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Philosophy of Existence
by Karl Jaspers • 1938
Objects aren't real. The real is a horizon you inhabit, never grasp, and awaken to.
3.79
323
Philosophy of Existence Summary
Philosophy of Existence 94%
Objects aren't real. The real is a horizon you inhabit, never grasp, and awaken to.
by Karl Jaspers 1938
3.79
323 ratings
Being and Time
by Martin Heidegger • 1927
Reality's biggest question has been forgotten: start with the anxious, mortal creature who asks it.
4.05
28k+
Being and Time Summary
Being and Time 93%
Reality's biggest question has been forgotten: start with the anxious, mortal creature who asks it.
by Martin Heidegger 1927
4.05
28k+ ratings
Introduction to Metaphysics
by Martin Heidegger • 1929
Before any science, one question: what does it mean to exist? Philosophy forgot, and reality shrank.
4.03
4k+
Introduction to Metaphysics Summary
Introduction to Metaphysics 93%
Before any science, one question: what does it mean to exist? Philosophy forgot, and reality shrank.
by Martin Heidegger 1929
4.03
4k+ ratings
The Portable Nietzsche
by Friedrich Nietzsche • 1954
Morality was a slave revolt, pity is poison, and God's death is an open door.
4.21
9k+
The Portable Nietzsche Summary
The Portable Nietzsche 92%
Morality was a slave revolt, pity is poison, and God's death is an open door.
by Friedrich Nietzsche 1954
4.21
9k+ ratings
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
by Friedrich Nietzsche • 1883
With God gone, a prophet calls humanity a bridge: cross it and become more than human.
4.07
179k+
Thus Spoke Zarathustra Summary
Thus Spoke Zarathustra 92%
With God gone, a prophet calls humanity a bridge: cross it and become more than human.
by Friedrich Nietzsche 1883
4.07
179k+ ratings
The Will to Power
by Friedrich Nietzsche • 1901
When morality crumbles, the only response is the harshest truth: life is the will to overpower.
4.07
11k+
The Will to Power Summary
The Will to Power 91%
When morality crumbles, the only response is the harshest truth: life is the will to overpower.
by Friedrich Nietzsche 1901
4.07
11k+ ratings
The Clown
by Heinrich Böll • 1963
A clown in postwar Bonn unravels after the woman he loves leaves him for a Catholic.
3.93
32k+
The Clown Summary
The Clown 91%
A clown in postwar Bonn unravels after the woman he loves leaves him for a Catholic.
by Heinrich Böll 1963
3.93
32k+ ratings
The Existentialist's Guide to Death, the Universe and Nothingness
by Gary Cox • 2011
You are free in a way you never asked for. This is what that actually costs.
4.12
121
The Existentialist's Guide to Death, the Universe and Nothingness Summary
The Existentialist's Guide to Death, the Universe and Nothingness 91%
You are free in a way you never asked for. This is what that actually costs.
by Gary Cox 2011
4.12
121 ratings
Existentialism
by Thomas R. Flynn • 2006
Your choices are all you are: a brief guide to the philosophy of radical freedom.
3.49
2k+
Existentialism Summary
Existentialism 91%
Your choices are all you are: a brief guide to the philosophy of radical freedom.
by Thomas R. Flynn 2006
3.49
2k+ ratings
Ecce Homo
by Friedrich Nietzsche • 1908
If you had to live your exact life again forever, could you say yes? Nietzsche's final book.
3.81
20k+
Ecce Homo Summary
Ecce Homo 91%
If you had to live your exact life again forever, could you say yes? Nietzsche's final book.
by Friedrich Nietzsche 1908
3.81
20k+ ratings
Existentialism
by Robert C. Solomon • 1974
No fixed human nature, only your choices. Each one invents you and implicates everyone else.
4.07
384
Existentialism Summary
Existentialism 91%
No fixed human nature, only your choices. Each one invents you and implicates everyone else.
by Robert C. Solomon 1974
4.07
384 ratings
The Gay Science
by Friedrich Nietzsche • 1882
The old gods are dead. Nietzsche's joyful answer: laugh, create, and love life without them.
4.26
21k+
The Gay Science Summary
The Gay Science 91%
The old gods are dead. Nietzsche's joyful answer: laugh, create, and love life without them.
by Friedrich Nietzsche 1882
4.26
21k+ ratings
Truth and Method
by Hans-Georg Gadamer • 1960
Understanding is an event language and tradition perform through you, not a method you apply.
4.17
4k+
Truth and Method Summary
Truth and Method 91%
Understanding is an event language and tradition perform through you, not a method you apply.
by Hans-Georg Gadamer 1960
4.17
4k+ ratings
Heidegger
by Michael Watts • 2014
Heidegger demystified: the freedom found in facing death, and the worldview technology imposes.
