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Shows how the rise of nationalism in the former Soviet republics stripped the Communist Party of legitimacy and led inevitably to the revolution of 1991. D'Encausse does not view nationalism as a sinister phenomenon, arguing instead that it is the only means for Soviet society to renew itself. ... Read more

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With the publication of French Philosophy of the Sixties, Alain Renaut and Luc Ferry in 1985 launched their famous critique against canonical figures such as Foucault, Derrida, and Lacan, bringing under rigorous scrutiny the entire post-structuralist project that had dominated Western intellectual life for over two decades. Their goal was to defend the accomplishments of liberal democracy, particularly in terms of basic human rights, and to trace the reigning philosophers' distrust of liberalism to an "antihumanism" inherited mainly from Heidegger. In The Era of the Individual, widely hailed as Renaut's magnum opus, the author explores the most salient feature of post-structuralism: the elimination of the human subject. At the root of this thinking lies the belief that humans cannot know or control their basic natures, a premise that led to Heidegger's distrust of an individualistic, capitalist modern society and that allied him briefly with Hitler's National Socialist Party. While acknowledging some of Heidegger's misgivings toward modernity as legitimate, Renaut argues that it is nevertheless wrong to equate modernity with the triumph of individualism. Here he distinguishes between individualism and subjectivity and, by offering a history of the two, powerfully redirects the course of current thinking away from potentially dangerous, reductionist views of humanity.

Renaut argues that modern philosophy contains within itself two opposed ways of conceiving the human person. The first, which has its roots in Descartes and Kant, views human beings as subjects capable of arriving at universal moral judgments. The second, stemming from Leibniz, Hegel, and Nietzsche, presents human beings as independent individuals sharing nothing with others. In a careful recounting of this philosophical tradition, Renaut shows the resonances of these traditions in more recent philosophers such as Heidegger and in the social anthropology of Louis Dumont.

Renaut's distinction between individualism and subjectivity has become an important issue for young thinkers dissatisfied with the intellectual tradition originating in Nietzsche and Heidegger. Moreover, his proclivity toward the Kantian tradition, combined with his insights into the shortcomings of modernity, will interest anyone concerned about today's shifting cultural attitudes toward liberalism. ... Read more

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In the life, nobody reminds those who came at the second place!

Alan Renault is nowadays one of the most lucid minds in the modern world; gifted of a prodigious erudition and vastness of thinking. He establishes in admirable context, the individualism in the context of a world signed by the competitively, free market, globalization and continuous uncertainness - and far to be considered a curse for some outlaw governors who pretend to create a sort of possible third way for the antiseptic term XXI socialism, blending lost hopes, recruiting historical sources of Simon Bolivar with allusive cites of Karl Marx, spiced with Mao `s considerations in order to acquire a visible resemblance of the Cuban despotism, appears as a logic response to a new state of things and paradigms of action and thinking. .

Indispensable his reading, specially for all those who still believe in the garden of delights of the supposed happiness of the socialism and other songs of mermaid, due perhaps in case of having studied the recent history of the decay of the soviet Empire they had just read it with just an eye; the lefty.

Thoughtful, insightful, and impressively learned.
I first came across Alain Renaut's work through his collaborations with Luc Ferry.Their book "French Philosophy of the Sixties", published in 1985, initiated a sort of 'revolution' in French philosophy.In contrast to the structuralism of Foucault, Lacan, Derrida and others - who in large measure took Heidegger as their starting point - Ferry and Renaut upheld the value and importance of humanism.This is a project as much political as philosophical, for their defense of humanism goes hand-in-hand with a renewed commitment to liberal democracy.

That first book, although well-received, was frequently criticized for its generally polemical nature.Ferry and Renaut's subsequent work has addressed this line of criticsm, offering more thorough critiques of antihumanist thought.Renaut's "Era of the Individual" should be seen in this light.It represents the culmination of his thought as a "philosophical historian of philosophy".(Renaut suggests that much of the history of philosophy is strictly historical, in which philosophical movements are presented only in their historical sequence, with no interest on the authors' part to sift out the truth.In contrast to this, Renaut upholds the value of philosophical history.He is making a positive argument, although using the methods of history to do so.)

