Existentialism: Basic Writings (Second Edition)

Rating:
Summary: A beginer's trail guide
Review: An excellent work. The wide selection of readings alone would cost quite a bit of money to assemble seperately. Major contributions by each philospher are summarized in a non-technical manner that is accesible by readers from all walks of life. One of the few books that approaches several major themes under one cover and manages to leave the reader with the seeds of interest rather than confusion and massive generalization. I first ran across the work in class and it has remained a springboard for all manner of reading and writing. All in all an excellent grounding for further study.

Rating:
Summary: A great way to start thinking existentially
Review: This is a very helpful, useful collection. Nowhere else will you find such generous selections from these four major contributors to the existentialist tradition. (Even though Sartre is the only one who adopted the label "existentialist," there is no doubt that all four thinkers are concerned with some similar problems and take some similar approaches.) Of course, a different editor might have made somewhat different selections, but anyone who reads the introductions and texts in this volume carefully will come away with a solid understanding of many major ideas of these philosophers -- and maybe a deeper understanding of his or her own life.

Rating:
Summary: More Heidegger, Less Kierkegaard
Review: This text would certainly be of some use to readers who aren't overly familiar with the writings of Sartre, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, but it falls flat at times. The introductions into each philosopher are well done, but the authors mention many works that they include no excerpts from. The section on Kierkegaard is too long (especially the excerpts from _Fear and Trembling_), and Heidegger's section could be lengthened (including excerpts from works other than _Being and Time_), but, then again, Heidegger, several times, publically refuted that he was an existentialist. Another complaint is that the excerpts from Nietzsche are too random and disjointed and there are no excerpts from _Thus Spoke Zarathustra_: leaving out a great deal of insight into the Overman and the will to power. Overall, this book is more than adequate... for an introduction.