Existentialism For Dummies

I took two philosophy courses as an undergraduate. The "Logic" course was good but the instructor was nutty. In the second course the full professor was nutty and so were all seven or eight of the students. That was the end of philosophy for me for fifty years, i.e. there seemed to be a strong positive correlation between philosophy and nutty people. Then I happened to watch a raunchy pre-code Barbara Stanwyck movie "Babyface" and one character made reference to Nietzsche. My interest was rekindled. I bought Panza's book. Panza and his co-author are able to take the ramblings of many philosophers and actually make sense of, in this case, existentialism. Starting with the "God is dead" statement they explain simply that it means that science has destroyed the order in our civilization that the Church gave us. We must find something else. From here they go on to explain that reality can't be seen or understood because of our moods, they interpret much of the world as we see it. Next they go on to anxiety, yeah I suffer from anxiety as we all do. What's that lyric: tired of livin' but scared of dyin'? This leads us to the need to find some meaning in life. Well I won't go on and beat a dead horse. Just let me say the book is a fun read; yes, they are a bit humorous, and they explain this arcane bit of philosophy quite well. So am I an existentialist? Probably, just hope I don't turn nutty. Buy the book.

I've always been intrigued by existentialism and some films and novels made me even more thrilled to have a introduction to these ideas. Even though most philosophy books are written with a complex vocabulary that makes them really inaccessible for people who are not making a formal study of the subject. This book breaks that style and introduces the ideas of the main philosophers that influenced in what we generally know as "existentialism". It does it in a funny, clear, a nice way. You don't get tired of reading the book. If you're interested in a specific subject you can jump to that chapter. If you're interested in having a more structured learning process, you can get it from the book too. Really recommended.

I just started reading this book but I am very impressed by the down to earth explanation on the topic. I think this book is a good starting point for those seeking a general understanding of existentialism before getting down to more complicated intellectual understanding of the topic from the originators or those viewed as significant contributers of the philosophy. I'm going to give it 4 stars only because I have not finished the complete text but so far so good, I am totally interested in the topic mostly because of the down to earth interpretation that includes those of us not intellectually capable of understanding this type of text in its original complicated jargon.

I found this book gave a very clear understanding of the topic and I would absolutely recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the topic. I read it from cover to cover and enjoyed all of it. At times I found the paragraph structuring to be a little off, but the underlying meaning was still understood. The authors have managed to explain a very subtle subject which is no mean feat, and hence I give them a lot of credit for it. And unlike other beginners' books, the authors have managed to give over the content in a clear form without incessant interruption of corny jokes. After reading this book, you will have a thorough understanding of existentialism, from its beginning to its end, as well as an understanding of each Existentialist's contribution, both on their own merit and within the broader gestalt. I am glad I bought this book, and highly recommended it! Update: I have since read Existentialism: A Beginner's Guide by Thomas E. Wartenberg, and I have to say that it's a clearer read of the subject.

Existentialism refers to a school of philosophical thought that was mainly popular among European thinkers in the twentieth century. It mainly focuses on the individual's role in the world and the concept of the "absurdity" or inherent meaninglessness of life. Recently, I got a cheap, used copy of a work by Jean-Paul Sartre, but I, with no real background in philosophy, quickly gave up on it when I had trouble understanding it. Instead, I turned to Existentialism for Dummies for an introduction to the subject and was greatly pleased. This book gives an overall look at existentialist concepts. It uses the ideas primarily from five philosophers: Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus. For example, the book seeks to explain just what Nietzsche meant when he declared that "God is dead." It also explains one of the central concepts of existentialism: the absurdity of life. Existentialism contends that life is basically meaningless and people are free to create their own meaning in life. This is also related to the idea that a person should strive to live authentically instead of relying on others to find meaning. All in all, this book was a good introduction to existentialism for the layman. I would recommend this to those looking for an introduction to the topic.

This is a well written and thought out book. It is easy to read, and still manages to convey the existentialist points of view and concerns in all their depth and meaningfulness. I highly recommend it as an intro to this school of thought. The authors' style is personable and connected, they talk to the reader rather than just outline theories.

small section of book missing entirely. obviously knew it would be in worn condition, I even found the annotations previously made rather interesting but 20+ pages had been cut out from the book. Still found the book helpful and useful in directing me to other sources and readings which may be useful but was disappointed to find a pertinent section missing.

Extremely thorough. I was excited to learn one author went to the same University as me (SUNY Purchase) and the other lives in the same city as me. My first “…for dummies” book. It covers a lot!

I’m sufficiently acquainted with many of the existential philosophers and their works. Although this book was not designed to provide the depth one would desire who studies existentialism, it offers sufficient content to begin one’s journey. It may also clarify certain concepts of the philosophers whose ideas are presented in this book, for those who may find their original works difficult to comprehend, as a few existential philosophers use their own language to explain their ideas, such as, Heidegger and Sartre. Overall, however, I found the book enjoyable to read. I do agree with comments made by others that suggest the book contains an over abundance of repetition. This may, however, help the novice retain critical information so my comment is merely factual not judgemental.

Ich finde Philosophie trocken und langweilig, aber ich wollte etwas zu diesem Thema lernen. Das Buch war perfekt dafür. Der Text ist leicht verständlich, die Ideen gut erklärt, und mit viel Humor dargestellt. Viele Hinweise, was man noch lesen könnte, wenn man sich ins Thematik vertiefen möchte.

Good book explaining Existentialism as clearly as possible and providing examples of movies and stories that explore the themes espoused by existentialists.

Would definitely recommend as a beginner wanting to learn about existentialism. Like the style of the For Dummies books and enjoy the humour. Received promptly.

I'd dabbled with a couple of other books that promised to introduce Existentialism. In each, plain-spoken styles soon gave way to muddy, other-worldly philosophical explanations. This book was completely different from those experiences, and is completely true to the reason "For Dummies" books exist: to explain what can be difficult topics in language that is easy to understand. The authors did an admirable job of doing just that. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a solid introduction to Existentialism.