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Cornel West Reader
Cornel West is one of the nation's premier public intellectuals and one of the great prophetic voices of our era. Whether he is writing a scholarly book or an article for Newsweek, whether he is speaking of Emerson, Gramsci, or Marvin Gaye, his work radiates a passion that reflects the rich traditions he draws on and weaves together: Baptist preaching, American transcendentalism, jazz, radical politics. This anthology reveals the dazzling range of West's work, from his explorations of ”Prophetic Pragmatism” to his philosophizing on hip-hop.
The Cornel West Reader traces the development of West's extraordinary career as academic, public intellectual, and activist. In his essays, articles, books, and interviews, West emerges as America's social conscience, urging attention to complicated issues of racial and economic justice, sexuality and gender, history and politics. This collection represents the best work of an always compelling, often controversial, and absolutely essential philosopher of the modern American experience.
The Cornel West Reader traces the development of West's extraordinary career as academic, public intellectual, and activist. In his essays, articles, books, and interviews, West emerges as America's social conscience, urging attention to complicated issues of racial and economic justice, sexuality and gender, history and politics. This collection represents the best work of an always compelling, often controversial, and absolutely essential philosopher of the modern American experience.
624 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
108 people are currently reading
3097 people want to read
About the author
Cornel West
154 books1,219 followersCornel Ronald West is an American scholar and public intellectual. Formerly at Harvard University, West is currently a professor of Religion at Princeton. West says his intellectual contributions draw from such diverse traditions as the African American Baptist Church, Marxism, pragmatism, transcendentalism, and Anton Chekhov.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 5, 2013
This is a nice hefty collection of West's writings, published in 1999. Because West has continued to write, speak, and otherwise bring his considerable brilliance into the public square, it clearly is anything but an exhaustive collection. I sampled essays from all nine sections, and but really focused on sections I (Autobiographical Prelude), VI (Prophetic Christian Thought), VII (The Arts), and IX ("Chekhov, Coltrane and Democracy). Favourite quote:
"Despite the challenges presented by the widespread trivialization and dilution of the Christian gospel, I remain committed to its fundamental claim: To follow Jesus is to love your way through the darkness of the world. This love appears absurd - in fact pure folly in the face of much of the world's misery - and yet it yields indescribable levels of sorrow and joy, sadness and ecstasy."
"Despite the challenges presented by the widespread trivialization and dilution of the Christian gospel, I remain committed to its fundamental claim: To follow Jesus is to love your way through the darkness of the world. This love appears absurd - in fact pure folly in the face of much of the world's misery - and yet it yields indescribable levels of sorrow and joy, sadness and ecstasy."
August 30, 2007
Cornel West is practically a genius. His work is very interesting and intelligent. It's also very dense. This is not light reading by any means. Have a dictionary handy, get in a comfortable spot and let Professor West show you how he sees things.
June 18, 2016
This is an excellent selection of Dr. West's work from the beginning of his career through 1999, when this volume was published. My personal favorite pieces are those in the section on Marxist theory, of course. But I also highly recommend, among others, "Race and Modernity", "Black Strivings in a Twilight Civilization", "The Political Intellectual", and the "Conversation with bell hooks", an excerpt from their jointly produced book Breaking Bread. (This reminds me, I read West's The Ethical Dimensions of Marxist Thought ages ago but never noted that when I joined Goodreads, something I need to rectify, at least provide a rating.)
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September 22, 2009Turns out it's not actually a book about someone who reads Cornel West. It's just a collection of Cornel West's writing. Weird huh?
July 9, 2008
This book is a compilation of Cornel West's essays who I think is the best race scholar around. He attacks liberalism and conservatism and really takes an honest position on the issues that face Black America. He rightly points out that the issues of Blacks in America are unique to those of other people of color and does not conflate the two. He does not shy away from addressing the problems within the black community while giving historical context for those nagging problems. The essays are well-written and maybe a bit dense, but all extremely thought-provoking.
