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Alejandro Jodorowsky: Filmmaker and Philosopher (Philosophical Filmmakers)
by William EggintonAlejandro Jodorowsky is a force of nature. At 90 years old he is still making films and is a cultural phenomenon who has influenced other artists as disparate as John Waters and Yoko Ono. Although his body of work has long been considered disjointed and random, William Egginton claims that Jodorowsky's writings, theatre work and mime, and his films, along with the therapeutic practice he calls psychomagic, can all be tied together to form the philosophical programme that underpins his films. Incorporating surrealism and thinkers including Lacan, Kant, Hegel, and Žižek into his interpretation of Jodorowsky's work, Egginton shows how his diverse films are connected by interpretive practices with a fundamental similarity to Lacanian psychoanalysis. Using case studies of Jodorowsky's cult films, El Topo, Fando y Lis and Holy Mountain and more, this book provides a unique perspective on a filmmaker whose work has been notoriously difficult to analyse.
Algorithmic Democracy: A Critical Perspective Based on Deliberative Democracy (Philosophy and Politics - Critical Explorations #29)
by Domingo García-Marzá Patrici CalvoBased on a deliberative democracy, this book uses a hermeneutic-critical methodology to study bibliographical sources and practical issues in order to analyse the possibilities, limits and consequences of the digital transformation of democracy. Drawing on a two-way democracy, the aim of this book is intended as an aid for thinking through viable alternatives to the current state of democracy with regard to its ethical foundations and the moral knowledge implicit in or assumed by the way we perceive and understand democracy. It is intended to stimulate reflection and discussion on the basis that, by addressing what we understand as democracy, we can inevitably influence the reality known as democracy. Democracy’s evident regression in today’s world makes this all too apparent: it has become a hostage to all kinds of autocracies and technopopulisms, which are supported to a greater or lesser extent by the current algorithmic revolution.
The Allure of the Multiverse: Extra Dimensions, Other Worlds, and Parallel Universes
by Paul Halpern&“A rich and rewarding history of one of the most astounding ideas in physics and astronomy&” (Marcia Bartusiak) – that the universe we know isn&’t the only one Our books, our movies—our imaginations—are obsessed with extra dimensions, alternate timelines, and the sense that all we see might not be all there is. In short, we can&’t stop thinking about the multiverse. As it turns out, physicists are similarly captivated. In The Allure of the Multiverse, physicist Paul Halpern tells the epic story of how science became besotted with the multiverse, and the controversies that ensued. The questions that brought scientists to this point are big and deep: Is reality such that anything can happen, must happen? How does quantum mechanics &“choose&” the outcomes of its apparently random processes? And why is the universe habitable? Each question quickly leads to the multiverse. Drawing on centuries of disputation and deep vision, from luminaries like Nietzsche, Einstein, and the creators of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Halpern reveals the multiplicity of multiverses that scientists have imagined to make sense of our reality. Whether we live in one of many different possible universes, or simply the only one there is, might never be certain. But Halpern shows one thing for sure: how stimulating it can be to try to find out.
Alternative Approaches to Causation: Beyond Difference-making and Mechanism
by Yafeng ShanCausation is one of the most controversial topics in philosophy. There is a wide range of philosophical accounts of causation, for example, the regularity account, the probabilistic account, the counterfactual account, the interventionist account, which can be all classified as 'difference-making' accounts; and the mechanistic account. Many argue that only one of these accounts is correct as there is only one type of causal relation (causal monism), while others maintain that there are multiple types of causation (causal pluralism). In addition, there are eliminativists argue that science has no need of causation at all, while primitivists maintain that causation is unanalysable. Recently, the difference-making and mechanistic approaches have dominated recent philosophical discussion of causation. Other approaches and positions have been insufficiently discussed and assessed, especially in the context of philosophy of science. This volume explores and examines alternative approaches to causation. It revisits causal primitivism and causal eliminativism in the context of recent literature. It further explores the pluralistic approach, the fictionalist approach, the inferentialist approach, and the informational approach. It also examines the application of the dispositional approach, the epistemic approach, and the powerful particulars approach to the natural and social sciences. Overall, the volume is complementary to the recent discussion on the difference-making and mechanistic approaches and sheds new light on the metaphysical, epistemological, conceptual and methodological issues on causation. As such, it provides foundations for further research and teaching of this hotly debated topic.
