Jon Stewart

This volume explores in detail Kierkegaard's various relations to his German contemporaries. Kierkegaard read German fluently and made extensive use of the writings of German-speaking authors. Apart from his contemporary Danish sources, the German sources were probably the most important in the development of his thought generally. This volume represents source-work research dedicated to tracing Kierkegaard's readings and use of the various German-speaking authors in the different fields in a way that is as clearly documented as possible.The volume has been divided into three tomes reflecting Kierkegaard's main areas of interest with regard to the German-speaking sources, namely, philosophy, theology and a more loosely conceived category, which has here been designated "literature and aesthetics."This first tome treats the German philosophical influences on Kierkegaard. The dependence of Danish philosophy on German philosophy is beyond question. In a book review in his Hegelian journal "Perseus", the poet, playwright and critic, Johan Ludvig Heiberg (1791-1869) laments the sad state of philosophy in Denmark, while lauding German speculative philosophy. Moreover, Kierkegaard's lifelong enemy, the theologian Hans Lassen Martensen (1808-84) claims without exaggeration that the Danish systems of philosophy can be regarded as the "disjecta membra" of earlier German systems. All of the major German idealist philosophers made an impact in Denmark such as: Kant, Fichte, Schelling, and most significantly, Hegel. Kierkegaard was widely read in the German philosophical literature, which he made use of in countless ways throughout his authorship. [via]

Jon Stewart's groundbreaking study is a major re-evaluation of the complex relationship between the philosophies of Kierkegaard and Hegel. Although the standard view on the subject is that Kierkegaard defined himself as explicitly anti-Hegelian (and viewed Hegel's philosophy with disdain), Jon Stewart demonstrates that Kierkegaard's criticism was not directed specifically to Hegel, but actually to some contemporary Danish Hegelians. [via]

Sometimes it seems like every standup comedian worth his or her salt just has to do the book thing, and you might feel that yet another warmed-over stage routine is the last thing you need taking up valuable bookshelf space. Jon Stewart's book will come as an extremely pleasant surprise. He eschews the standard standup patter and instead gives us 18 short comic essays in a variety of styles that recall the prose work of Woody Allen, only with a few more references to genitals. Stewart proves himself a remarkably nimble humorist with a sharp eye for parody, whether he's writing "A Very Hanson Christmas" or "Adolf Hitler: The Larry King Interview."

HITLER: ...Larry, look, I was a bad guy. No question. I hate that Hitler. The yelling, the finger pointing, I don't know ... I was a very angry guy.

KING: And this ... new Hitler?

HITLER: I get up at seven, have half a melon, do the jumble in the morning paper and then let the day take me where it will.... Me!! The inventor of the Blitzkrieg... When you stop having to control everything it's very freeing.

Stewart is not afraid to flirt with bad taste, in fact, some of the pieces in this collection do for "flirting with bad taste" what Bill Clinton did for "not having sexual relations." But it's wonderful to see an edgy comedian taking on the traditionally cozy genre of the humorous essay, creating work that combines the wit of Robert Benchley with the energy and attitude of the best modern standup. Naked Pictures of Famous People proves that Jon Stewart is as comfortable, and accomplished, in front of a word processor as he is in front of an audience. --Simon Leake [via]

The Phenomenology of Spirit was Hegel's first major philosophical work and is considered by many to be his masterpiece. Its several hundred pages treat topics as diverse as Greek drama, religion, medieval court culture, natural science, Romanticism, and the Enlightenment. Hegel regarded it as the introduction to his philosophical system as a whole, and it is often thought to be the most accessible work in his otherwise difficult philosophical corpus.

This anthology represents the most complete collection of essays on the Phenomenology in any language. It follows Hegel's table of contents, and all of the major sections of the work are covered. The main goal guiding the selection of essays was to collect the best articles written on the Phenomenology by distinguished international Hegel scholars and at the same time to provide systematic coverage. Although the essays are all by leading Hegel scholars, none of them presupposes any particular in-depth knowledge of Hegel or German philosophy. The object of the book is thus to make the Phenomenology more accessible for students while serving as an impetus for further Anglo-American Hegel research.

Among the contributors to the book are Howard Adelman, John W. Burbidge, Martin De Nys, Kenley R. Dove, Katharina Dulckeit, Joseph C. Flay, Moltke S. Gram, Daniel P. Jamros, George Armstrong Kelly, Alasdair MacIntyre, Mitchell H. Miller, Jr., Patricia Jagentowicz Mills, Karlheinz Nusser, David W. Price, John Sallis, Harald Schondorf, Gary Shapiro, Jean-Louis Vieillard-Baron, Kenneth R. Westphal, and Merold Westphal. [via]