Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #627704 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 181 pages

Language Notes
Text: English
Original Language: German

Customer Reviews

Not the best introduction to Jaspers' thought
While Reason and Existenz remains one of Jaspers' more popular books, it is not one of his better books. I would argue this for several reasons. First, Jaspers' focus here is much narrower than his other works. To get a well-rounded view of Jaspers' thought, read Philosophy ("Philosophie," 3 vols), or his shorter overview Philosophy of Existence ("Existenzphilosophie").

Second, Jaspers' typically contorted language seems somehow worse in this book. Jaspers has always been heavy on jargon (Existenz, Transcendenz, the Encompassing, Dasein, etc.), but, to his benefit, he typically counters the confusing aspect of the jargon with a well-structured (and well outlined) argument. His careful structuring struck me as less prominent in this work. Again, Philosophy of Existence offered more bang for the buck on this one.

Third, my understanding of this work is that Jaspers intends to focus specifically on the problem of reason and how it relates to one's task (or act) of transcending. This is a fairly narrow topic within Jaspers' overall work. I think that to begin studies of Jaspers with this book might lead one to a mis-understanding of Jaspers' overarching philosophy. A more digestible approach to studying Jaspers is found in Ehrlich, Ehrlich, and Pepper's volume entitled (I think) "The Basic Writings of Karl Jaspers."

In summary, Reason and Existenz will be useful to the reader with a background in Jaspers -- especially if the reader has an interest in Jaspers' arguments for reason's place in mediating between the immanent and the transcendent. For most others, though, this may not be the best place to start.

Gem of a Book

Jasper's book is one of those books that you are so impressed by you work to memorize and apply in all thinking processes. His discription of existentialism in one's chaotic center of concealed knowledge with how we perceive reality is essential and the foundation behind all thinking in philosophy, science and religion.

Jasper speaks of all thinking within a horizon that can be transcended. All horizons being within a horizon he names "the encompassing," which can be seen in two modes, as all Being in itself, or as all Being within which we are. It is here within which we are, we perceive reality in three ways: by empirical existence, consciousness and spirit. In turn we use reason to formulate, objectify and create absolutes, yet at the same time we need to use our irrational concealed knowledge, that is, the dark ground and center, of all modes, the existenz, to allow our reason to be open and apart from mere intellectual indifference. All demarcations are relative, yet existenz without reason is unrelated to Transcendence. Each without the other loses the genuine continuity of Being, and therefore, the reliability ceases to be authentic.

Reason clarifies our existenz, while our existenz gives content to our reason. Jaspers also goes into the idea of communicating truth, the prioity and limits of ratonal thought and compares the ideas of Nietzsche and Kiergaard. The book is brilliant.