American Disaster Movies of the 1970s: Crisis, Spectacle and Modernity
by Dr. Scott FreerAmerican Disaster Movies of the 1970s is the first scholarly book dedicated to the disaster cycle that dominated American cinema and television in the 1970s.Through examining films such as Airport (1970), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Two-Minute Warning (1976) and The Swarm (1978), alongside their historical contexts and American contemporaneous trends, the disaster cycle is treated as a time-bound phenomenon. This book further contextualises the cycle by drawing on the longer cultural history of modernist reactions to modern anxieties, including the widespread dependence on technology and corporate power. Each chapter considers cinematic precursors, such as the 'ark movie', and contemporaneous trends, such as New Hollywood, vigilante and blaxploitation films, as well as the immediate American context: the end of the civil rights and countercultural era, the Watergate crisis, and the defeat in Vietnam.As Scott Freer argues, the disaster movie is a modern, demotic form of tragedy that satisfies a taste for the macabre. It is also an aesthetic means for processing painful truths, and many of the dramatized themes anticipate present-day monstrosities of modernity.
American Education (Sociocultural, Political, and Historical Studies in Education)
by Joel SpringFeaturing current information and challenging perspectives on the latest issues and forces shaping the American educational system—with scholarship that is often cited as a primary source—Joel Spring introduces readers to the historical, political, social and legal foundations of education and to the profession of teaching in the United States. In his signature straightforward, concise approach to describing complex issues, he illuminates events and topics that are often overlooked or whitewashed, giving students the opportunity to engage in critical thinking about education. Students come away informed on the latest topics, issues and data and with a strong knowledge of the forces shaping the American educational system. Updated throughout, the 21st edition of this clear, authoritative text remains fresh and up-to-date, reflecting the many changes in education that have occurred since the publication of the previous edition. New coverage includes: Discussion of “culture wars” and critical race theory Parental rights versus the goals of common education LGBTQIA+ students’ rights Discussion of the current administration’s educational policies
American Education (Sociocultural, Political, and Historical Studies in Education)
by Joel SpringFeaturing current information and challenging perspectives on the latest issues and forces shaping the American educational system—with scholarship that is often cited as a primary source—Joel Spring introduces readers to the historical, political, social and legal foundations of education and to the profession of teaching in the United States. In his signature straightforward, concise approach to describing complex issues, he illuminates events and topics that are often overlooked or whitewashed, giving students the opportunity to engage in critical thinking about education. Students come away informed on the latest topics, issues and data and with a strong knowledge of the forces shaping the American educational system. Updated throughout, the 21st edition of this clear, authoritative text remains fresh and up-to-date, reflecting the many changes in education that have occurred since the publication of the previous edition. New coverage includes: Discussion of “culture wars” and critical race theory Parental rights versus the goals of common education LGBTQIA+ students’ rights Discussion of the current administration’s educational policies
Analytical Psychology and Sport: Epistemology, Theory and Practice (Routledge Psychology of Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity)
by Andrew CowenAnalytical Psychology and Sport: Epistemology, Theory and Practice introduces the epistemology and psychology of C.G. Jung to the sport psychology readership. In doing so, it considers for the first time the implications of analytical psychology with respect to theorising on well-established psychological phenomena in sport, including confidence, mental toughness and psychological momentum. To date, sport psychology has given limited consideration to how epistemology itself informs the development of knowledge. In light of Jung’s epistemological contributions and more recent developments in psychology, this new book explores how a renewed focus on the philosophy of science can help facilitate the development of sport psychology as a scientific discipline. This new research volume investigates analytical psychology in relation to a number of novel topics, including person–athlete interdependence and the psychology of performance variation, and will be key reading for academics and students of sport and exercise psychology, analytical psychology and related disciplines.