January 3, 2012
a true intellectual with the feel of an autodidact (that means a beating heart). And a Chekhovian to boot!
March 18, 2024
this is a book that has been and will perpetually be a current read. I find myself returning to this so often, almost monthly, and wanted to mark here how significant this book is to me. not many books contain such a rich selection, and it’s probably because not many people have the intellectual and rhetorical bandwidth that Cornel does. truly remarkable sections on race and religion in America, pragmatism, art, Marx…it’s damn near a totality in and of itself. absolutely essential reading imo, and a exciting one at that. I have to say, I’ve probably read ‘The Indispensability yet Insufficiency of Marxist Theory’ 10+ times. some of the best engagement of Marx, Foucault and Deleuze, dialectics, and many other topics in such a condensed interview that you could possibly find.
it goes without saying that his work cuts deeper than most simply because he’s a rhetorical savant who is not without depth and a genuine commitment to intellectual rigor that’s animated by the existential.
it goes without saying that his work cuts deeper than most simply because he’s a rhetorical savant who is not without depth and a genuine commitment to intellectual rigor that’s animated by the existential.
February 20, 2009
My GSA teacher printed out big excerpts from this book when I was but a wee 15, and I definitely wasn't ready for the ultra-huge words in West's writing, not to mention the message behind it. Luckily I found a copy of this at hpb, so I'm getting my enlightenment on all over again. It's the next best thing to Dr. Brown, I guess...
August 8, 2020
Not the intended audience for this book, a great deal of esoteric philosophy. But the breadth of subjects touched on leaves one nothing if not impressed. An impressive book beyond my layperson (autodidact) abilities. I did get five or six books to put on my reading list out of it though.
November 10, 2024
A COLLECTION SHOWING THE PROGRESSION OF HIS THOUGHT, AND HIS REFLECTIONS ON IT
Professor and author Cornel West wrote in the Preface to this 1999 book, “The primary aim of this reader is to lay bare the basic structure my intellectual work and life. This reader takes the form of a variety of voices and an array of interests that focus on two fundamental themes: the art of living and the expansion of democracy… This volume not only represents the progression of my thought but also consists in my reflections on it. I chose these pieces … because they best represent the crucial moments of an evolving whole.”
He wrote in the Introduction, “I am primarily a dramatist of philosophic notions and historical narratives that partake of blood-drenched battles on a tear-soaked terrain in which our lives and deaths are at stake. My work is a feeble attempt to understand and respond to the guttural cry that erupts from the depths of the soul in each of us…Three related and fundamental questions motivate my writings: What does it mean to be HUMAN? What does it mean to be MODERN? What does it mean to be AMERICAN?” (Pg. xv)
In a 1991 essay, he explains, “I have always shunned the role of theologian because I have little interest in systematizing the dogmas and doctrines, insights and intuitions of the Christian tradition. Nor do I think that they can be rendered coherent and consistent… So I am more a cultural critic with philosophical training who works out of the Christian tradition than a theologian who focuses on the systematic coherency or epistemic validity of Christian claims.” (Pg. 14)
He notes in an interview, “I think that if I were to call myself anything it would be a man of letters who’s deeply immersed in philosophical texts, in literary texts, deeply concerned also with scientific texts, but science… as one element in the quest for wisdom rather than… gaining knowledge in order to dominate nature… but I’ve never viewed myself as an academic or professional philosopher in a narrow sense.” (Pg. 22) Later, he adds, “I don’t believe that any arguments for or against the existence of God have much weight one way or the other… I can’t think that way at all. It is not my way of being oriented to understanding what it means to be human in relationship to a religious tradition… the Christian tradition in this case.” (Pg. 28)
In another essay (which he admits, “If all my writings but one had to disappear, this essay is the one piece I hope would survive”) he states, “Regarding the intellectual defects of Du Bois’s noble endeavor: First, he assumes that highbrow culture is inherently humanizing, and that exposure to and immersion in great works produce good people. Yet we have little reason to believe that people who delight in the works of geniuses like Mozart and Beethoven… are any more or less humane than those who dance in the barnyards to the banjo plucking of nameless rural folk in Tennessee. Certainly those fervent white supremacists who worship the Greek and Roman classics … weaken his case.” (Pg. 95)
