No comments about Thomas Paine (Very Interesting People Series).

1 comments about Georges Bataille: An Intellectual Biography.

1. This translation of Surya's 1992 biography of the notoriously contradictory French writer contains nearly 500 pages of text supported by 86 pages of notes. It is the first full-length biography in either English or French. Bataille is decidedly an acquired taste, so this book may well persuade you to admire this neo-Sadean thinker who spent his sixty-five years (1897-1962) as an archivist at the Bibliothèque Nationale and then as director of the Orléans Municipal Library. Surya weaves together Bataille's scatophilic and necrophilic obsessions and debauched private life with his literary themes in a way that is not sensationalist or prurient. The author does full justice to his subject's provocative claims concerning the role of consumption in capitalist civilization; the negative features of so-called inner experience; the alleged links between eroticism and death; and the supposed impossibility of community. Indirectly, Surya shows how Bataille's persistent preoccupation with the "informe" (formless) not only illuminates some of the most cutting-edge academic work in art history and literary criticism today, but also eerily foreshadows recent scientific theories of catastrophe, chaos and cosmic evolution. Hasty readers have long inferred a fascist moment in writings like "The Psychological Structure of Fascism" (1933), the first psychoanalytical analysis of its subject, according to Surya (177). To counter this widespread tendency, Surya is particularly good at displaying the development of Bataille's "impossible" thought against the background of French left-wing political activity and thus successfully distances Bataille from any easy embrace of French (or German) fascism.
   Surya's book is not easy to read, however, if you're expecting the straightforward prose of Deirdre Bair's biographies of Samuel Beckett, Simone de Beauvoir and Anaïs Nin. Surya's style is that of a sophisticated literary theorist rather than a factual historian. This book is a must if you're already familiar with Bataille's work and wanted to situate it in his life and times. But for a first look, I would turn to Fred Botting and Scott Wilson's introductions to their "The Bataille Reader" (1997) and "Bataille: A Critical Reader" (1997).

2 comments about A Vision of the Sacred: My Personal Journey with Krishnamurti.

1. A VISION OF THE SACRED: My Personal Journey with Krishnamurti By Sunanda Patwardhan Ph.D.

   Reviewed by Satish Telgar Ph.D.

   J.Krishnamurti the peripatetic teacher who ever since his apostasy from the Theosophical Society in the 1930's traveled around the world and talked to thousands of people touched and transformed many lives. Mrs. Sunanda Patwardhan the author of this wonderful little book A Vision of the Sacred had the rare privilege of being his close friend and confidant, records in it in a frank and candid manner the number of conversations and anecdotes that she was privy to. As she says in the introduction to the book the reason to write it was an earnest wish to share with the reader the events, insights and conversations with Krishnamurti and how it helped her face her own conflicts and begin her inward pilgrimage. The book has yet another lofty purpose, which is to communicate the sense of the sacred she witnessed in the remarkable presence of Krishnamurti. She hopes as she says in the introduction that a reader in the next century, which is upon us now, should be able to get a glimpse of this sense of the sacred that radiated from Krishnamurti by reading the book.

   Those of us who tend to think of metaphysical and religious truths as `distant' and `inaccessible' without undergoing rigorous practices of meditation will be surprised to discover that much of it has to do with observation of one's daily life with its attendant conflicts and problems. Time and again the reader is offered with anecdotes and suggestions which point out the need to be aware of what is happening to oneself as the key to unlock the unknown.

   Mrs. Patwardhan refers to an incident where Krishnamurti admonishes her and refers to her vanity and the need to be aware of it. Through careful observation one can see the self as it is instead of resorting to speculation. Speculative thinking brings into play in its wake the deeply encrusted thought process and distorts our perception. Intellect is the main instrument of speculative thought. Krishnamurti urges us to transcend the intellect as he is quoted saying, " You have sharpened your intellect. It is capable of analysis, clear thinking. That's enough. Now turn to other direction, the unexplained part, an explosion of silence in the mind". Silence and solitude are an essential part of Krishnamurti's teaching. One is reminded here of what the Buddha said that despite the fact that he had taught for nearly forty years yet he was in silence.

   Every now and then as one reads the book one gets a glimpse of Krishnamurti's probing mind. In one such revealing conversation, in response to a query from Krishnamurti, Mrs. Patwardhan refers to how in her own life through perception she was able to negate formation of things in her mind and accomplish this in a successive manner with other perceptions as well and thereby gaining insight into the ending of time. Krishnamurti points out that by going from one act of perception-negation to another it becomes a process and so it is still in the realm of time. He goes on to add through an exhortation, "....... Stop saying, ` I know, then the process ends'". To someone like me, who teaches philosophy, that statement resonates and reverberates with an ever-deeper meaning. In the Apology of Plato one of the great texts of philosophy in the western tradition, Socrates says that all he knows is that he does not know. Plato's dialogues may be seen as an attempt to understand this great utterance of Socrates.

