Nominations June 2026

[michael brewer]

My first nomination: Heidegger: A Very Short Introduction 

Heidegger is notoriously difficult. He is overthrowing two millennia of Western philosophy. His work is full of neologisms. He is asking us to rethink how it is that we exist in the world. Sometimes his arguments read like koans; it’s not surprising that students of Zen philosophy find in him a kindred spirit. 

I see at least four topics of discussion:

Why Heidegger thought that the pre-Socratics' (Parmenides and Heraclitus) understanding of logos was misunderstood by Plato and Aristotle

How primordial human existence comes prior to human intellect 

How Heidegger's  idea of authenticity influenced existentialists like Sartre

Why there is no pure consciousness possible, only immersion in the world

This book does a good job of explaining his thinking, in an economical 130 pages. Warning: Heidegger may give you a sense of unheimlichkeit (uncanniness). 

https://www.amazon.com/Heidegger-Very-Short-Introduction-Introductions-ebook/dp/B07L5QJZG5/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3FJ8KNJP2REZH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KZ-4ixZ94DfD19KVtnHuiZFbzkTLBEiQxbDPnm9CJI8tzUufLbGbMpOQXF5A3H49Pm7MNqDYZLdYysUeO_CJZ4ugSeyuebRejJeJW4mkdnoC5e_Er4WMEBhQzJs_rCrmnCaQ1EV_0huS9r9aIWgu36HtVEyaZVxiOsQ1w8NRNtPYjdEswhoAHCSXYlPOG4y76vTi1db8ecvQCcJLtFChuzCP7JzwpyWXXd56gbLrzd4.uDhsJwK2YEYU4gN4OR9f4g8ARzbAUYjIHowyI9ZZ1Uc&dib_tag=se&keywords=heidegger+a+very+short+introduction&qid=1780592798&sprefix=Heidegger%3A+a+ver%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-1

My second nomination: Shakespeare’s Freedom

In this slim volume, Shakespeare’s Freedom, Stephen Greenblatt draws out themes from the bard's work. He discusses four concerns: 'These concerns are beauty—Shakespeare’s growing doubts about the cult of featureless perfection and his interest in indelible marks; negation—his exploration of murderous hatred; authority—his simultaneous questioning and acceptance of the exercise of power, including his own; and autonomy—the status of artistic freedom in his work.'

 The author sees in Shakespeare's work a break from conventions of the late Middle Ages. The book immerses us in the history and society of Elizabethan England. 

The book is replete with quotes from Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. 

We have read one of Greenblatt's  books, The Swerve, which discusses Lucretius and Epicurus. 

https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeares-Freedom-University-Campbell-Lectures-ebook/dp/B00AMCZ51A/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bTj7ciBijR_NZCP4FEFS_oiRQtunD-NDxNdAMdBKgBwAjhIs1TfhxEPXXsWhaoL17A4pJfgGxi5cxPww552TqshS0-Rv2PPE0zTPz0ne5P_Uu0TGFbVtTNeZ8qNnqRSmEDPjfr9JGhNEkYibky4qnXrTj4UT4Z4CtnXLnucsEhEQc8TRP6Ai0lR4l67CbPJIJUGY8BnWJqkkIsnyo9pSehMtbKWNyvLuW2KUxiKB03A.3KVjG9IprYBkoXYwtlcWfiN4NhB20R-uLtaYtmhMeCo&dib_tag=se&keywords=shakespeare+freedom&qid=1781897912&sr=8-1

Mike B

[Mike DiFilippo]

Hmm, VERY interesting but certainly brazenly philosophical choices.

Here's what AI had to say about one of your points (I for one am ready for intellectual frustration and certainly am comfortable with ambiguity :):

 If you say that an argument "reads like a koan," you are identifying a piece of text that intentionally bypasses linear, analytical reasoning. Rooted in Zen Buddhist traditions, a koan is a paradoxical anecdote, riddle, or short dialogue that cannot be solved simply by thinking about it logically. Instead, it is designed to break the thinking mind, forcing the reader out of habitual dualistic thought (e.g., right/wrong, true/false) and pushing them to discover a deeper, often uncomfortable, truth. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

If an argument is taking on this specific, enigmatic quality, it likely possesses several distinct traits:

Hallmarks of a Koan-Like Argument

• Paradoxical claims: The argument will present two seemingly contradictory ideas that are stated as being simultaneously true. [1, 2]
• Rejection of standard logic: It frustrates the desire for a simple resolution by being deliberately surreal or nonsensical on a surface level. [1, 2]
• The inadequacy of rational thought: It operates on the premise that intellect alone cannot capture the reality of the situation, often pointing to an "identity of opposites". [1]
• Focus on the thinker: The true point of the argument is not to "win" a debate, but rather to shift the reader's state of awareness or force a sudden, intuitive realization. [1, 2]

The Purpose of This Style

In Zen practice, the frustration a practitioner feels when trying to "solve" a koan is the very point of the exercise. It is meant to show that our standard frameworks for understanding the world are limited. When used in modern discourse or writing, this style challenges readers to abandon rigid viewpoints and sit comfortably with ambiguity

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SundayPhilosophers" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to sundayphilosoph...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/CANBah7rcYMw%3DeHmJVBo-EU9PW_mxMTMyLOGGuUnF%2BrNRZAj6rA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Steven Clark Cunningham]

Did Mike B mention koan?  

Anyway, the book I suggested, it seems appropriate to mention now, does touch on Heidegger und Hegel In the discussion of the development of quantum physics, so something for everybody there!  

https://www.audible.com/pd/B0FCN1QLJ8?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow

Steve

Sent from my mobile phone. Please excuse typos, etc.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/CALN_KtqdP8XEQrgAepTVPs%2BH_T3gGFEM9QM%2BmnuBOrQxHu9uVA%40mail.gmail.com.