Between Past and Future is a collection of six long and rhetoric-filled essays that strive to measure how far modern man has strayed from the classical tradition, in both the way he educates his children and the way he evolves his outlook on life. This departure is not necessarily wholly bad, says the author, but she deplores the fact that nothing has been found that serves mankind so well as a deep understanding of history. Unless the reader is well acquainted with Plato, Aristotle, and Thucydides, to say nothing of Marx, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard, it is exceedingly difficult to follow the author's tortuous consideration of the meanings of immortality, authority, freedom, and culture. Some passages, for example, depend more on citations from the Greek and other languages than they do on the inadequate translations that are provided. With a fireworks display of syntax she contrasts the position of Hegel as a political prime-mover with that of Socrates as an educator, and Robespierre's defense of terror and tyranny are compared to the statements of Machiaveill. Dr. Arendt's publishers claim that her essays can "guide and inspire those seeking to understand our times", but the claim alone is not enough to make her writing clear to readers who lack the extraordinary background required to keep pace with her professorial erudition. A lineal "key" would be more to the point. The most her book can do is make the average reader comprehend that his education is totally inadequate.
Pub Date: June 15, 1961
ISBN: 0143104810
Page Count: 298
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1961
BOOK REVIEW
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
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
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