   There are many interesting anecdotes and passages in the book, which will hold the attention of the thoughtful reader. One such passage is Mrs. Patwardhan talking about her many miscarriages and her failure to attain motherhood. This leaves a great sense of void. Talking about it to Krishnamurti she says that she has accepted her inevitable fate of not being a mother and in a sense made peace with herself. Krishnamurti's response to this is very revealing. He raises many interesting questions all calculated to expose the deep lingering desire to have a child and the consequent frustration of not having one. He asks if she has observed very clearly her inner reactions when she sees photographs of lovely children, sees a mother being tender to her baby etc,. The moral of this story is clear; it is not a matter of acceptance or rejection but deep and careful observation. It is only through deep and careful observation that the hidden and buried content of our consciousness can be eviscerated to clear view.

   The book is divided into convenient sections covering a wide array of topics ranging from Mrs. Patwardhan's first impressions of Krishnamurti and her own brahminical background to the subject of social change, tradition, education, living and dying, inner revolution, and theosophy. The language of the book is simple, direct, clear and straight from the heart. Some of us who are fortunate enough to have known Mrs. Patwardhan personally will immediately sense the gentleness and openness that was so characteristic of her personality as we read the book. The fact that Mrs. Patwardhan was a fine stenographer as well and kept scrupulous notes makes the quotations from Krishnamurti all the more authentic. The book is a great contribution not only to those who are discovering the teachings of Krishnamurti anew, but to others as well who have been familiar and who cannot afford to lose the ever renewing challenge of the vastness and depth of a great body of teachings that Krishnamurti has left behind for posterity.




2. One gets the impression from reading this Wonderfull book that Sunanda was a warm hearted, sincere and intelligent seeker of spiritual truth.

   Since her first meeting with Krishnamurti in 1947 to her death in 1999 she did a lot of work for Krishnamurti and the Krishnamurti foundation in India. This book is a collection af meditation on the Spiritual Search and the influence of Krishnamurti and his Teaching on her. She says that she often got a sense of the Sacred around Krishnamurti and in situations like that it's so easy fo fall into the Guru trap and to stop thinking for oneself and just relying on the words and influence of others, But as Krishnamurti said to her " I can tell you that there is a lovely garden beyond the hill. I can hold your hand, But You have to walk and climb the hill."(p-11).

   This book is inspiring and gives one a lot to think on, and her writing is Poetic and Clear.

   Also recomended are the Krishnamurti Biograpy's by Pupul Jayakar and Mary Lutyens and some of Krishnamurti's books like his Notebook and Freedom from the Known.

2 comments about Life of Henry Cornelius Agrippa: Doctor and Knight, Commonly known as a Magician.

1. IT'S A FAIRLY NICE BOOK BUT DRY AND OF NO USE FOR PERSONS WHO STUDY MAGIC IT CONTAINS SOME USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIFE OF CORNELIUS AGRIPPA BUT IT'S OCCULT USE IS ZERO ESPECIALY IF YOU HAVE READ AGRIPPAS 3 BOOKS ON OCCULT SCIENCE.ON THE OTHER HAND I WOULD DEEPLY RECOMENT IT FOR PERSONS INTERESTED IN AGRIPPAS LIFE OVERALL ,IN THE WAY SOCIETY AND PEOPLE USE TO (WORK)AND IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF A WORLD THIS EXTRAORDINARY MAN LIVED IN.



2. Morley's work is very much out of date at this point, and is only reprinted (so far as I can tell) because it is out of copyright and hence can be xeroxed cheaply. For a serious biography and critical assessment of Agrippa, see Charles Nauert, _Agrippa and the Crisis of Renaissance Thought_, which is hard to find but worth it. Morley's book is, however, chatty and enjoyable to read, and includes a number of humorous stories and suppositions about Agrippa's life and work. Morley's assessment of texts is very dubious indeed, although he can hardly be blamed, as he was after all writing in the mid-19th century. Occultists will find this book useless; historians may find some material here, but should start with Nauert. See also Marc van der Poel's book on Agrippa's orations, (...)

No comments about Sex and Philosophy: Rethinking De Beauvoir and Sartre.

5 comments about Jacques Derrida: A Biography.