In Renaut's analysis, the 'individual' is a special class of the 'subject'.Simply put, the individual is wholly self-sufficient and self-knowing.(The notion of subjectivity, in contrast, suggests the presence of limits to the self - particularly, the subject is always understood to exist in relation to the other.)Renaut's purpose is to trace the history of the individual, and to gain some sense of how, in much modern thought (taking its cue from Heidegger's reading of philosophy's history), individualism is understood to be the culminating development of the subject.

His reading of individualism begins with Heidegger, whose presence serves both to shape the direction of Renaut's argument, and as a central focus of criticism.From Heidegger, Renaut accepts Leibniz's philosophy of the monad as the foundation of philosophical individualism.The monad, essentially, is a self-contained entity, 'closed off' to other such entities; monads are the basic stuff of the universe.Renaut traces the development of this monadological philosophy through the history of modern philosophy, providing interesting (and not a little controversial) readings of such thinkers as Hegel, Fichte, and Herder.He concludes this book with a defense of subjectivity, premised (in contrast with the opacity of the monad) on a concept of transcendentalism, as this has been developed by Levinas (through phenomenology) and Kant.

This is not a very easy book to read.Renaut's language is clear enough, and his descriptions of the various philosophers he employs or critiques are quite good (if, as they likely will be for some, a little questionable).However, the material is inherently difficult, and some confusion is to be expected on the reader's end.For my part, I found the discussions of Heidegger and Leibniz remarkably lucid (never before had I really felt that I 'understood' what Heidegger was getting at); the last chapters on Levinas and Kant are unfortunately too dense and dependent upon some deeper familiarity with these authors than I possess.Still, as a one-volume (and still fairly short) history of a fundamental philosophical concept, I think that Renaut's book will be hard to beat.

It would probably be worthwhile to read this book alongside Charles Taylor's "Sources of the Self", to get a different take on a similar historical development. ... Read more

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This book is great!
What a courageous woman Bess Corey was to go into the unkown territory of mostly crude men and make a home for herself. She didn't let anyone takeadvantage of her, yet she was sweet. She was an honest, humorous,hardworking woman. This book kept my interest from beginning to end. Theonly disappointment was that she didn't write more letters! This would be agreat book for anyone who wants to really understand how America was built.

Don't Miss This!
I came across this book purely by accident in the library, and since the title sounded interesting, I decided to check it out just to see what the letters were like.I was expecting dry letters written by a hardenedwoman.Boy, was I wrong --I love Bess!She's so funny, and her lettersback home are wonderfully descriptive.At 21, she left Iowa to stake aclaim in South Dakota.I'm only about a third of the way through the bookright now, and she's living alone in a tiny 2-roomhouse on her claim,getting up at 5 to walk two miles through the snow to the schoolhouse whereshe teaches.At night, she writes these letters home, describing her dayin great detail.This book is a treasure.I'm ordering a copy for my homelibrary right now.:-) ... Read more

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This is the first English translation of Condillac's most influential works: the Essay on the Origins of Human Knowledge (1746) and Course for Study of Instruction of the Prince of Parma (1772).

The Essays lay the foundation for Condillac's theory of mind. He argues that all mental operations are, in fact, sensory processes and nothing more. An outgrowth of Locke's empirical account of ideas and sensations as a source of knowledge, Condillac's theory goes beyond Locke's foundations, introducing his universal method for understanding any complex entity: the reduction of all matters to their origins and then to their simplest forms.