Analytical Psychology and Sport: Epistemology, Theory and Practice (Routledge Psychology of Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity)
by Andrew CowenAnalytical Psychology and Sport: Epistemology, Theory and Practice introduces the epistemology and psychology of C.G. Jung to the sport psychology readership. In doing so, it considers for the first time the implications of analytical psychology with respect to theorising on well-established psychological phenomena in sport, including confidence, mental toughness and psychological momentum. To date, sport psychology has given limited consideration to how epistemology itself informs the development of knowledge. In light of Jung’s epistemological contributions and more recent developments in psychology, this new book explores how a renewed focus on the philosophy of science can help facilitate the development of sport psychology as a scientific discipline. This new research volume investigates analytical psychology in relation to a number of novel topics, including person–athlete interdependence and the psychology of performance variation, and will be key reading for academics and students of sport and exercise psychology, analytical psychology and related disciplines.
And I Saw Sequences of Petals and Leaves: My Life as the One They Call Fibonacci
by Daniele C. StruppaIn this captivating historical novel, Daniele Struppa skillfully weaves a fictional autobiography, bringing Fibonacci to life with vivid details of his upbringing and adult years in Medieval Europe. As we explore the historical context of Fibonacci's time, we delve into the intriguing aspects of a bygone era, painting a compelling picture of a man whose contributions to mathematics continue to resonate today. From his groundbreaking work on congruent numbers to the famous numerical sequence that bears his name, the author invites readers to imagine the creative sparks that ignited Fibonacci's mathematical innovations. When historical evidence is elusive, accuracy and passion are seamlessly combined, offering plausible scenarios grounded in documented facts. A meticulously crafted apparatus of notes distinguishes fact from fiction, providing readers with a clear guide to navigate this enthralling reconstruction of Fibonacci's life. Step into the medieval world of Leonardo Fibonacci, one of the most celebrated mathematicians in history, and discover the man behind the mathematical genius. Mathematicians and curious readers alike will appreciate the allure of Fibonacci's mathematical brilliance.
Angolan Political Thought: Resistance and African Philosophy
by Dr Luis Cordeiro-RodriguesAngolan Political Thought introduces anticolonial thinkers whose writings on colonialism and liberation have been instrumental in the formation of Angolan identity. It focuses on the political nature of these thinkers and how their work has impacted Angolan political reality. Luís Cordeiro-Rodrigues both introduces and critically analyzes the thought of Queen Njinga, Mário Pinto de Andrade, Agostinho Neto and Pepetela and systematically addresses five important topics in Angolan political thought. Firstly, it gives a general introduction to African political philosophy and explains the place of Angolan political thought in this. Secondly, it explains how different Angolan thinkers have conceptualized colonialism and its effects on the global Black community. Thirdly, the book surveys what key Angolan thinkers have identified as legitimate and effective tools of liberation and resistance from colonialism. For example, it addresses the place of poetry for liberation, as well as the justification for war against colonial powers. Fourth, this book will explain the different theories that Africa and, in particular, African identity, consists of. Finally, it will look at Angolan theories of distributive justice and compensation for historical injustices.