4.40
143
Heidegger Summary
Heidegger 91%
Heidegger demystified: the freedom found in facing death, and the worldview technology imposes.
by Michael Watts 2014
4.40
143 ratings
Being and Nothingness
by Jean-Paul Sartre • 1943
Consciousness is a hole in being. What pours through is freedom, and it terrifies us.
3.99
35k+
Being and Nothingness Summary
Being and Nothingness 91%
Consciousness is a hole in being. What pours through is freedom, and it terrifies us.
by Jean-Paul Sartre 1943
3.99
35k+ ratings
The Age of Defeat
by Colin Wilson • 1959
Why the hero vanished: affluence, conformity, and philosophy all taught us we don't matter.
4.00
59
The Age of Defeat Summary
The Age of Defeat 90%
Why the hero vanished: affluence, conformity, and philosophy all taught us we don't matter.
by Colin Wilson 1959
4.00
59 ratings
I Am Dynamite! A Life of Nietzsche
by Sue Prideaux • 2018
The life Nietzsche lived, and the Nazi philosopher his sister built from his wreckage.
4.31
3k+
I Am Dynamite! A Life of Nietzsche Summary
I Am Dynamite! A Life of Nietzsche 90%
The life Nietzsche lived, and the Nazi philosopher his sister built from his wreckage.
by Sue Prideaux 2018
4.31
3k+ ratings
What Is Existentialism?
by Simone de Beauvoir • 1944
No fixed nature, no cosmic plan, no excuses: what existentialism actually says about being human.
3.91
2k+
What Is Existentialism? Summary
What Is Existentialism? 90%
No fixed nature, no cosmic plan, no excuses: what existentialism actually says about being human.
by Simone de Beauvoir 1944
3.91
2k+ ratings
Very Little...Almost Nothing
by Simon Critchley • 2004
Nihilism is the norm after God. Creative resistance through literature is how meaning gets remade.
3.89
132
Very Little...Almost Nothing Summary
Very Little...Almost Nothing 90%
Nihilism is the norm after God. Creative resistance through literature is how meaning gets remade.
by Simon Critchley 2004
3.89
132 ratings
Beyond Good and Evil
by Friedrich Nietzsche • 1886
Morality is resentment in disguise, truth is perspective, and the real task is to outgrow yourself.
4.03
116k+
Beyond Good and Evil Summary
Beyond Good and Evil 90%
Morality is resentment in disguise, truth is perspective, and the real task is to outgrow yourself.
by Friedrich Nietzsche 1886
4.03
116k+ ratings
The Ethics of Ambiguity
by Simone de Beauvoir • 1947
Freedom is never just your own: the only genuine ethics is to will it for everyone.
4.17
8k+
The Ethics of Ambiguity Summary
The Ethics of Ambiguity 90%
Freedom is never just your own: the only genuine ethics is to will it for everyone.
by Simone de Beauvoir 1947
4.17
8k+ ratings
The World as Will and Representation, Volume II
by Arthur Schopenhauer • 1844
Intellect serves a master it cannot command: a blind force that is what you actually are.
4.26
5k+
The World as Will and Representation, Volume II Summary
The World as Will and Representation, Volume II 90%
Intellect serves a master it cannot command: a blind force that is what you actually are.
by Arthur Schopenhauer 1844
4.26
5k+ ratings
Beyond Good and Evil and The Genealogy of Morals
by Friedrich Nietzsche • 1887
All philosophy is secret autobiography, and your morality is a confession of the drives ruling you.
4.16
452
Beyond Good and Evil and The Genealogy of Morals Summary
Beyond Good and Evil and The Genealogy of Morals 90%
All philosophy is secret autobiography, and your morality is a confession of the drives ruling you.
by Friedrich Nietzsche 1887
4.16
452 ratings
Twilight of the Idols
by Friedrich Nietzsche • 1889
Reason, morality, and eternal truths are just symptoms of sickness. A concise, incendiary diagnosis.
3.95
15k+
Twilight of the Idols Summary
Twilight of the Idols 90%
Reason, morality, and eternal truths are just symptoms of sickness. A concise, incendiary diagnosis.
by Friedrich Nietzsche 1889
3.95
15k+ ratings
The Courage to Be
by Paul Tillich • 1952
Anxiety is the awareness you might not exist. Courage is the act that says yes anyway.
4.09
4k+
The Courage to Be Summary
The Courage to Be 90%
Anxiety is the awareness you might not exist. Courage is the act that says yes anyway.
by Paul Tillich 1952
4.09
4k+ ratings
The Philosophy of Redemption
by Philipp Mainländer • 1876
Schopenhauer stopped halfway. The will to live isn't denied. It's exhausted until nothing remains.
