the-existentialist-s-guide-to-death-the-universe-and-nothingness

by Gary Cox

This is an entertaining philosophical guide to life, death, everything and nothing! "The Existentialist''s Guide to Death, the Universe and Nothingness" is an entertaining and thoroughly philosophical guide to life, death, everything and nothing. Gary Cox, bestselling author of "How to Be an Existentialist" and "How to Be a Philosopher", takes us on a journey through all the themes most central to the existential philosophy of the human condition and, indeed, to life itself. "The Existentialist''s Guide" entertains, provokes and informs in equal measure. It pulls no punches in its account of how existentialism sees the human condition and leaves the reader with no illusions about just how hard it is to become a truly authentic person. It does all this, however, with a redeeming humour and an approach that sets the wisdoms of great comedians and musicians, from Woody Allen to Sister Sledge, alongside the pronouncements of the great existentialist philosophers. Above all, the book offers a wealth of philosophical insight and guidance relating to life''s milestones - this is a philosophical self-help book for anyone concerned with personal empowerment.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published November 17, 2011

About the author

Gary Cox is a British philosopher and biographer and the author of several books on Jean-Paul Sartre, existentialism, general philosophy, ethics and philosophy of sport.

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este libro prometía. Capítulos cortos, lenguaje coloquial y referencias a la Guía del autoestopista galáctico. Pero ha resultado ser excesivamente repetitivo (vaya por delante que me he rendido en el capítulo 7, igual después mejora). Entiendo que los conceptos del ser-en-sí y el ser-para-sí pueden resultar un poco liosos, pero la magia de los libros permite al lector confuso volver a leer un capítulo si no lo ha entendido, no es necesario repetir exactamente lo mismo a lo largo de todo el libro (además, si no se ha entendido la primera vez y lo repites de la misma manera, no sé qué resultado esperas). Merece mucho más la pena leer directamente a Sartre y compañía. Sólo espero que los profesores de filosofía no tengan la idea feliz de mandar este libro a sus alumnos. Buenas intenciones, mala ejecución.

[Pascal · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most accessible books on existentialism you could hope to read, filled with great quotes and insights, which refreshed or clarified many important topics for me. The first few chapters are a struggle, because the language of existentialism and its seemingly paradoxical nature is just so confounding, but it lays a foundation that the rest of the book deftly builds upon, such that by about chapter 7 I was churning through the pages.

[Jonathan Karmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than having read No Exit once many years ago, I had no prior knowledge of the philosophy of existentialism before reading this book. I found the examples of “bad faith” interesting, and they rang true to me. But I was unable to understand the abstract “ontological bones that form the supporting skeleton of existentialism.” I had thought that “it is what it is” was a meaningless tautology, but after reading this book, I wonder if the people who say this may actually be profound existentialists. I could not tell if the author was simply describing what others who call themselves existentialists believe, or if the author himself was professing existentialism.

I entirely agree with the central premise of existentialism: I choose to live as I do, and I cannot blame my genes, my past, my environment or any other aspect of my “facticity” for how I exercise my free will. I think a lot of mental illness amounts to the failure to take responsibility for one’s choices (bad faith), and that mental health is in some sense equivalent to “authenticity.” So I agree with the goal of continually trying to “transcend my facticity” by making full use of my ability to make conscious decisions about what to think and what to do from one moment to the next.

In the chapter on God, the author writes that, according to existentialists, “to reach their full potential people must overcome the inauthenticity and cowardice involved in clinging to the age old comfort-blanket of improbable religious beliefs. People must stop mistakenly assuming that a moralizing celestial authority has preordained the nature and scope of their existence, and instead recognize that life has only the meaning, purpose and value that each individual person chooses to give it.”

But I do not understand why this necessarily should lead to a life of angst and despair. If we are free to choose what to make of our lives, why choose to spend our days in dark, smoke-filled rooms wringing our hands? The author states that Colonel William Kilgore in Apocalypse Now is an example of living “authentically.” Maybe so, but couldn’t a person who burns his draft card, protests the war and goes to jail also be an example?

According to this book, existentialists believe that individuals should take full responsibility for the choices they have made in the past and not have any regrets; and individuals should take full responsibility for the choices they make in the present. I agree with this philosophy, but again, why should this necessarily lead to dread and anguish? Is it necessarily inauthentic to choose to be happy?