Angst und Aufklärung: Randgebiete der Kritischen Theorie (Studien zur Kritischen Theorie)
by Gerhard SchweppenhäuserÄngste sind Teil einer krisenhaften Lebenswelt. Die Texte des Bandes gehen von einer Beobachtung der Dialektik der Aufklärung aus: Diese sieht die Intention der Aufklärung darin, „von den Menschen die Furcht zu nehmen und sie als Herren einzusetzen“, doch die „vollends aufgeklärte Erde“ erscheine „im Zeichen triumphalen Unheils“. In den vorliegenden Aufsätzen geht es darum, wie konkrete Furcht unter Bedingungen sozialer Herrschaft in diffuse Ängste diffundiert. Die Texte analysieren und kommentieren gesellschaftliche Phänomene, wie sie sich im Medium philosophischer, literarischer und bildkünstlerischer Bearbeitung darstellen. Thematisiert werden auch sozialphilosophische und -wissenschaftliche Modelle der Beschreibung sowie die Analyse und Kritik soziokultureller Phänomene. Alle Texte sind verbunden durch eine ideologiekritische Perspektive auf die Widersprüchlichkeit von Aufklärung – und durch die Erinnerung an Grundpositionen des kritischen Materialismus. Gerhard Schweppenhäuser zählt zu den führenden Kennern und Kommentatoren der Kritischen Theorie und ist Gründungs- und Mitherausgeber der Zeitschrift für kritische Theorie.
Animal Minds (Elements in Philosophy of Mind)
by null Marta HalinaAnimal minds are complex and diverse, making them difficult to study. This Element focuses on a question that has received much attention in the field of comparative cognition: 'Do animals reason about unobservable variables like force and mental states?' The Element shows how researchers design studies and gather evidence to address this question. Despite the many virtues of current methods, hypotheses in comparative cognition are often underdetermined by the empirical evidence. Given this, philosophers and scientists have recently called for additional behavioral constraints on theorizing in the field. The Element endorses this proposal (known as 'signature testing'), while also arguing that studies on animal minds would benefit from drawing more heavily on neuroscience and biology.
Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2022 (International Perspectives on Education and Society #V46, Part A)
by Alexander W. WisemanSince 2013, the Annual Review of Comparative and International Education has covered significant developments in the intersecting fields of comparative education, international education, and comparative and international education. Reflecting on ten prolific years of publication, both volumes of the 2022 Annual Review together present discussions on education trends and directions, conceptual and methodological developments, research-to-practice, area studies and regional developments, and diversification of the field of education. Featuring authors from around the world, they tell the story of comparative and international education as an academic and professional field and address both the functions and ethics of education across vastly different cultures, communities, organizations, and outcomes. Part A explores comparative education trends and directions, and conceptual and methodological developments. The Annual Review of Comparative and International Education serves as an important reference, a source of knowledge, a record of the skills and how they are implemented, and a figurative mirror helping scholars and professionals alike reflect on their own practice and what it means both to the field and to each other.
Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2022 (International Perspectives on Education and Society #V46, Part B)
by Alexander W. WisemanSince 2013, the Annual Review of Comparative and International Education has covered significant developments in the intersecting fields of comparative education, international education, and comparative and international education. Reflecting on ten prolific years of publication, both volumes of the 2022 Annual Review together present discussions on education trends and directions, conceptual and methodological developments, research-to-practice, area studies and regional developments, and diversification of the field of education. Featuring authors from around the world, they tell the story of comparative and international education as an academic and professional field and address both the functions and ethics of education across vastly different cultures, communities, organizations, and outcomes. Part B explores research-to-practice, area studies and regional development, and diversification of the field. The Annual Review of Comparative and International Education serves as an important reference, a source of knowledge, a record of the skills and how they are implemented, and a figurative mirror helping scholars and professionals alike reflect on their own practice and what it means both to the field and to each other.
Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2022 (International Perspectives on Education and Society #V46, Part A)
by Alexander W. WisemanSince 2013, the Annual Review of Comparative and International Education has covered significant developments in the intersecting fields of comparative education, international education, and comparative and international education. Reflecting on ten prolific years of publication, both volumes of the 2022 Annual Review together present discussions on education trends and directions, conceptual and methodological developments, research-to-practice, area studies and regional developments, and diversification of the field of education. Featuring authors from around the world, they tell the story of comparative and international education as an academic and professional field and address both the functions and ethics of education across vastly different cultures, communities, organizations, and outcomes. Part A explores comparative education trends and directions, and conceptual and methodological developments. The Annual Review of Comparative and International Education serves as an important reference, a source of knowledge, a record of the skills and how they are implemented, and a figurative mirror helping scholars and professionals alike reflect on their own practice and what it means both to the field and to each other.
Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2022 (International Perspectives on Education and Society #V46, Part B)
by Alexander W. WisemanSince 2013, the Annual Review of Comparative and International Education has covered significant developments in the intersecting fields of comparative education, international education, and comparative and international education. Reflecting on ten prolific years of publication, both volumes of the 2022 Annual Review together present discussions on education trends and directions, conceptual and methodological developments, research-to-practice, area studies and regional developments, and diversification of the field of education. Featuring authors from around the world, they tell the story of comparative and international education as an academic and professional field and address both the functions and ethics of education across vastly different cultures, communities, organizations, and outcomes. Part B explores research-to-practice, area studies and regional development, and diversification of the field. The Annual Review of Comparative and International Education serves as an important reference, a source of knowledge, a record of the skills and how they are implemented, and a figurative mirror helping scholars and professionals alike reflect on their own practice and what it means both to the field and to each other.
Anthropomorphism in Christian Theology: The Apophatics of the Sensible (Explorations in Philosophy and Theology)
by William C. HackettWilliam C. Hackett provides a renewed reading of Christian theology by evaluating the role of anthropomorphism in shaping negative theology. Through this theological history, he addresses the fear of anthropomorphism that prompted early philosophers and theologians to adopt abstract understandings of God.Hackett charts the wide-ranging importance of anthropomorphism to theology through figures including Balthasar, Bultmann, Dionysius the Areopagite, and Cyril of Alexandria. He argues that anthropomorphism highlights the unique conceptual problem between divine presence and absence. By exploring the turn away from practical and embodied views of God in Scripture, this book focuses on anthropomorphic views of God in symbols, images, and narratives. Emphasising these forms promotes an intellectual vision of Christianity that challenges theoretical and conceptual abstraction. Anthropomorphism in Christian Theology further traces the nuances between human and angelic intellect, modern philosophy and theology, negative theology and the concept of transcendence.
Anti-Fascism and Ethnic Minorities: History and Memory in Central and Eastern Europe (Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right)
by Anders Ahlbäck Kasper BraskénAnti-Fascism and Ethnic Minorities explores how, and to what extent, fascist ultranationalism elicited an anti-fascist response among ethnic minority communities in Eastern and Central Europe. The edited volume analyses how identities related to class, ethnicity, gender and political ideologies were negotiated within and between minorities through confrontations with domestic and international fascism. By developing and expanding the study of Jewish anti-fascism and resistance to other minority responses, the book opens the field of anti-fascism studies for a broader comparative approach. The volume is thematically located in Central and Eastern Europe, cutting right across the continent from Finland in the North to Albania in the Southeast. The case studies in the fourteen research chapters are divided into five thematic sections, dealing with the issues of 1) minorities in borderlands and cross-border antifascism, 2) minorities navigating the ideological squeeze between communism and fascism, 3) the role of intellectuals in the defence of minority rights, 4) the anti-fascist resistance against fascist and Nazi occupation during World War II, as well as 5) the conflictual role ascribed to ethnicity in post-war memory politics and commemorations. The editors describe their intersectional approach to the analysis of ethnicity as a crucial category of analysis with regard to anti-fascist histories and memories. The book offers scholars and students valuable historical and comparative perspectives on minority studies, Jewish studies, borderland studies, and memory studies. It will appeal to those with an interest in the history of race and racism, fascism and anti-fascism, and Central and Eastern Europe.
