Finding Meaning by Dr. Steven DeLay is an insightful compilation of essays from across the spectrum of academic philosophy addressing the subjects of philosophy, nihilism, and the death of God. Including both the intro and outro written by Dr. Delay, the book includes 12 essays in total. At 240 pages, the book is able to be read within just a couple of days of light reading. Released October 13th, this is the most recent book release by Dr. Delay. The book feels very appropriate in its length and leaves the reader feeling very satisfied at its conclusion. I enjoyed the challenge of differing perspectives and leaning into the academic side of the discussion on nihilism and the death of God.
Interestingly, the book is a compilation of essays by authors such as Drs. Manuel Cabrera Jr., John Caruana, David Cerbone, Matthew Clemente, Simon Glenndinning, Daniel Kaufman, Katerina Koci, James Madden, Paul Moser, and Aaron Preston.
DeLay did a balanced job in his overview of this project, as some of the essays on the surface disagree with the others in the compilation. Some may say that it is a flaw that the essays have disagreement and are not in unity, but I would say that this is not an argumentative book, it is not trying to stand up for something. Rather, this book is attempting to highlight different perspectives on the topics of philosophy, nihilism, and the death of God by modern academics. In modern publishing, we are used to a book winding its way to an end goal, or a point that the entirety of the literary work is trying to make, but in this case, that is not so.
I find myself writing down notes as I read this book, something I do not normally do when I am reading a philosophy book. I was able to take notes on this occasion though due to the succint nature of the essays and the differing perspectives within the compilation. I had a particular interest in the essay by Glendinning entitled “The Seeds of Modern Nihilism and the Origins of Postmodern Hope” which I found to be very informative.
I would rate this book an eight out of ten, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in philosophy, existentialism, nihilism, Nietzsche, and the idea of the death of God in the 19th century.
You can purchase Finding Meaning: Essays on Philosophy, Nihilism, and the Death of God on Amazon here.