[Mehwish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not an easy read but given the magnanimity of the philosophy of existentialism, the author has nonetheless extracted the core of the philosophy and presented it in a digestible format.

Existentialism's take on love/desire were the most attractive chapters. Unrequited love is the way to go. Attainment kills the freedom which is what was attractive in the first place.

Parenthood according to the existentialists, perhaps the most hated chapter because of it's unfair criticism.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good - smart and entertaining. Cox is well versed in this subject matter and speaks of it in a way that is accessible while not leaving out fundamental details needed to fully express this often misunderstood philosophy. Definitely not a case of dumbing down a subject to gain readership.

[Magno Mendes]

the book in which it is proposed is good, but with some reservations: the chapter on parenting is somewhat repulsive (to me) - it basically says that existentialists don't like children - they consider it a hindrance to authenticity - and they don't have children. is not at all true.for example, Heidegger and Albert camus had children.The author draws on Sartre's example, which he is a fan of to reach this conclusion.In addition, he says that existentialists are not very interested in technology, issues cosmological or contact with nature. Anyway, the author paints a very pessimistic view of life. Why then, should we continue living. To paraphrase the Bible, it would be better to "curse life and die". The author also seems to ignore that there is evidence scientific (laboratory tests) that attest, for example, that prayer - even at a distance - works, which at least makes us think that "there is more between heaven and earth than our vain philosophy imagines". his previous book, "How to be an exists ntialist "is not so radically pessimistic, but this, although it presents good explanations pertinent to the philosophy in question, is a little difficult to digest.And much less to live.

[Will McMillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Existentialism is fascinating, but at times seems hopelessly mystical. To really get into it, you have a lot of ground to cover learning vocabulary and main ideas. i think this book encapsulates them all pretty well. It isn't a light read by any means, but its definitely accessible- especially when compared to Being and Nothingness. You will at least understand existentialism at its core.

I'm a moron. If I could understand this- and I think I did- you probably can too.

My only critique is they don't talk about Camus in the section about death. I recognize this is a book about existentialism- not absurdism, which Camus was- but if you're going to reference Camus in other places it's weird not to include his perspective on death in the chapter about death. Partner this with Existentialism is Humanism and The Myth of Sisyphus and i think you have a solid foundation of what existentialism is about (that's also achievable reads for mortal humans)

[Oliver Ho · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason, this book just didn’t work for me. On the good side: it was an interesting and seemingly thorough overview of the subject. I highlighted a lot of passages that seemed like information I’d want to remember. But then I kept encountering parts that bothered me—it might just be me and whatever mood I was in. I thought there was a recurring feeling of arrogance and privilege. It seemed to encourage the kind of thinking that people can choose whether or not to be depressed or mentally ill, or they can choose how to react to trauma, and there was a sort of sneering view of people who seek psychiatric help. I acknowledge that I could have misread the book, but I thought I recognized that sentiment or prejudice. The book was disappointing.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally had trouble finishing with this one. The beginning chapters are very repetitive. The concepts are broken down by chapters which would work if only they were simply explained once instead of being tangled up so much. I enjoyed the last 3 chapters the most probably because they were a bit more straightforward. The ending quote by Simone de Beaviour on death does provide a good exit and might even make up a bit for the rest of it. I did appreciate it providing me with a good list of new philosophers/writers to look into.

[Brandon B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, this was good. But not Sarah Baker good, at least to me. You have to pour me an apricot cocktail or joke about Satre's fishlips before you can whisper things like being-in-itself or being-for-itself in my ears.

The chapters on bad faith and authenticity deserve higher ratings.

How about 3.5? It's the least I can do for a book that is the opposite of tylenol. If you want a sore head, read on.

[Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know that existentialism’s beauty before reading this book. Thank you!

[EruDani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will re read this book so much.

[Harvey Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was approachable, intelligent and at times even witty. There's some complex issues here but Cox takes you through the steps without oversimplification or recourse to jargon. I think the Existentialists got a bad rap whilst I was in grad school. We all just ignored them and stuck to the 'post-structuralists.' I was on that bandwagon too but now it all seems less relevant, less engaging (but not Barthes!) Forget the free play of signifiers in your fee-paying life and turn your attention to the choices you have made. What have you chosen to believe and why? What are your choices? Cox has done us a great favour with his lucid account of the key elements of Existentialist thought.