4.19
295
The Philosophy of Redemption Summary
The Philosophy of Redemption 90%
Schopenhauer stopped halfway. The will to live isn't denied. It's exhausted until nothing remains.
by Philipp Mainländer 1876
4.19
295 ratings
The Stillborn God
by Mark Lilla • 2007
Politics broke from God only recently, and Weimar nearly put them back together.
3.60
289
The Stillborn God Summary
The Stillborn God 90%
Politics broke from God only recently, and Weimar nearly put them back together.
by Mark Lilla 2007
3.60
289 ratings
Anxiety
by Samir Chopra • 2024
What if your anxiety isn't a disorder, but the feeling of freedom itself?
3.91
522
Anxiety Summary
Anxiety 90%
What if your anxiety isn't a disorder, but the feeling of freedom itself?
by Samir Chopra 2024
3.91
522 ratings
Essays and Aphorisms
by Arthur Schopenhauer • 1851
A blind relentless impulse drives all life. The result is suffering and the escape is extreme.
4.16
9k+
Essays and Aphorisms Summary
Essays and Aphorisms 90%
A blind relentless impulse drives all life. The result is suffering and the escape is extreme.
by Arthur Schopenhauer 1851
4.16
9k+ ratings
The World as Will and Representation, Volume I
by Arthur Schopenhauer • 1818
Reality's hidden engine is a blind, striving will. Your desires obey it; art briefly escapes it.
4.22
11k+
The World as Will and Representation, Volume I Summary
The World as Will and Representation, Volume I 90%
Reality's hidden engine is a blind, striving will. Your desires obey it; art briefly escapes it.
by Arthur Schopenhauer 1818
4.22
11k+ ratings
Studies in Pessimism
by Arthur Schopenhauer • 1890
Beneath all striving is a blind will: pleasure is pain's absence, and boredom fills every gap.
3.88
2k+
Studies in Pessimism Summary
Studies in Pessimism 90%
Beneath all striving is a blind will: pleasure is pain's absence, and boredom fills every gap.
by Arthur Schopenhauer 1890
3.88
2k+ ratings
Steppenwolf
by Hermann Hesse • 1927
A suicidal scholar, half wolf in his own mind, enters a theatre where identity comes apart.
4.13
218k+
Steppenwolf Summary
Steppenwolf 90%
A suicidal scholar, half wolf in his own mind, enters a theatre where identity comes apart.
by Hermann Hesse 1927
4.13
218k+ ratings
At the Existentialist Café
by Sarah Bakewell • 2016
The existentialists built a philosophy from cafés, war, and each other's complicated lives.
4.24
20k+
At the Existentialist Café Summary
At the Existentialist Café 90%
The existentialists built a philosophy from cafés, war, and each other's complicated lives.
by Sarah Bakewell 2016
4.24
20k+ ratings
Less Than Nothing
by Slavoj Žižek • 2012
Reality is a hole in nothingness, propped up by fictions, and Hegel's dialectic is the map.
4.17
650
Less Than Nothing Summary
Less Than Nothing 90%
Reality is a hole in nothingness, propped up by fictions, and Hegel's dialectic is the map.
by Slavoj Žižek 2012
4.17
650 ratings
God Is Dead. God Remains Dead. And We Have Killed Him.
by Friedrich Nietzsche • 1888
The old gods are dead. The task left: invent your own values and treat existence as an experiment.
3.85
1k+
God Is Dead. God Remains Dead. And We Have Killed Him. Summary
God Is Dead. God Remains Dead. And We Have Killed Him. 90%
The old gods are dead. The task left: invent your own values and treat existence as an experiment.
by Friedrich Nietzsche 1888
3.85
1k+ ratings
Religion and the Rebel
by Colin Wilson • 1957
The rebel craving spiritual intensity is not broken: he is civilization's healthy warning symptom.
4.08
249
Religion and the Rebel Summary
Religion and the Rebel 90%
The rebel craving spiritual intensity is not broken: he is civilization's healthy warning symptom.
by Colin Wilson 1957
4.08
249 ratings
The Existentialist's Survival Guide
by Gordon Marino • 2018
Your anxiety is not a flaw. The existentialists saw it as proof of your freedom.
3.69
1k+
The Existentialist's Survival Guide Summary
The Existentialist's Survival Guide 90%
Your anxiety is not a flaw. The existentialists saw it as proof of your freedom.
by Gordon Marino 2018
3.69
1k+ ratings
Skills in Existential Counselling & Psychotherapy
by Emmy Van Deurzen • 2011
Existential philosophy as clinical practice: phenomenological skills for meaning and mortality.
