Customer Reviews (2)

Tangency on a Holiday
This is a difficult book to read but not because of the difficulty of the subject matter or because Gabriel Marcel is abstruse like a Sartre or Heidegger.Rather, Marcel is difficult to read because he is very tangential.He veers off topic frequently into imagined objections to or issues about what he is presenting--objections and issues whose pertinence often seems inflated, trivial, or irrelevant.

Almost as disturbing is Marcel's frequent habit of extensively referencing his other philosophical works and plays.While Marcel does mention other thinkers (e.g. Sartre), he does so mostly in passing.One gets the impression that he used the Gifford Lectures to market the oeuvre of Gabriel Marcel.Given that he delivered these lectures in the philosophically rich post World War 2 era (1949-1950), Marcel's work in volume 1 chronicles a disappointing missed opportunity for philosophical engagement.

None of this is to say that Marcel doesn't have his moments.He does, but, unfortunately, they are merely that: moments.His discussion of the human body is a case in point.He makes the interesting and potentially seminal claim that our sense of ownership of secondary and tertiary things arises from our felt ownership of our bodies.But he doesn't develop the insight with any depth because he launches into other considerations, ones (like the body should be understood as a subject and not an object) that would have served to progress the discussion of ownership had he presented them earlier in the discussion.

I found volume 1 so disappointing that I now have serious reservations about reading volume 2.

A message of hope
There is another answer to the existential question- an answer full of hope and not despair. Gabriel Marcel shows us a path to the beauty of who we are and who we can become. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A different view than the usual
A brilliant critique of early Existentialism. Marcel offers a very different idea of Existentialism than does the traditional Sartre school. Questionable at points, but indispensable for anyone who is interested inthe philosophy. As William Barrett stressed very clearly in his book"Irrational Man", Existentialism is not a Sartre original. It wasaround in all areas of Europe and in all different religions.

Penetrating and Original
An important work within the realm of 20th century philosophy.Marcel critiques the existentialism of Sartre, pointing out the many paradoxes and pitfalls, and then offers his own theories on ontology, metaphysics,ethics, and even psychology.It is immediately apparent that Marcel's workis daringly original, and is free from the many shortcomings found withinthe works of more "academic" philosophers.An independentscholar and dramatist, Marcel often considered his thought"neo-socratic."Never speaking from the pulpit of authority, butjoining us in true intellectual (even spiritual) inquiry, Marcel is aphilosopher's philosopher.It is unfortunate that Marcel was frequentlydismissed as dogmatic, and it is equally as unfortunate that he seldomunderstood the small plot of common ground he shared with Sartre.Inaffirming human freedom and responsibility, along with recognizing thefragility and disquietude of human existence, both Gabriel and Jean-Paulhad a common vision.Marcel's idea of problem and mystery, in addition tohis insights on dualism are essential concepts for anyone seeking tounderstand 20th century thought.This book serves as a fine introduction. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: London : Harvill PressPublication date: 19Subjects: ConsciousnessOntologyFaithNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Intersubjectivity is the answer
There was a time in my life when I read and reread this work. This does not mean that I understood it fully. But the idea of 'intersubjectivity' and that it is through being with and understanding others that we become most truly human is one which had great influence on me. It took me away as I was looking to be taken away from a kind of philosophical solipsism a kind of sense that all should rest only in 'I' and 'I' that would prove upon reflection 'unstable as water'. Marcel is a humane thinker, one who tries to take us from the celebration of Nothingness and Death to the celebration of life in community with others. I doubt that he is read much today in the English- language world, but to my mind he is a very valuable and helpful thinker . A mensch of philosophy. ... Read more

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Marcel: The Mystery Revealed
Professor Gallagher: Thank you for your study.I was a student of Professor Henry Bugbee, who wrote The Inward Morning.Because of my interest in Professor Bugbee, I began to read Marcel.I have read Marcel for years without any real understading.Within a few pages in the "Winding Path", the first chapter in your study, matters began to fall into place for me.I now begin to see why Professor Bugbee was so drawn to Marcel. I am grateful indeed for your elucidation of Marcel. The Inward Morning a Philosophical Exploraton in Journal Form ... Read more

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Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

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Part of a series of studies of contemporary philosophers, this volume focuses on Gabriel Marcel. ... Read more

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The central theme of this important book is that we are paying the price of an arrogance that refuses to recognize mystery. The author invites the reader to enter into the argument that he holds with himself on a great number of problems. Written in the early 1950s, Marcel's discussion of these topics are remarkably contemporary, e.g.: * Our crisis is a metaphysical, not merely social, one. * What a man is depends partly on what he thinks he is, and a materialistic philosophy turns men into things. * Can a man be free except in a free country? * Stoicism is no longer a workable philosophy because today pressure can be put on the mind as well as on the body. * Technical progress is not evil in itself, but a technique is a means that, regarded as an end, can become either an idol or an excuse for self-idolatry. State control of scientific research, leading to a concentration on new ... Read more

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These lectures and essays were regarded by Marcel as the best introduction to his thought. Creative Fidelity not only deals with perennial themes of faith, fidelity, belief, incarnate being, and participation, but also includes chapters on religious tolerance and orthodoxy and an important critical essay on Karl Jaspers. ... Read more