He continues, “The sheer absurdity of being a black human being whose black body is viewed as an abomination, whose black thoughts and ideas are perceived as debased and whose black pain and grief are rendered invisible on the human and moral scale, is the New World context in which black culture emerged. Black people are first and foremost an African people, in that the cultural baggage they brought with them to the New World was grounded in their earlier responses to African conditions. Yet the rich African traditions… would undergo creative transformation when brought into contact with European languages and rituals in the context of the New World. For example, there would be no jazz without New World Africans with European languages and instruments.” (Pg. 101-102)
In another interview (where the interviewer suggested, “some of your statements … seemed almost metaphysical”), he clarifies, “There is nothing metaphysical about it… the thing about sacrificial love is that it has no metaphysical foundation for it. It is simply a leap that we make in our short lives that gives it so much meaning and infuses it with so much significance… You take a tremendous risk… but there is no metaphysical ground. No security, nothing guaranteed, no surety whatsoever.” (Pg. 228)
In his famed essay, ‘The Dilemma of the Black Intellectual,’ he observes, “The tragedy of black intellectual activity is that the black institutional support for such activity is in shambles. The quantity and quality of black intellectual exchange is at its worst since the Civil War. There is no major black academic journal; no major black intellectual magazine; no major black periodical of highbrow journalism; not even a major black newspaper of national scope. In short, the black infrastructure for intellectual discourse and dialogue is nearly nonexistent.” (Pg. 304)
Later, he adds, “To be honest, black America has yet to produce a great, literate intellectual, with the sole exception of Toni Morrison. There indeed have been superb ones---Du Bois, Frazier, Ellison, Baldwin, Hurston---and many good ones. But none can compare to the heights achieved by black preachers and, especially, musicians." (Pg. 306)
He asserts, “Liberation theologies are the principal forms of Christian prophetic thought and action in our contemporary age. They present the ways of life and struggle of Christians around the world who have convinced remnants of the church to open its eyes to human misery… and political structures that perpetuate such misery. .. Liberation theologies are the predominant forms of critical consciousness within the Christian church that responds to the dangers of class, racial and sexual privilege and project the possibility of class, racial and sexual equality.” (Pg. 393)
An interviewer asks him about his “very public stance against heterosexism and homophobia,” and he replies, “Any time you offer a serious critique of the systems of power and privilege, be it compulsory heterosexuality, be it white supremacy or what have you, you’re going to catch some hell… I tend to catch hell on this issue.” (Pg. 402-403)
In another essay, he states, “Soul music is more than either secularized gospel or funkified jazz. Rather, it is a particular Africanization of Afro-American music with intent to appeal to the black masses, especially geared for the black ritual of attending parties and dances. Soul music is the populist application of bebop’s aim: racial self-conscious assertion among black people in light of their rich musical heritage.” (Pg. 476)
He continues, “To put it bluntly, the roots of the Afro-American spiritual-blues impulse are based on the supposition that somebody---God, Mom, or neighbors---cares. Some expressions of black rap music challenge this supposition. The future of the Afro-American spiritual-blues impulse may well hang on the quality of the response to this challenge.” (Pg. 483)
Whether as an introduction, a ‘refresher course,’ or just a book to appreciate, this book will be “must reading” for anyone wanting to read West’s most significant (to him, at least) writings.
Professor and author Cornel West wrote in the Preface to this 1999 book, “The primary aim of this reader is to lay bare the basic structure my intellectual work and life. This reader takes the form of a variety of voices and an array of interests that focus on two fundamental themes: the art of living and the expansion of democracy… This volume not only represents the progression of my thought but also consists in my reflections on it. I chose these pieces … because they best represent the crucial moments of an evolving whole.”
