A surprisingly engaging grafting of Nietzsche’s philosophy onto the modern world.
Wallis considers Nietzsche’s philosophy as it applies to everyday life.
In these pages, the author, a professor, editor, and translator, aims to draw the reader into a kind of “adventure” with his philosopher subject, Friedrich Nietzsche—it quickly becomes apparent that Wallis sees his project as an intensely modern, relevant discussion rather than an arid intellectual exercise. “What is the ideology of wokeness if not an attempt to uncover and thereby undermine de-humanizing practices of prejudice, discrimination, racism, sexism, and more?” he asks. “What is cancel culture if not a mechanism for bringing to task public figures who have violated our shared moral standards?” While offering a fast-paced and surprisingly comprehensive tour of the philosopher’s life and works, Wallis attempts to demonstrate that Nietzsche was grappling with some of the same core issues that spark debates and headlines today, from nihilism and public catastrophism to questions of faith and civic responsibility. The author will present an everyday scenario—say, a meeting with colleagues in which someone says something cringe-inducing or dishonest—and supply both a pertinent Nietzsche quote (“be different from all others, and be pleased when someone is different from the others”) and its context. We need Nietzsche, Wallis insists, and we need him now, because he remains such an “exceptionally timely thinker.” Those who’ve read Nietzsche and consider him to be a long-winded crank mostly operating on sedatives, sophistry, and syphilis will smile at Wallis’ enthusiasm—and will likely be won over by it as well. At every turn, the author combines an encyclopedic knowledge of Nietzsche (his chapter outlining the philosopher’s life, “Reader, Nietzsche” is a tight little masterpiece in its own right) with an empathetic understanding of the man. “Nietzsche recognizes the complex contradictoriness of the matters he takes up because he intimately lives them,” he writes. “Might that, too, be a recommendation to us?”
A surprisingly engaging grafting of Nietzsche’s philosophy onto the modern world.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.
Words that made a nation.
Isaacson is known for expansive biographies of great thinkers (and Elon Musk), but here he pens a succinct, stimulating commentary on the Founding Fathers’ ode to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” His close reading of the Declaration of Independence’s second sentence, published to mark the 250th anniversary of the document’s adoption, doesn’t downplay its “moral contradiction.” Thomas Jefferson enslaved hundreds of people yet called slavery “a cruel war against human nature” in his first draft of the Declaration. All but 15 of the document’s 56 signers owned enslaved people. While the sentence in question asserted “all men are created equal” and possess “unalienable rights,” the Founders “consciously and intentionally” excluded women, Native Americans, and enslaved people. And yet the sentence is powerful, Isaacson writes, because it names a young nation’s “aspirations.” He mounts a solid defense of what ought to be shared goals, among them economic fairness, “moral compassion,” and a willingness to compromise. “Democracy depends on this,” he writes. Isaacson is excellent when explaining how Enlightenment intellectuals abroad influenced the founders. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Declaration’s “five-person drafting committee,” stayed in David Hume’s home for a month in the early 1770s, “discussing ideas of natural rights” with the Scottish philosopher. Also strong is Isaacson’s discussion of the “edits and tweaks” made to Jefferson’s draft. As recommended by Franklin and others, the changes were substantial, leaving Jefferson “distraught.” Franklin, who emerges as the book’s hero, helped establish municipal services, founded a library, and encouraged religious diversity—the kind of civic-mindedness that we could use more of today, Isaacson reminds us.
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781982181314
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
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