The Course, originally written to teach Prince Ferdinand of Parma to think and to develop good habits of mind following the principle of association of ideas, covers grammar, writing, reasoning, thinking, and ancient and modern history.Philip writes in the introduction: "[the] mind is moldable to reason and to 'nature' which gave it a model and provides the ultimate authority for all it can know or do."
... Read more

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A uniquely accessible introduction to Islam, by the celebrated author of Racism Explained to My Daughter.

In an accessible question-and-answer format, Islam Explained clarifies the main tenets of Islam, the major landmarks in Islamic history, and the current politics of Islamic fundamentalism. The book also sheds light on the key words that have come to dominate the media—terrorist, crusade, jihad, fundamentalist, fatwa—offering lucid and balanced explanations, not only for youngsters but also for the general reader.

Islam Explained is at once an essential introduction to one of the world's great religions and a cry for tolerance and understanding in deeply troubled times. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Young Person's Guide to Islam
The author has written a book for older children and young adults which attempts, by use of a question-and-answer format, to explain Islam in fairly simple language; it was written in French in response to the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, and has been gracefully translated by Franklin Philip. Tahar ben Jelloun is a French writer of Moroccan origin whose earlier book, 'Racism Explained,' used the same approach. It purports to be a dialogue between his young daughter, who asks questions, and himself, who supplies answers. The book traces the history of Islam, starting with a brief outline of Muhammad's life and the tenets of the religion, then focuses a good deal on the Golden Age of Islam - about 900 years ago - before he comments frankly on the 'decline' of Islam as a unified culture in the ensuing centuries. He implies that the current situation, with fanatical and violent people 'claiming to be' adherents of Islam, is due to the long slide of Islamic culture (as opposed to the Islamic religion itself) into 'decadence.' He goes further to decry the current atmosphere of terrorism and violence as a corruption of the idealistic principles of Islam and denounces it forcefully.

I read the book primarily because I knew very little about Islam and earlier attempts to read more scholarly books on the subject couldn't hold my interest. I do think it might be helpful as a source of information for young people or adults like myself who have no background in the religion. It is by no means the last word on the subject, but might lead readers to further study.

Scott Morrison ... Read more

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In a new preface to this special edition of his critically acclaimed memoir, Francois Jacob recalls the events that brought him to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the early 1960's and taught him much about phage biology and the informal ways of American science. Throughout his book, Jacob demonstrates a scientist's eye for detail and a poet's instinct for the inner life, as he tells of a privileged Parisian boyhood, young love, heroism in war, and the fascination of life at the edge of scientific discovery. ... Read more

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booring
François Jacob (born 1920) shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Medicine for "discoveries concerning genetic control of enzyme and virus synthesis". In the 1970s he developed the idea of evolution being a tinkerer, because, as opposed to how an engineer usually works, adaptations almost always arise not from scratch, but from the modifications of existing molecules, organs or metabolic processes (for example, see Jacob, 1977).

I bought Jacob's autobiography published in 1987 from a used bookstore hoping to learn a little bit more about a man who at some point in his life appears to have been an important scientist. Had I known boring would be a one-word summary of his life and ideas, or rather the way he presented them, I would have saved my $2 for a cup of coffee.

This is a tediously personal, rambling account of Jacob's life. The very 1st chapter begins depressingly with the memories of the sufferings and the death of a friend of Jacob's, continues with a discourse on suicide and them rambles on with fragments of events from his life. A perfect way to turn off your readers right from the beginning, don't you think so? And then there is excessive philosophizing throughout the book mostly in a disorganized manner. Here is an example: one long paragraph starts out with what appears to be an account of how Jacob tried to decide what kind of research he wanted to do in the beginning of his scientific career and ends with criticisms of Soviet genetics under Lysenko and French communists. Who cares?

Jacob appears to be an atheist preoccupied with death and dying and who may be subject to bouts of depression. I could only read randomly selected parts of the book and now wasting my time writing about it.


Jacob, F. 1977. Evolution and tinkering. Science 196:1161.