He wrote in the Introduction, “I am primarily a dramatist of philosophic notions and historical narratives that partake of blood-drenched battles on a tear-soaked terrain in which our lives and deaths are at stake. My work is a feeble attempt to understand and respond to the guttural cry that erupts from the depths of the soul in each of us…Three related and fundamental questions motivate my writings: What does it mean to be HUMAN? What does it mean to be MODERN? What does it mean to be AMERICAN?” (Pg. xv)
In a 1991 essay, he explains, “I have always shunned the role of theologian because I have little interest in systematizing the dogmas and doctrines, insights and intuitions of the Christian tradition. Nor do I think that they can be rendered coherent and consistent… So I am more a cultural critic with philosophical training who works out of the Christian tradition than a theologian who focuses on the systematic coherency or epistemic validity of Christian claims.” (Pg. 14)
He notes in an interview, “I think that if I were to call myself anything it would be a man of letters who’s deeply immersed in philosophical texts, in literary texts, deeply concerned also with scientific texts, but science… as one element in the quest for wisdom rather than… gaining knowledge in order to dominate nature… but I’ve never viewed myself as an academic or professional philosopher in a narrow sense.” (Pg. 22) Later, he adds, “I don’t believe that any arguments for or against the existence of God have much weight one way or the other… I can’t think that way at all. It is not my way of being oriented to understanding what it means to be human in relationship to a religious tradition… the Christian tradition in this case.” (Pg. 28)
In another essay (which he admits, “If all my writings but one had to disappear, this essay is the one piece I hope would survive”) he states, “Regarding the intellectual defects of Du Bois’s noble endeavor: First, he assumes that highbrow culture is inherently humanizing, and that exposure to and immersion in great works produce good people. Yet we have little reason to believe that people who delight in the works of geniuses like Mozart and Beethoven… are any more or less humane than those who dance in the barnyards to the banjo plucking of nameless rural folk in Tennessee. Certainly those fervent white supremacists who worship the Greek and Roman classics … weaken his case.” (Pg. 95)
He continues, “The sheer absurdity of being a black human being whose black body is viewed as an abomination, whose black thoughts and ideas are perceived as debased and whose black pain and grief are rendered invisible on the human and moral scale, is the New World context in which black culture emerged. Black people are first and foremost an African people, in that the cultural baggage they brought with them to the New World was grounded in their earlier responses to African conditions. Yet the rich African traditions… would undergo creative transformation when brought into contact with European languages and rituals in the context of the New World. For example, there would be no jazz without New World Africans with European languages and instruments.” (Pg. 101-102)
In another interview (where the interviewer suggested, “some of your statements … seemed almost metaphysical”), he clarifies, “There is nothing metaphysical about it… the thing about sacrificial love is that it has no metaphysical foundation for it. It is simply a leap that we make in our short lives that gives it so much meaning and infuses it with so much significance… You take a tremendous risk… but there is no metaphysical ground. No security, nothing guaranteed, no surety whatsoever.” (Pg. 228)
In his famed essay, ‘The Dilemma of the Black Intellectual,’ he observes, “The tragedy of black intellectual activity is that the black institutional support for such activity is in shambles. The quantity and quality of black intellectual exchange is at its worst since the Civil War. There is no major black academic journal; no major black intellectual magazine; no major black periodical of highbrow journalism; not even a major black newspaper of national scope. In short, the black infrastructure for intellectual discourse and dialogue is nearly nonexistent.” (Pg. 304)
Later, he adds, “To be honest, black America has yet to produce a great, literate intellectual, with the sole exception of Toni Morrison. There indeed have been superb ones---Du Bois, Frazier, Ellison, Baldwin, Hurston---and many good ones. But none can compare to the heights achieved by black preachers and, especially, musicians." (Pg. 306)
