But That's Ridiculous!


Book Description

This book is intended for people who like to think, discuss, argue. Its theme is human error. Unfortunately this is ever-present; it occurs throughout our history, in all areas. The errors targeted here are quite 'ordinary'. They are ones that can occur to thoughtful people through reading the news, watching TV, going to work, discussion with friends and colleagues, and generally just pondering. Topics discussed range from everyday things like sport, education and transport, to a few more serious subjects like religion and the moral law. Readers will almost certainly have had similar (and no doubt similarly critical) thoughts to the author on some if not all of these matters.Quite often the stance is deliberately controversial, provocative - thinking, or arguing, 'outside the box'. But - as the title implies - an attempt is always made to show that the normal, standard way of looking at things is flawed, irrational. Readers will not always agree with the line taken, but it is hoped that considering the arguments will be challenging and enjoyable.Dr Philip Holt has taught philosophy, mathematics and physics, and is the recipient of the Joad Prize for philosophy. He is the author of a recent book, God: The Case Against, published by Sussex Academic Press.




Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me


Book Description

A witty, psychedelic, and telling novel of the 1960s Richard Fariña evokes the Sixties as precisely, wittily, and poignantly as F. Scott Fitzgerald captured the Jazz Age. The hero, Gnossus Pappadopoulis, weaves his way through the psychedelic landscape, encountering-among other things-mescaline, women, art, gluttony, falsehood, science, prayer, and, occasionally, truth. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. From the Trade Paperback edition.




The Myth of Sisyphus And Other Essays


Book Description

One of the most influential works of this century, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays is a crucial exposition of existentialist thought. Influenced by works such as Don Juan and the novels of Kafka, these essays begin with a meditation on suicide; the question of living or not living in a universe devoid of order or meaning. With lyric eloquence, Albert Camus brilliantly posits a way out of despair, reaffirming the value of personal existence, and the possibility of life lived with dignity and authenticity.




Is Human Life Absurd? A Philosophical Inquiry into Finitude, Value, and Meaning


Book Description

In this work, Belliotti unravels the paradoxes of human existence. The purpose of this philosophical journey is to reveal paths for forging meaningful, significant, valuable, even important lives. By examining notions of The Absurd expressed within Search for the Holy Grail, The Seventh Seal, and The Big Lebowski, the author crafts a working definition of “absurdity.” He then investigates the contributions of classical thinkers such as Shakespeare, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Tolstoy, Sartre, Camus, as well as philosophers such as Nagel, Feinberg, and Taylor. After arguing that human life is not inherently absurd, Belliotti examines the implications of mortality for human existence, the relationship between subjective and objective meaning, and the persuasiveness of several challenging contemporary renderings of meaningful human lives.




My Absurd Religion


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The Absurd Hero in American Fiction


Book Description

When The Absurd Hero in American Fiction was first released in 1966, Granville Hicks praised it in a lead article for the Saturday Review as a sensitive and definitive study of a new trend in postwar American literature. In the years that followed, David Galloway’s analysis of the writings of John Updike, William Styron, Saul Bellow, and J. D. Salinger became a standard critical work, an indispensable tool for readers concerned with contemporary American literature. The New York Times described the book as “a seminal study of the modern literary imagination." David Galloway, himself an established novelist, later extensively revised The Absurd Hero to include authoritative discussions of more than a dozen novels which had appeared since the first revised edition was released in 1970. Among them are John Updike’s Couples, Rabbit Redux, and The Coup; William Styron’s The Confessions of Nat Turner and Sophie’s Choice; and Saul Bellow’s Mr. Sammler’s Planet and Humboldt’s Gift. Through detailed analyses of these works, Galloway demonstrates the continuing relevance of his own provocative concept of the absurd hero and provides important insights into the literary achievements of four of America’s most influential postwar novelists.




Albert Camus and the Philosophy of the Absurd


Book Description

This book is an attempt to read the totality of Camus’s oeuvre as a voyage, in which Camus approaches the fundamental questions of human existence: What is the meaning of life? Can ultimate values be grounded without metaphysical presuppositions? Can the pain of the other penetrate the thick shield of human narcissism and self-interest? Solipsism and solidarity are among the destinations Camus reaches in the course of this journey. This book is a new reading of one of the towering humanists of the twentieth century, and sheds new light on his spiritual world.




The Critic


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Parliamentary Papers


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Revelation and Reason


Book Description

Colin Gunton was a world renowned scholar, systematic theologian and Reformed Church minister. Revelation and Reason is an in-depth analysis, derived from the annual lecture/seminar course he gave to MA students at King's College London. Approximately one-third of the work is a direct transcript, and analysis of the three two-hour lectures Colin Gunton gave at a break-neck speed: 1. 'From Reason and Revelation to Revelation And Reason'; 2. 'The Modern Problem in an Historical Context'; 3. 'Aspects of Karl Barth on Faith And Reason'. These lectures were a history, analysis and critique of Revelation and Reason in Systematic Theology and Philosophy, culminating with Karl Barth. The remainder is a transcript of the unrehearsed, unscripted, extemporary responses Colin Gunton gave to MA student's papers on set topics in the Revelation and Reason course, seamlessly integrated, where relevant, with detail from the main three lectures. Colin was a creative lecturer and widely read theologian and philosopher. These extemporary responses show the breadth of his learning, and his genius spontaneously to bring to mind relevant ideas from a wealth of theologians and philosophers, whilst incisively and piercingly exposing the flaws as well as the strengths under consideration. From this wealth of reading, Colin gave space to the free rein of his mind particularly when fielding questions or trying to analyze a particular strand of a theologian's thought. Revelation and Reason is a complementary volume to Colin Gunton's posthumously published The Barth Lectures (Continuum 2007) and to the first volume of his unfinished Systematic Theology, also forthcoming from T&T Clark.