Perhaps one of the most significant books in my life
I got a copy of this book long time ago and still remember almost as if happens yesterday. The positive effects of this book have in my life are unforgetable. Actually one of the reasons I decided to became a scientist was because the way Francois Jacob found his way in hard times. The book details his experiences during the second world war and after. In these days, we are in a new century and it seems that we haven't learn much about peace and respect and we have quite similar hard time as Francois Jacob describes. However, I totally believes that this book will be a positive hit for all students in Jr college and high schools and for sure will encourage the scientist of the future to take over this activity. The future of those that identify themselfs with Francois Jacob's life will be significant as time advance.

a surprisingly gripping story
Even though I am a molecular biologist, I began reading The Statue Within with a bit of prejudice that it would be good for me but not necessarily interesting.I figured it would be beneficial to learn more detail aboutthe work of one of the founders of my field.Boy was I surprised!What Igot instead was the examination of a complex and vivid personality, a lifefilled with great flux, confusion, but most of all, a passion forknowledge.Dr. Jacob started off as a reluctant medical student, went toEngland to escape the Nazi takeover of Paris, signed up with DeGaulle'sunofficial French army and served as a medic in a messy, confusing war. Afterward he returned to Paris and his medical studies, but, lackingdirection, found himself in the midst of new and interesting biologicalresearch about genetics.Fascinated and obsessed, he pestered and cajoledhis way into a top laboratory at the Pasteur Institute and began toexperiment.His work of course was fundamental to the understanding of themechanical functioning of genetics, and he went on to win the Nobel.Butthe beauty of the book is that it isn't about the glory and accolades - itis about the thirst for knowledge and the collaborative bonds that formbetween bright minds.It is very good for a scientist to be reminded ofthe essential nature of curiosity and the trial and defense of oneshypotheses.I will be reading this one for the rest of my career! ... Read more

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loyal patriots
Engrossing, a real page-turner and indeed a study of how to write well andbring history to life. Ben from Brooklyn's review is totally concurred withby this Aussie. Author Philip McFarland's superb narrative brings back thediplomatic tensions and intrigues as the mother country and her colonialsiblings slide to war. Sir Thomas Hutchison, a great if tragic AmericanLoyalist figure is portrayed sensitively as his lonely exile becomes apermanent fixture, to his death in 1780 with the American Revolution stillraging. On the patriot side,the author describes the 'turning' of thatcolossus and diplomatic agent, Ben Franklin, after being humiliated by thePrivy Council, over leaking Hutchison's stolen correspondence. JosiahQuincy is the tragic young figure in all the diplomatic wrangling1774-75,dying aboard ship on his return voyage, in American waters. Above all, theauthor does not engage in an anti-British tirade and indeed Dartmouth andLord Richard Howe are revealed as having warm feelings towards theAmericans. For anyone interested in the American Revolution this is amust-read.

Engrossing.
I bought this because of specialized interest (Franklin) but found that it was a real page-turner (not my usual response to American Revolution).For anybody with the faintest interest in American History this is totallyengrossing.Probably also a good study on how to write well -- I thinkit's the structure and organization.

Rule, Brittania, up to a point
The author did a great deal of research and believes that none of itshould be lost. So we learn who went where of an afternoon, by what route,with what kind of contraption and how many horses, and what they had fortea. This book needs tightening up. Also, I find it very one-sided British.While the author mentions the Stamp Act and the Tea Party, he never reallymentions where the basic call for freedom came from and how it developedinto the ultimate uprising.

Pictures people and problems in governingAm colonies.
This book centers on the period between the Boston tea party and the start of the war for independence.Hutchinson, Loyalist and ex-governor of Massachusetts, and Franklin and Quincy, patriots, are in London trying to influence the government's policies toward the colonies.The letters and journals of these three men give a lively picture of their activities, which included meetings with King George, Pitt, and other leaders of the day.The Brave Bostonians is a good read and illustrates the problems, ironies, false hopes, and false assumptions that plagued England's efforts to govern a country many weeks away. ... Read more