He asserts, “Liberation theologies are the principal forms of Christian prophetic thought and action in our contemporary age. They present the ways of life and struggle of Christians around the world who have convinced remnants of the church to open its eyes to human misery… and political structures that perpetuate such misery. .. Liberation theologies are the predominant forms of critical consciousness within the Christian church that responds to the dangers of class, racial and sexual privilege and project the possibility of class, racial and sexual equality.” (Pg. 393)
An interviewer asks him about his “very public stance against heterosexism and homophobia,” and he replies, “Any time you offer a serious critique of the systems of power and privilege, be it compulsory heterosexuality, be it white supremacy or what have you, you’re going to catch some hell… I tend to catch hell on this issue.” (Pg. 402-403)
In another essay, he states, “Soul music is more than either secularized gospel or funkified jazz. Rather, it is a particular Africanization of Afro-American music with intent to appeal to the black masses, especially geared for the black ritual of attending parties and dances. Soul music is the populist application of bebop’s aim: racial self-conscious assertion among black people in light of their rich musical heritage.” (Pg. 476)
He continues, “To put it bluntly, the roots of the Afro-American spiritual-blues impulse are based on the supposition that somebody---God, Mom, or neighbors---cares. Some expressions of black rap music challenge this supposition. The future of the Afro-American spiritual-blues impulse may well hang on the quality of the response to this challenge.” (Pg. 483)
Whether as an introduction, a ‘refresher course,’ or just a book to appreciate, this book will be “must reading” for anyone wanting to read West’s most significant (to him, at least) writings.
Currently reading
February 2, 2009To be American is to downplay history in the name of hope, to ignore memory in the cause of possibility.
History will haunt us and memory should keep us honest.
Like Sisyphus, we go endlessly up and down with noble arms and aspirations, but no ultimate harmony, or achieved wholeness.
Learned also about James Hal Cone. Cone's theology received significant inspiration from a frustration with the Black struggle for civil rights; he felt that Black Christians in North America should not follow the "white Church", on the grounds that it was a willing part of the system that had oppressed black people. Accordingly, his theology was heavily influenced by Malcolm X and the Black Power movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. was also an important influence; Cone describes King as a liberation theologian avant la lettre.
West did not fully agree with Malcolm X, Black Panther Party or James Cole for he felt they lacked the self-critical moment of humility he discerned in the grand example of Martin Luther King, Jr.
When teaching three courses at the University of Paris VIII in the spring of 1987, Cornel was amazed at the French students' ignorance of U.S. philosophy and their hunger for Afro-American history and culture.
Cornel's history course was scheduled for twenty, but over a hundred students (many from African and Arab countries) enrolled.
Must admit I am finding it hard to read this book. Not so much needing the thesaurus, but find it easier to listen to Professor Cornel West speak.
History will haunt us and memory should keep us honest.
Like Sisyphus, we go endlessly up and down with noble arms and aspirations, but no ultimate harmony, or achieved wholeness.
Learned also about James Hal Cone. Cone's theology received significant inspiration from a frustration with the Black struggle for civil rights; he felt that Black Christians in North America should not follow the "white Church", on the grounds that it was a willing part of the system that had oppressed black people. Accordingly, his theology was heavily influenced by Malcolm X and the Black Power movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. was also an important influence; Cone describes King as a liberation theologian avant la lettre.
West did not fully agree with Malcolm X, Black Panther Party or James Cole for he felt they lacked the self-critical moment of humility he discerned in the grand example of Martin Luther King, Jr.
When teaching three courses at the University of Paris VIII in the spring of 1987, Cornel was amazed at the French students' ignorance of U.S. philosophy and their hunger for Afro-American history and culture.
Cornel's history course was scheduled for twenty, but over a hundred students (many from African and Arab countries) enrolled.
Must admit I am finding it hard to read this book. Not so much needing the thesaurus, but find it easier to listen to Professor Cornel West speak.