1. I enjoyed this book, a good clear introduction to Derrida's life and work.
   A good insite into Philosophy.



2. For anyone interested in Derrida, the man; for anyone new to Derrida's thinking and finding it difficult (this book will help clear things up for you); for anyone who wishes to read an interesting biography about a philosopher with an a strong impact academic institutions during his own life time - this is book is it. I found Powell's monograph well-written, interesting and insightful.



3. Derrida's biography may not only face scorn from those who do not admire him, but also from those who expect a biography to mimic Derrida's so difficult books. Given the hatred Derrida's work faces in his life and death, a half-way step towards reconciliation with resistance to deconstruction, such as this book is, is of supreme benefit.
   
   
   
   To my mind, this biography offers a good introduction to Derrida's thought and life. It gives to the uninitiated the first step toward Derrida. It consistently invites the reader to actually read Derrida's works, and therefore, even where its own readings are partial and too brief, they point to the importance and the meaning of Derrida's works.
   
   
   
   If there are readers who wish to learn about Derrida and modern philosophy, and about much besides, including the question of what the meaning of life is, and what thinking is, then I do not know of a better book with which to begin. I also think it will be a good antidote to the over-enthusiasm of those who think that Derrida's revolution has already happened, and that it needs no further efforts. Derrida's work requires those willing to go their own way, and not simply to mimic Derrida's style and his frame of mind.
   
   
   
   The more widely this book is read, the more it will be possible to see and hear philosophy being done in the present day in a relevant way.



4. Badly written: "Derrida was never restrained in print about what he saw as the shortcomings of his contemporaries in the efforts they made to embody their ideals." (p. 35).
   Not a biography as much as a sketchy summary of Derrida's works. The "biographer" didn't have access to Derrida's private papers (correspondence, etc).



5. Usually I appreciate Continuum's editorial line, but in this case they really messed it up. They went for the easy sales.
   
   The biggest problems of this book are:
   1. It does not add anything new to what it was already know about Derrida
   2. It fails to mention the secret of Derrida's life, i.e. that he had a son with Sylvane Agacinski that was later adopted by Jospin when he marrid Sylvane
   3. When it tries to move beyond Derrida's life and talk about his work, it messes up big time
   4. It's badly written

No comments about Venture With Ideas.

2 comments about Raymund Lully: Illuminated Doctor, Alchemist and Christian Mystic.

1. This is a good book. It provides a good review of Lully's life. However, it does not do much to explore the alchemical aspect of Lully's writing. Honestly, the reader is left with knowing about many of the legends about Raymund Lully, but still very little about the real man, or why it is that so many works were attributed to him after his 'death'. So if you want to know a little more about Lully, then I recommend this work. But if you want to know more about what Lully actually wrote, I would suggest looking elsewhere.



2. A small but illuminating work on Raymond Lully and how deeply misunderstood he was by so many and how finally at last, his accomplishments and works are being recognized for their true worth in the movement towards higher truth.

1 comments about Owen Barfield on C. S. Lewis.

1. Owen Barfield is probably my favorite unknown author. Everyone who has an interest in philosophy or religion ought to read his masterpiece,Saving the Appearances. This book on Lewis doesn't belong in that category, though I recommend it nonetheless because of Barfield's graceful way with words and the occasional interesting anecdote concerning Lewis. You will learn something of Barfield's own philosophy, but less than a reading of his masterpiece will teach you. So: a qualified recommendation. If you really want to deepen your knowledge of Lewis, read his correspondance.

1 comments about On Pascal (Wadsworth Philosophers Series).

1. Anyone with any mathematical background will have undoubtedly heard of Pascal. His contributions to mathematics are well noted. Groothuis, who is exceptionally familiar with the philosophical work of Pascal, has done an admirable job in a short space of introducing the reader to Pascal the man, mathematician, inventor, and philosopher. The first four chapters lay out the historical background needed to understand Pascal and his work. Chapter 5 introduces the Pensees, the fragments of a grand work that was unfortunately left unfinished by Pascal's early death. Chapter 6 describes the rejection, in the Pensees, of arguing for God's existence from natural theology, the accepted apologetic of the day. Groothuis begins the next chapter by explaining Pascal's apologetic in that he "aimed to spark a philosophical and existential crisis in his readers that would be resolvable only by Christian revelation" (50). Groothuis explores two of Pascal's ideas, "deposed royalty" and his controversial "Wager". Groothuis helps those not familiar with or only passingly familiar with these two topics, as well as the Pensees, to better understand Pascal's thinking and intent. Groothuis' extensive work and expertise on Pascal shines through in this work. Anyone interested in being introduced to the genius of Pascal will find the time they spend reading this book to be well rewarded.