#14 in Philosophy
The Wisdom of Insecurity
- 144
- Pages
- about 2.5 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The Wisdom of Insecurity” makes a brief, eloquent case for living in the present instead of chasing certainty. In 144 pages Alan Watts examines the human search for psychological security, and some readers find the book strikingly relevant decades after 1951. Others find the argument hard to follow or feel that the last chapters do not land. The tone stays thoughtful and hopeful.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
An exploration of man's quest for psychological security and spiritual certainty in religion and philosophy.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.7 across 109 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 43% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Philosophy average of 8.0. That is how 7.9 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 6.8 | 13 | 12% |
| Hardcover | 7.8 | 96 | 88% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Wisdom of Insecurity?
It has 144 pages — shorter than 70% of the ranked books in Philosophy.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Philosophy — with scores between 7.8 and 8.2, closest to this book.
