Unconscious Religiousness and the Ultimate Meaning

Victor Emil Frankl was one of the greatest psychiatrist and neurologist of XX century. He was Holocaust survivor - prisoner of concentrations camps, including Auschwitz. The book: "Men's Search for Ultimate Meaning" is his last book, for some it is a sequel to "Men's Search for Meaning" but it is rather his "credo" - and is based on his Ph.D. dissertation.
The book's main theme is the refutation of reductionism approach to human mind. In simple words he shows us that the human mind is a unique, irreductible phenomenon.
The ultimate force that drives human person, is according to Frankl, is its search for meaning, which in fact is a search of ultimate meaning, i.e. the search for transcendence.

The book has some great passages and amazing chapters. In one of them: "Unconscious Religiousness" Frankl shows how modern psychoanalysis (existential analysis) reveals the level of human mind - where the unconscious presence of transcendence becomes predominant...

There are also great passages about human love, freedom and responsibility.
He devotes a large part of the book to the problem of "existential vacuum" - the feeling of meaninglessness, that dominates our culture.

Across the book there is a lot of references to love and to its unique importance in human life. His words are stunning expression of the effort to humanize the sexual part of our life. Once we understand, that the sexual life is not a goal in itself (as it exists in modern culture), and that it is ultimate mean to be with, to know your partner - there is no longer any problem with pornography, debauchery, untruthfulness, prostitution and all other plagues related to the intimate sphere of our lives...

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Existential Vacum is real

Would you listen to Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning again? Why?

Yes I would. I have passion for the subject. The content is excellent and the audio quality is marvelous.

Would you be willing to try another book from Viktor E. Frankl? Why or why not?

Yes. I would like to listen to his book "MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING."

Have you listened to any of Grover Gardner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

NO

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

THE LAST CHAPTER - SPEECH.

Any additional comments?

MEMBERSHIP IS COST PROHIBITIVE FOR A RETIREEE.

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excellent book, read too speedily

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend the book, but not this audio version, as the material, though clearly read, was read too speedily. The depth of the subject matter would have benefited from a slower pace.

What did you like best about this story?

Frankel's analysis, insight and clarity is nothing short of outstanding.

What aspect of Grover Gardner’s performance would you have changed?

The book was clearly read, and Gardner's reading certainly demonstrated his comprehension of, and perhaps affinity for, the subject. The reading was so speedy, however, I felt as if he was given a time limit in which he needed to complete the reading. Subject matters such as this require a bit of give and take in the reading speed to allow the mind to encounter, process and engage large concepts.

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Meaning Found

Would you listen to Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning again? Why?

Absoulutely. This is a book that requires more than listen to gain the full meaning of Frankl's ideas.

What did you like best about this story?

Their is no story per se, but the best thing about this book is the idea of being able to choose your response. This is great for all of mankind.

Which character – as performed by Grover Gardner – was your favorite?

Gardner gets across the tone of Frankl very well.

If you could give Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning a new subtitle, what would it be?

The Key to the Journey

3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

pretty good

very similar to his other academic books and the reader was a bit dry. content was still impressive.

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Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning

Excellent book; very well read. This short book is a compact narrative of Viktor Frankel's insights into how humans derive meaning and the importance of the journey. His writing is highly accessible, using a storyteller's approach to succinctly convey the main points. Although short, it is a dynamic book that one can enjoy listening to many times, and each time deriving some new insights into Frankel's philosophy and ideas about psychology. This is also a good book for those who may have heard of existential psychology but thought it was too dense for them to understand. The narrator clearly has an affinity for this material; his expressive reading style contributes to the listener's understanding. For those who have read the book, as I have, I recommend the audio for an understanding of Frankel's work at the heart level.

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Couldn't listen to for even 30 mins!

I hoped the book would get better but didn't. Unless your into psychology... then this book is t for you.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

a difficult listen for me personally

really a waste of time and $ but continued to listen hopeful for improvement. sadly it did not. perhaps because I have no psychology background?

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Not for everybody, but an excellent read

This book is for people who want to learn about themselves a little bit, not for everybody

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Interesting and thought provoking!

Frankl makes profound observations about man's religious quest in this powerful audio book which explores man's spiritual unconsciousness and the questions of life, death and suffering. I found it to be quite interesting and thought provoking.

10 personnes ont trouvé cela utile