Everyone knows that cars are a important part of america, and now there is a book that really shows that people still carry on their romance with their cars. Check out Pick up(I laughed), and the Wrecker (I found this one oddly moving).

David Cooper does a fantastic job of selecting key excerpts from the great works in Metaphysics covering the dawn of Greek philosophy up through Heidegger. He also includes some key Eastern texts, something missing from many anthologies. Cooper organizes the works in a logical, historical progression and situates them nicely with brief introductions to each selection. This is a very good textbook for any Metaphysics course and also a good purchase for any student of lover of philosophy who simply doesn't have the time or moneyto read through the entire texts of Kant, Heidegger, Schopenhauer, Spinoza, etc. Also, in reading through massive, difficult texts such as The Critique of Pure Reason or Being and Time it can be hard to know exactly what you are looking for. What Cooper does is cut to some of the most relevant sections of these works. I feel that dealing with the primary texts is necessary and rewarding for those teaching or taking Metaphysics. For all of those people, I would highly recommend this book.

David E. Cooper shows how many of the popular views on existentialism are actually misconceptions about the philosophy - this book is very helpful in dispelling the dictionary definition of existentialism. The idea that Existentialism is irrational or an anti-rational form of philosophy is shown to be an incorrect interpretation of what existential thought is about. Cooper shows that the existentialists where not against reason or rational thought but where really against a narrow form of rationalism -also empiricism- which attempted, through non-involvement in the human world, to gain a god-like perspective; a detached and impersonal view from nowhere within the world. Against this the existentialists wanted to show that we are all participants in human affairs and not mere spectators. Other misconceptions mentioned in the book were; that existentialism is just a phenomena born out of post-war Europe; that existentialism is a form of subjectivist philosophy; and that there was a large gulf between Sartre and Heidegger, Sartre -it is often claimed- was a Cartesian while Heidegger was Anti-Cartesian etc.. Some other misconceptions are also mentioned.

I thought the book was missing many of the insights from literature into existentialist thought -although some people will think that is a positive thing. Dostoevsky was not mentioned; I don't remember Kafkas great existential novels (the Trial or the Castle) coming up; and Camus is only mentioned long enough for us to see that he was neither philosophical or systematic and therefore not included. Cooper is not as hostile towards Camus as Sartre was in his review of the Rebel in Les Temps Modenes, but if you are a Camus fan you might want to look away. Of course every book has to make some cuts and Cooper does give reasons for his omissions.

I found the book very helpful and enjoyable, it would probably make a good introduction, but I wouldn't base all my opinions of the philosophy on it.

This is the best of all exisiting introductions to Existentialism in English, and perhaps any language. The clarity is not bogus. It is exemplary in the number of confusions it clears up. Existentialism is far from a passing post-war fad, and Cooper shows why, chapter after chapter. This is a book that should be on every philosophy student's reading list.

I enjoyed the well-written book (and I came as a sceptic). Cooper not only synthesizes the different strands of existentialism, but nicely fills in weaknesses before showing how the existentialistic argument can deliver a reasonable philosophy to live by. To help you judge where I am coming from, consider two other books of practical philosophy that I liked: Peter Singer's "Essential Singer: Writings on an ethical life" and Stephen Batchelor's "Buddhism Without Beliefs".

This book is a great resource for those interested in education theory. The author provides the reader with a short overview of the thinking of each of the individuals covered. I particularly appreciate the international diversity represented in this book. I found the book provided my students with a more global perspective on education theory and motivated them to do more independent research on the topic. I recommend this book as a resource and a good introduction to education theory.