August 22, 2007
cornell west is an amazing speaker & thinker... my only problem with reading his works is that they are way too verbose for me. maybe i'm just a little dim, but i usually have to read his work with a dictionary! spread the word though, he just may change the world.
Currently reading
August 15, 2009I love Dr. West. His book is a lot to digest for us normal folk. I equate a few pages of his thoughts to thanksgiving dinner. You take in as much as you can in one sitting and then you sit back and let it digest and go back as little later for another helping.
August 6, 2014
I strongly recommend this book to anyone that has not read any of Cornell West work. He does not hide from addressing problems that blacks are facing within their community and will continue to face without change and education.
April 22, 2007
A great book to have if you are a student of race in America. It's very hefty. A good addition to any well stocked and broad library. This paired with DuBois Souls of Black Folks would be good.
Currently reading
October 4, 2007i'm not nearly as smart as i think i am
January 17, 2008
a "chekovian christian", whatever that means.
November 12, 2008
Not only does he have a sweet beard, every page has something that I underlined. Because yes, I'm that guy.
May 19, 2014
Inspiring and thought provoking! I learned so much about how much strength I have and forgotten about.
August 4, 2016
Very intelligent dictation of the realities and civil unstructured diplomatic injustices of our times...Great read for all.
November 18, 2016
Amazing!
November 16, 2017
Not an easy read, but exhilarating and immersive!
April 14, 2022
The way I read this book is not the best way to read it. A lot of Cornel West's career (up thru 1999) is covered in this book, and the book is organized by subject matter. I read it straight through, but if you skip around and find what's interesting to you, you'll like it more. For the most part, it's all interesting and well-written, but portions on the pragmatism, the philosophical school of thought, are dense and require significant background knowledge to get as much out of.
In case you care what I think, I thought these chapters were most insightful:
5. Race and Modernity
15. Race and Social Theory
16. The Role of Law in Progressive Politics
36. Horace Pippin's Challenge to Art Criticism
43. On Affirmative Action
Knowing West mostly from TV appearances, I definitely underestimated the rigor with which he could craft an argument. Not to imply he's bad on TV, but the medium can't do him justice. The man is erudite. There was surprise here for me about what portions I got the most out of. West is articulate on race relations and pragmatism, but he's very overt about focusing on the tragicomic and absurd nature of human existence which breathes life into both the politics and philosophy he discusses.
What surprised me most about this reader was what sections I got the most out of. I'm not a big reader of art criticism don't think of it as West's field, but that section of the book was one of the most insightful. Maybe it was because he attached comments on criticism to human experience. Conversely, the more purely philosophical parts of the book I got much less out of, but to be far some of that is just my own lack of a particular base of knowledge.
West's writing is clear, especially for a philosopher, and imbued with emotion. You can tell from the interviews in this book that writing and discussing these topics is not just a talent but a passion. I must say, though, that I got sick of his repeated use of Scylla and Charybdis as an analogy for every difficult course of action.
If nothing else, I recommend grabbing this from the library so you can read Race and Modernity. The way West outlines the racism entrenched in Enlightenment thought is truly illuminating. As an American, whose country has its philosophical roots in that school of thought and was engaged deeply in what West calls "the dark side of modernity," the piece gives great perspective. He is able to offer a fundamental critique of Enlightenment principles without writing them off as mere hypocrisy.
In case you care what I think, I thought these chapters were most insightful:
5. Race and Modernity
15. Race and Social Theory
16. The Role of Law in Progressive Politics
36. Horace Pippin's Challenge to Art Criticism
43. On Affirmative Action
Knowing West mostly from TV appearances, I definitely underestimated the rigor with which he could craft an argument. Not to imply he's bad on TV, but the medium can't do him justice. The man is erudite. There was surprise here for me about what portions I got the most out of. West is articulate on race relations and pragmatism, but he's very overt about focusing on the tragicomic and absurd nature of human existence which breathes life into both the politics and philosophy he discusses.
