad by the sophomoric tone—but anyone who misses those dorm-room...
A rather juvenile jeremiad against the shallowness of contemporary life.
Journalist Phillips wants us to think and question more. He wants modern society to be one giant Athenian agora, with people puzzling over the big questions, waving their hands as they debate the meaning of life, furrowing their brows as they ponder the nature of freedom and rationality. He wants us to hold Socrates Cafés. They don’t have to happen in cafés, though perhaps the aroma of French Roast will stimulate discussion. They happen anywhere people want to “do philosophy,” anywhere people want to “do more than regurgitate” the books they’ve read. Phillips tells of leading a Socrates Café at Mad Magda’s Russian Tea Room in San Francisco, where more than 50 people gathered to discuss “Why question?” You can even have a Socrates Café of one—a “tête-à-tête with only one tête,” as Phillips delightfully puts it—any time you ask yourself a question or think a deep thought. Folks at the College II Coffeehouse ponder over what a friend is. (One man claims he has no expectations of any of his friends, and his interlocutor is stunned, asking if that is really possible.) In New Jersey, a gang chats about how you know when you know yourself. The amateur Socrates here are often a touch self-indulgent: take, for example, the erstwhile philosophy Ph.D. candidates who realized he couldn’t find true philosophy in the groves of academe (because ivory-tower pointy heads “imagine themselves to be philosophers, but they aren’t real philosophers”) or the cardboard lawyer in West Virginia (he’s a great success, but he hates the law and feels trapped). We’ve heard this kvetching before, and there’s nothing especially philosophical about it.
Some readers will put this down halfway through, driven mad by the sophomoric tone—but anyone who misses those dorm-room chats may be inspired to start a Socrates Café of his own.Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-393-04956-6
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2000
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
