No comments about Encounters with Kierkegaard.

No comments about Perspectives on Maimonides: Philosophical and Historical Studies (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization).

No comments about Machiavelli's The Prince (Headway Guides for Beginners Great Lives Series).

1 comments about Francis Bacon (Princeton Paperbacks).

1. Zagorin has not added much to the great mystery of Francis Bacon. He has written a superficial understanding of the life and as a result left out many salient aspects that would have provided greater insight into Bacon's motivations and philosophy. Save your money on this one and buy a copy of Alfred Dodd's:"Francis Bacon's Personal Life Story"instead.

No comments about Isaiah Berlin: Liberty, Pluralism and Liberalism (Key Contemporary Thinkers).

No comments about LOU VON SALOME: A Biography of the Woman Who Inspired Freud, Nietzsche and Rilke.

1 comments about Voltaire's Tormented Soul: A Psychobiographic Inquiry.

1. New Views on Voltaire
   
   Although dead for 230 years, Voltaire continues to intrigue, entertain, and enlighten people from all callings. Where did his aggressive attachment to Reason and determination to fight for individual freedom arise from, and what was within the writer that compelled him to perceive the world so critically and then comment so sharply on it? The tendency has been to refer to Voltaire's position in society, to his intelligence, and to historical factors that led to the Age of Enlightenment. But the essence of Man lies within his soul, mind, and personal experiences, the various foundations of his psychological make-up and subsequent reactions, and not in historical conditions and movements.
   
   It is this personal and psychological essence of Voltaire that Alexander Nemeth astutely perceives and closely analyzes in Voltaire's Tormented Soul: A Psychobiographic Inquiry. It is a detailed view of Voltaire, the person, which, first, presents a clear idea of what the poet/philosophe accomplished with his satire socially, philosophically. But, then the inquiry takes readers deeply and intimately into a consideration of how his mind worked in response to personal relationships, experiences, and inner needs. In essence we are in the analyst's clinical office observing Voltaire on the "couch."
   
   This is a fascinating book for all sorts of people--scholars of literature, history, French culture, and, of course, psychology. But the clarity of the presentation makes it also a lively and accessible read for non-academics. Voltaire, himself, as well as the various personalities he associates with (family, love interests, political figures, royalty, members of various societal strata) come to life, and the events make for a compelling narrative. All are thoroughly and scientifically scrutinized in a fashion that lifts the analysis well above the realm of casual speculation and places it on the plateau of convincing conclusions about the workings of Voltaire's mind.
   
   Nemeth, an eminent clinical psychologist, uses his eclectic knowledge of psychology and history to ferret out the nuances of Voltaire's mind. He employs the writings of Voltaire, as well as extensive commentary by his contemporaries, reports of events, and studies by historians and other scholars. Included, also, are definitions of the terminology, theory, and practice of psychological analysis which add clarity to the study.

No comments about George Grant: Selected Letters.

No comments about Encounters with Kenneth Burke.

1 comments about Self Knowledge in Thomas Aquinas: The Angelic Doctor on the Soul's Knowledge of Itself.

1. This book gives a good, measured treatment of a very interesting subject--self knowledge. As is well known, medieval philosophy is thick with jargon that obscures its relevance. Dr. Lambert does a wonderful job of clearing this up, so that it becomes possible to see just what they were debating. Fundamentally, the question of self knowledge asks, "How is the mind aware of itself?" It is one thing to try to explain how the mind can be aware of, say, a rock or some other external object or fact. However, for the mind to know itself is a very different thing. Even those who say that the mind is the brain must admit that they didn't come to know their own mind by looking at their brain. There is a genuine mystery behind this question, and in medieval times it was addressed vigorously by some very powerful philosophical minds, St. Thomas Aquinas being foremost among them. Dr. Lambert gives a lucid account of this compelling debate, his book is highly recommended.