4.31
124
Skills in Existential Counselling & Psychotherapy Summary
Skills in Existential Counselling & Psychotherapy 89%
Existential philosophy as clinical practice: phenomenological skills for meaning and mortality.
by Emmy Van Deurzen 2011
4.31
124 ratings
The Castle
by Franz Kafka • 1926
A land surveyor arrives in a snowbound village where the castle denies ever sending for him.
3.91
77k+
The Castle Summary
The Castle 89%
A land surveyor arrives in a snowbound village where the castle denies ever sending for him.
by Franz Kafka 1926
3.91
77k+ ratings
The Concept of Anxiety
by Søren Kierkegaard • 1844
Every sin begins with vertigo: the sudden awareness that you are free. That changes everything.
3.95
3k+
The Concept of Anxiety Summary
The Concept of Anxiety 89%
Every sin begins with vertigo: the sudden awareness that you are free. That changes everything.
by Søren Kierkegaard 1844
3.95
3k+ ratings
Standpoints
by Svend Brinkmann • 2018
Modernity wants a use for everything. Ten old ideas that refuse to earn their keep.
3.77
787
Standpoints Summary
Standpoints 89%
Modernity wants a use for everything. Ten old ideas that refuse to earn their keep.
by Svend Brinkmann 2018
3.77
787 ratings
The Diaries of Franz Kafka
by Franz Kafka • 2023
Kafka's diaries: the body hatred, the office dread, the nights his fiction tried to escape.
4.28
577
The Diaries of Franz Kafka Summary
The Diaries of Franz Kafka 89%
Kafka's diaries: the body hatred, the office dread, the nights his fiction tried to escape.
by Franz Kafka 2023
4.28
577 ratings
Shitbürgertum
by Ulf Poschardt • 2025
Moral posturing, language control, contempt for ambition: how a parasitic class captured Germany.
3.21
301
Shitbürgertum Summary
Shitbürgertum 89%
Moral posturing, language control, contempt for ambition: how a parasitic class captured Germany.
by Ulf Poschardt 2025
3.21
301 ratings
A Life Worth Living
by Robert Zaretsky • 2013
The universe is silent, life has no given meaning. Camus: that is where freedom begins.
4.00
647
A Life Worth Living Summary
A Life Worth Living 89%
The universe is silent, life has no given meaning. Camus: that is where freedom begins.
by Robert Zaretsky 2013
4.00
647 ratings
Phenomenology of Spirit
by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel • 1807
Truth is the whole journey. Every stage consciousness passes through is both wrong and necessary.
3.97
21k+
Phenomenology of Spirit Summary
Phenomenology of Spirit 89%
Truth is the whole journey. Every stage consciousness passes through is both wrong and necessary.
by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 1807
3.97
21k+ ratings
The Outsider
by Colin Wilson • 1956
The outsider feels reality too sharply to accept ordinary life. That crisis destroys, or awakens.
4.03
5k+
The Outsider Summary
The Outsider 89%
The outsider feels reality too sharply to accept ordinary life. That crisis destroys, or awakens.
by Colin Wilson 1956
4.03
5k+ ratings
The Words
by Jean-Paul Sartre • 1963
Philosopher's childhood: every gesture staged for adults, every written word a bid for freedom.
3.73
10k+
The Words Summary
The Words 89%
Philosopher's childhood: every gesture staged for adults, every written word a bid for freedom.
by Jean-Paul Sartre 1963
3.73
10k+ ratings
All Things are Possible
by Lev Shestov • 1905
Reason is a trap, morality is vengeance, and the outcast knows what philosophy will not say.
4.09
314
All Things are Possible Summary
All Things are Possible 89%
Reason is a trap, morality is vengeance, and the outcast knows what philosophy will not say.
by Lev Shestov 1905
4.09
314 ratings
The Man Without Content
by Giorgio Agamben • 1970
Plato banished poets for their power. Aesthetics made art safe, and the artist empty.
4.15
383
The Man Without Content Summary
The Man Without Content 89%
Plato banished poets for their power. Aesthetics made art safe, and the artist empty.
by Giorgio Agamben 1970
4.15
383 ratings
On the Suffering of the World
by Arthur Schopenhauer • 1850
Happiness is only the temporary absence of pain; suffering, not joy, is life's actual engine.
3.86
3k+
On the Suffering of the World Summary
On the Suffering of the World 89%
Happiness is only the temporary absence of pain; suffering, not joy, is life's actual engine.
by Arthur Schopenhauer 1850
3.86
3k+ ratings
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