Rate this book

How To Be An Existentialist: Or How To Get Real, Get A Grip And Stop Making Excuses (2009)

by Gary Cox(Favorite Author)

3.94 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1441188436 (ISBN13: 9781441188434)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Continuum

review 1: Very short! But I found this an insightful, entertaining introduction to the concept of Existentialism, without being utterly conclusive. Further reading required. However, it boils essentially down to - own your decisions and mistakes, blame nobody but yourself, be who actually you are - once you figure THAT out, unless you don't like it, in which case, like, change it. But for god's sake, don't whine about everything because it's all on you - whatever your situation. Which, frankly, is good advice for us all...especially politicians, and reality TV contestants.Also, he's convinced me that reading a big pile of Nietzsche is a good idea. Stand well back....
review 2: Quite a lot of pretentious tosh surrounding basically a reasonable way to view life. Probably w... moreorth reading as an introduction.This is a fairly readable book, although some of the more philosophical sections need to be reread, and I think I get them now but am not sure.From what I can gather, a person is a work in progress, not a defined thing. They are a combination of their previous choices and the possibilities that future choices may bring. Everyone is free in the sense of not only being able to decide how to act, but they must choose. Choosing not to choose is still a choice.To be authentic a person must embrace the fact that they choose how to act, think and feel and accept the responsibility that that places on them.There is a chunk more too. less

Download links for: How to Be an Existentialist: or How to Get Real, Get a Grip and Stop Making Excuses

Advertising