- Paperback
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc; Rei edition (Aug 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0374523460
- ISBN-13: 978-0374523466
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.7 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,066,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A perfect companion to Carl Sagan's Contact, Lost in the Cosmos takes the reader on a parodic self-help journey from the depths of the human soul to the furthest reaches of outer space. The result is a caustic, witty, existential, and profoundly moving revelation about why we'd rather see our neighbor's house burn down than live through another Wednesday afternoon, among other things. The first part of the book is "the last self help book," satirizing our culture of self exploration. Percy then suggests the reader skip the middle part, a treatise on semiotics where Percy explores the work of Peirce to develop his own semiotic theory, teasing out the irony where humans have, through language, an infinity of ways to express an infinite number of thoughts, but still can't express their deepest needs and fears. Finally, Percy engages the reader in an extended "thought experiment" in the form of a space trip to the nearest star and an encounter with sentient life forms. The results are shockingly radical, challenging every expectation for both the science fiction genre and the self help novel. Percy succeeds in nothing less than the creation of a new language, uniting storytelling with the writing of philosophy seamlessly. It's too mundane to say that Percy's book can change your life, because that's the very attitude he seeks to uncover. If we are but wayfarers, in Percy's words, then Percy himself is both leader, guide, and fellow traveller.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is another one of Fr Schall's recommendations which I picked up recently. The book is an eccentric guide to being a "self" in the modern world and the problems of being a "self". It is witty and thought provoking albeit that I would have preferred it if he had ditched the salaciousness and coarseness. However, such "touches" reflect modernity. Its a serious criticism of the one dimensional so called objective world of the scientific realist, who "objectively" views and analyses the whole world but simply cannot get the wonder of the human person. The book is a little dated now; we are no longer obsessed with annihilation through nuclear war and have moved on the a frenzied fear of global warning!
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you want a good laugh, pick up this book and just start reading from the beginning (with its nine alternate titles) all the way through to the end. Mixed in with his hilarity are many provocative questions that make you stop and really think about the assumptions you make in everyday life and thinking about yourself.
The only problems I have with this book is that certain of the author's biases show through. For instance, in certain examples, the only characters which seem human are the Catholics while the Baptists are pretty much the butts of the jokes. His homophobic attitude also shines through pretty strongly with some subtle derogatory comments. If you don't mind those slight biases, though, you'll have a blast reading this book. In fact, do what our class did. After reading this book, right your own chapter!
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