rationes_seminales's review against another edition
3.0
(3/5) muchas cosas que dice ya las he pensado, sin embargo el valor reside en su forma de expresión bastante buena. Por otro lado, no creo que tenga un gran fundamento "lógico", pero sí uno muy especial subjetivo, y siento que hace falta que se hable más de la filosofía desde este punto de vista de los sentimientos. Porque es verdad que es un aspecto muy ignorado y sin embargo demasiado importante.
Me agrado aunque en algunas partes me parecía algo enredada la lectura.
Me agrado aunque en algunas partes me parecía algo enredada la lectura.
maya_irl's review against another edition
3.0
"I feel that I am dying of solitude, of love, of despair, of hatred, of all that this world offers me."
"To live on the heights means to live near the abyss."
"To live on the heights means to live near the abyss."
softlights's review against another edition
5.0
Incredibly pessimistic, but also incredibly beautiful. I found it comforting in a strange, melancholic way. A thought-provoking book on death, insomnia, existence, loneliness, sadness, suffering, suicide and the likes. I thoroughly enjoyed Cioran's musings on the paradoxes of human existence, the distinction between melancholy and sadness, and the disparity between the infinite world and the finite individual.
ottomobile99's review against another edition
3.0
Cioran's philosophy is simple - no, it's not simple.
Pessimism and Nihilism: mix them together and add a bit of ecstasy to it. The work here at hand can be soothing to read on a gloomy or riddle day but don't expect it to cheer you up or act as a 'self-help' book. Much like a ton of other continental hazards, this doesn't present any solutions to modern man's issues; if you'll say, this is more of a treatise ( if you can even call it that) of humanity's most desperate thoughts and questions. It's like adding more bullets to the incumbent questions we've yet to solve - which is to be expected of , regardless.
Surely, I enjoyed this read but it can get repetitively tedious at times: if you picked up this book thinking that it'll enchant you or perhaps clarify your questions with any certain school of thought, you might as put it back where it was shelved. It's understandable that Cioran wrote this book when he was 22 years of age but the experience that drives the contents of this book are the struggles that numerous thinkers from his time faced. Be it Jean-Paul Sartre, Michel Foucalt, Albert Camus, Theodore Adorno, Jacques Derrida or so to speak. Unlike his contemporaries, he doesn't get too serious with philosophy( I don't mean to derange continental by any means, I do like the branch but as someone who astoundingly prefers analytic, it can be an eyesore) but rather plays around with his writing as if it were a playbook.
If you're looking for a sequel to Schopenhauer's "The Pessimist's Handbook" or Nietzsche but with oil and water, you can grab this book and finish it with a day's excursion at your local park.
Pessimism and Nihilism: mix them together and add a bit of ecstasy to it. The work here at hand can be soothing to read on a gloomy or riddle day but don't expect it to cheer you up or act as a 'self-help' book. Much like a ton of other continental hazards, this doesn't present any solutions to modern man's issues; if you'll say, this is more of a treatise ( if you can even call it that) of humanity's most desperate thoughts and questions. It's like adding more bullets to the incumbent questions we've yet to solve - which is to be expected of , regardless.
Surely, I enjoyed this read but it can get repetitively tedious at times: if you picked up this book thinking that it'll enchant you or perhaps clarify your questions with any certain school of thought, you might as put it back where it was shelved. It's understandable that Cioran wrote this book when he was 22 years of age but the experience that drives the contents of this book are the struggles that numerous thinkers from his time faced. Be it Jean-Paul Sartre, Michel Foucalt, Albert Camus, Theodore Adorno, Jacques Derrida or so to speak. Unlike his contemporaries, he doesn't get too serious with philosophy( I don't mean to derange continental by any means, I do like the branch but as someone who astoundingly prefers analytic, it can be an eyesore) but rather plays around with his writing as if it were a playbook.
If you're looking for a sequel to Schopenhauer's "The Pessimist's Handbook" or Nietzsche but with oil and water, you can grab this book and finish it with a day's excursion at your local park.
melisaesra13's review against another edition
4.0
Emil Cioran se ia de mână cu Zorba Grecul, formând un duo perfect de mari misogini.
Exceptând acest detaliu, cred că nihiliștii nu pot citi nihiliști.
Prea mult nimic!
Prea frumos exprimat.
Exceptând acest detaliu, cred că nihiliștii nu pot citi nihiliști.
Prea mult nimic!
Prea frumos exprimat.
ghosthardware's review against another edition
4.0
"The importance of insomnia is so colossal that I am tempted to define man as the animal who cannot sleep. Why call him a rational animal when other animals are equally reasonable? But there is not another animal in the entire creation that wants to sleep yet cannot."
nalz's review against another edition
1.0
Written in flowery prose, but this book makes no real arguments, just stews in the authors personal depression and extrapolates that into a mostly unfounded worldview. That being said this could have just been his aim here, it just comes across as philosophical whining.
People draw an analogue between this book and Walt Whitman and I just cant see it at all. From what I understand his work gets more sophisticated after this.
People draw an analogue between this book and Walt Whitman and I just cant see it at all. From what I understand his work gets more sophisticated after this.
kaiserreads's review against another edition
4.0
enjoyed this more then nietzsche, thought it was more direct and understandable. hmm though I don't entirely agree with the writings here since some of it is insane. nonetheless, excellent choice of words. quite lyrical.
maddiepondss's review against another edition
5.0
if you've ever laid in bed at 3am staring at the ceiling, you'll know what this book is about.
also, to my philosophy teacher who said I'd go insane afer reading this - that all you got?
also, to my philosophy teacher who said I'd go insane afer reading this - that all you got?
samedestination's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
5.0
whilst i don't agree with absolutely everything Cioran had written in this book, i felt like the bits i did relate to really hit home. it felt like he had peered into my soul and put into words feelings and emotions i had never been able to vocalise. just wow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, and Suicide
Minor: Sexism