Thursday, August 16, 2012

John Gerassi, "Unrepentant Rebel," 1931-2012

John Gerassi, an "unrepentant rebel," as Michel Contat calls him, has died at age 81. He was author of numerous books, including the first volume of an unfinished multi-volume biography entitled Jean-Paul Sartre: Hated Conscience of His Century and an edited volume of interviews, Talking with Sartre

His death is met, so far, with relative silence in the English-speaking press, while in France, Michel Contat has published an obituary in Le Monde.

I reviewed Gerassi's Talking with Sartre in March of 2010. Here's the first paragraph:
It's not often that somebody will recommend a philosophy book because it is "a lot of fun," but that's exactly how Bill Martin piqued my interest in John Gerassi's Talking with Sartre. And I must say that I agree with his verdict.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Diane Enns, The Violence of Victimhood

Forthcoming in Symposium: Michelle Ciurria reviews Diane Enns' The Violence of Victimhood. The tenor of the review is captured in this passage discussing the final chapter of the book:
It is here that Enns’ underlying purpose for the book shines through in its most appealing light, whereas elsewhere her arguments sometimes have the appearance of insensitivity, or, at least, of placing undue pressure on individuals who seemingly could not have done otherwise in their circumstances. Here, however, we see that Enns is ultimately concerned with generating the conditions for a post-violence world, one characterized by peace, love, compassion, friendship, and solidarity. Thus, even if we differ with her on the particulars of her arguments, we can identify with her ambition of fostering peace and reconciliation on a global scale.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Freedom and Nature in Schelling's Philosophy of Art in Paperback

Never mind the dates on the Continuum website, a quick search on either AbeBooks  or  Amazon reveals that it's quite easy to find a paperback copy of Freedom and Nature in Schelling's Philosophy of Art.

No more excuses. Go get your copy. Now.