What surprised me most about this reader was what sections I got the most out of. I'm not a big reader of art criticism don't think of it as West's field, but that section of the book was one of the most insightful. Maybe it was because he attached comments on criticism to human experience. Conversely, the more purely philosophical parts of the book I got much less out of, but to be far some of that is just my own lack of a particular base of knowledge.
West's writing is clear, especially for a philosopher, and imbued with emotion. You can tell from the interviews in this book that writing and discussing these topics is not just a talent but a passion. I must say, though, that I got sick of his repeated use of Scylla and Charybdis as an analogy for every difficult course of action.
If nothing else, I recommend grabbing this from the library so you can read Race and Modernity. The way West outlines the racism entrenched in Enlightenment thought is truly illuminating. As an American, whose country has its philosophical roots in that school of thought and was engaged deeply in what West calls "the dark side of modernity," the piece gives great perspective. He is able to offer a fundamental critique of Enlightenment principles without writing them off as mere hypocrisy.
October 25, 2020
First time I have read anything by a philosopher. It certainly caused to me stop and think in a number of ways about how we have ended up in, at times, a racially divided world. His encouragement to view the reasons behind this stretching back in time were enlightening. Where I struggled is the necessity to always express ones thoughts, beliefs or opinions in comparison to the many other philosophers, both contemporaries of his as well as the long past. Invariably this would result in 3 word ‘ism’s either supporting or disapproving of A N Others stance or explanation. This, along with reaching for a dictionary every third word, in some of the main essays, made for hard going and difficulty for me at least to see beyond these irritations. I’m sure this is due to my inexperience with philosophy rather than any wrongdoing of Mr West. However it hasn’t made me rush for something in the same genre. I will say that he has made me think about things I may not have done had I not read this summary of his important essays.
January 9, 2025
I picked this book up originally as Cornell West was launching his bid for President of The United States as a third party candidate. I was intrigued and wanted to know more.
I thought this book would be a great primer on Dr. West. Unfortunately, I found the vast majority of the book written on an academic level and it was way over my head.
Yet, it did reinforce to me the deep and vast knowledge of Dr. West.
It ends up I voted for Harris as I live in a swing state and I thought the election was going to be closer than it was.
I still am very curious of what our country would look like with a West administration. I dare entertain that it would be much better than any Trump or Harris.
I thought this book would be a great primer on Dr. West. Unfortunately, I found the vast majority of the book written on an academic level and it was way over my head.
Yet, it did reinforce to me the deep and vast knowledge of Dr. West.
It ends up I voted for Harris as I live in a swing state and I thought the election was going to be closer than it was.
I still am very curious of what our country would look like with a West administration. I dare entertain that it would be much better than any Trump or Harris.
April 16, 2023
Outstanding overview of Dr. West's work. I encountered him earlier in his book "Hope on a Tightrope" and in several readings in the anthology "Pragmatism", which made me want to gain a greater exposure to his thought. He has altered my view of American Pragmatism, such as it is, and launched my further inquiry into others.
I very highly recommend this book.
I very highly recommend this book.
May 1, 2024
West is an intellectual. Reading this collection requires the reader to, at an elementary level, familiarize him or herself with West's way of writing about philosophy. I had to, at times, just accept that I don't know Wittgenstein or Lukács, and I will have to familiarize myself with them so I can better appreciate West's insights.
July 6, 2023
“Profound music leads us-beyond language- to dark roots of our scream and the celestial heights of our silence. To be modern is to have the courage to use one’s critical intelligence to question and challenge the prevailing authorities, powers and hierarchies of the world”
May 25, 2019
Such a treasure trove of thought-provoking essays written in his erudite and enthusiastic style.
July 17, 2021
This was a hard read. I felt accomplished once I finished it. I actually throughly enjoyed the book. I gave three stars for the religious under tones. But that’s to be expected. This is a good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews