Some useful insights, oddly afloat in a sea of wishful thinking. Philosopher and former House Budget Committee staff member Segal (Agency and Alienation: A Theory of Human Presence, not reviewed, etc.) joins the chorus of those disgusted with the values of our fast-paced, technologically driven consumer society. He agrees with Aristotle that “the flourishing of our deepest selves” constitutes the good life, rather than the joys of consumption and the reckless pursuit of riches. Segal notes that contemporary economic abundance has not produced universal happiness. He eschews the American tradition of reducing the quest for the good life to an individual’s activity, recognizing that society shapes available choices—and hence the need for a politics as well as a philosophy of ’simple” living. While we spend more on transportation than did any citizen of the last century, for example, this fact cannot be fairly attributed only to our increased appetite for luxury. Social and economic geography (homes and workplaces are no longer located close together) and public policy (an emphasis on road-building, rather than on public transport systems) today demand greater expenditures than ever. Segal builds his politics on this basic insight. When policy decisions are being made, he suggests, those involved ought to consider whether said policies would encourage simple living. Unfortunately, while expanding the potential for such living through policy-making holds an appeal, what’s the likelihood that simple living’s partisans would prevail over more powerful interests? Short of rule by graceful tyrants, Segal’s politics is little more than a pleasant dream. Moreover, his substantive proposals—e.g., eliminating the “worst hassles” of daily life, such as the shortage of salespeople in large department stores—may not produce earth-shaking results. An appealing philosophy but without any well-developed or realistic politics.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-5679-3
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999
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
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
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