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A Review from the Gabriel Marcel Society Newsletter
In this thin but extremely valuable book, Thomas Anderson provides a close reading of Marcel's two-volume The Mystery of Being (MB), which he considers "the most orderly, comprehensive and unified presentation by Marcel of his philosophical endeavors" (p. 9).As such, the work operates on two levels, that of a textual commentary on MB, and as an overview of Marcel's broader philosophical accomplishment.Happily, it succeeds admirably on both levels.
As a textual commentary, Anderson's work is exemplary.He clearly identifies Marcel's philosophical positions and carefully reconstructs the arguments given for them, often providing arguments from other works by Marcel when they are partially (or entirely) lacking in MB.The analysis is closely grounded in Marcel's text, and wisely relies on the superior French edition of the Gifford Lectures that the English translations occasionally truncate (see p. 124 n.1 and p. 176 n. 3 for examples).When Marcel's other works cannot offer adequate support for his position, Anderson offers original arguments or suggestions (always clearly identified as such) that capture the spirit and style of his philosophy, even when he occasionally rejects a claim or conclusion by Marcel (e.g., Marcel's claim that existence and the existent form an "indissoluble unity" is critiqued and rejected on pp. 44-45).More important yet, Anderson has the integrity (not always found in commentators) to admit when he "do[es] not understandjust what Marcel's argument is here" (p. 30), rather than to fabricate an argument in order to reject it.Throughout, the reading of MB offered by Anderson never seems forced or artificial, and frequently improves upon Marcel's original work by peeling away the frequent digressions and meandering style which can prove so frustrating to many readers.
The final result is much more than a "Cliff Notes" version of Marcel's Gifford Lectures.In the process of commenting on MB, Anderson has also produced a work that stands on its own as an intelligent, insightful and deeply informed overview of Marcel's philosophical project.For instance, the discussion of the ranges of meaning possessed by French words such as exigence (p. 17), sentir (p. 50) and espérance (p. 170) goes to the heart of Marcel's metaphysical views.These terms, which are essential for understanding Marcel's philosophy, are too often translated without explanation or nuance when they are not left untranslated by other writers.Likewise, Anderson's intimate familiarity with and constant reference to the full range of Marcel's works always illuminates not only the passage under consideration but the development of Marcel's views as well, since he is always conscious of the date of the other works and their chronological relationship to MB.Such concern for and sensitivity to the dynamic and living character of Marcel's thought, which is distilled but not embalmed in MB, makes this volume a sympathetic but critical synthesis of Marcel's entire philosophical oeuvre, and perhaps the single best point of entry for someone coming to Marcel's work for the first (or the fiftieth) time.
Anderson began his study by noting the renewed interest in Marcel's philosophy in the last decade.In his work as founding president of the Gabriel Marcel Society, he played a major role in fostering this movement.With this work -- the fruit of several decades of careful and sympathetic study of Marcel's writings -- he has also provided a study which should help ensure that this increased interest in Marcel's philosophy and its continuing relevance for Christian thought will continue.This book belongs on the shelf and in the hands of every student and teacher of Marcel.
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A fine collection
Here we find a collection of essays from French Philosopher and Dramatist Gabriel Marcel.Simultaneously profound and original, Marcel delves deeply into such concepts as Evil and Ontology, offering forth opinions that are neither prejudiced nor tanted.It was Marcel's method of exploration that led me to him, if it could be called exploration.The late Philosopher would have preferred the term exegesis, for he saw vaguely spiritual things in everyday life and human interaction. ... Read more

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This book is a unique study of the work of Gabriel Marcel, a twentieth-century philosopher of international renown. This book brings a fresh perspective to the examination of Marcel's thought, highlighting facets of interest to many different audiences and presenting a clear exposition of the nature of creative fidelity. ... Read more

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This volume presents for the first time in book form, two exciting plays by Gabriel Marcel: a powerful one act drama, "The Lantern," that is in the permanent repertory of the Comedie Française, and, for the first time in English, a full-length comedy in three acts, "Colombyre" or "The Torch of Peace." This work also includes as its foreword a previously unpublished essay by Gabriel Marcel, "From Comic Theater to Musical Creation," in which Marcel analyzes the role of comedy in his theater. An introduction by Joseph Cunnen situates Marcel's theater in the context of modern drama. An editor's preface introduces the two plays, and a list of Marcel's thirty plays completes the volume. Original illustrations, "The Lantern" and "Colombyre" have been sketched by Steve Healy. ... Read more

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Compiled here for the first time are some pithy and incisive sayings of philosopher/ playwright Gabriel Marcel, which give rich insight into his spirituality. Written with particular attention to the nature of man's mortality and his longing for life and sure knowledge of his death, this intimate self-portrait introduces a new Marcel to the reader of his intricate philosophy, perhaps best said by Anne Marcel: We must note that this philosopher was primarily the little boy who asked his parents: “Where are those who have died?” And as the grown ups replied that they didn't know, well then, said he, when he grew up, he would seek to find out . . .The grown man did not betray the child's promise. As a student, then a young professor of philosophy, Gabriel Marcel consecrated his reflections principally on themes most intimately affecting our life: what is the relation ... Read more