Anti-Fascism and Ethnic Minorities: History and Memory in Central and Eastern Europe (Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right)
by Anders Ahlbäck Kasper BraskénAnti-Fascism and Ethnic Minorities explores how, and to what extent, fascist ultranationalism elicited an anti-fascist response among ethnic minority communities in Eastern and Central Europe. The edited volume analyses how identities related to class, ethnicity, gender and political ideologies were negotiated within and between minorities through confrontations with domestic and international fascism. By developing and expanding the study of Jewish anti-fascism and resistance to other minority responses, the book opens the field of anti-fascism studies for a broader comparative approach. The volume is thematically located in Central and Eastern Europe, cutting right across the continent from Finland in the North to Albania in the Southeast. The case studies in the fourteen research chapters are divided into five thematic sections, dealing with the issues of 1) minorities in borderlands and cross-border antifascism, 2) minorities navigating the ideological squeeze between communism and fascism, 3) the role of intellectuals in the defence of minority rights, 4) the anti-fascist resistance against fascist and Nazi occupation during World War II, as well as 5) the conflictual role ascribed to ethnicity in post-war memory politics and commemorations. The editors describe their intersectional approach to the analysis of ethnicity as a crucial category of analysis with regard to anti-fascist histories and memories. The book offers scholars and students valuable historical and comparative perspectives on minority studies, Jewish studies, borderland studies, and memory studies. It will appeal to those with an interest in the history of race and racism, fascism and anti-fascism, and Central and Eastern Europe.
Anti-Racism as Communism
by Paul GombergIn the United States there have been brilliant examples of anti-racist struggle-black soldiers in the Civil War, coal miners of Alabama, and especially the anti-racist working-class struggles led by the Communist Party. Yet racism persists: Jim Crow replaced racial slavery, and mass incarceration has replaced Jim Crow. Why? Paul Gomberg argues that racism is functional for capitalism, supplying low-wage, vulnerable labor and driving down conditions for all workers. How can anti-racists put an end to racist society? Gomberg argues for race-centered Marxism: anti-racism must lead working-class struggle, but racism will end only in a communist society that creates opportunity for all.
Anticlerical legacies: The deistic reception of Thomas Hobbes, <i>c.</i> 1670–1740 (Politics, Culture and Society in Early Modern Britain)
by Elad CarmelAnticlerical legacies is the first comprehensive study of the reception of Thomas Hobbes’s ideas by the English deists and freethinkers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.One of the most important English philosophers of all time, Hobbes’s theories have had an enduring impact on modern political and religious thought. This book offers a new perspective on the afterlife of Hobbes’s philosophy, focusing on the readers who were most sympathetic to his critical and radical ideas in the decades following his death. It investigates how Hobbes’s ideas shaped the English anticlerical campaign that peaked in the early eighteenth century and that was essential for the emergence of the early Enlightenment.The book shows that a large number of writers – Charles Blount, John Toland, Anthony Collins, Matthew Tindal, Thomas Morgan, and many others – were more Hobbesian than has ever been appreciated. Not only did they engage consistently with Hobbes’s ideas, they even invoked his authority at a time when doing so was highly unpopular. Most fundamentally, they carried on Hobbes’s war against the kingdom of darkness and used various Hobbesian weapons for their own war against priestcraft.Analysing the ways in which the deists and freethinkers developed their nuanced theories and conducted their heated dialogues with the orthodoxy, they emerge from this study as sophisticated and valuable theorists in their own right. The case of Hobbes and his successors demonstrates that anticlericalism was a key component of a much larger programme whose primary aim was to secure civil harmony, peace, and stability.
Anticlerical legacies: The deistic reception of Thomas Hobbes, <i>c.</i> 1670–1740 (Politics, Culture and Society in Early Modern Britain)
by Elad CarmelAnticlerical legacies is the first comprehensive study of the reception of Thomas Hobbes’s ideas by the English deists and freethinkers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.One of the most important English philosophers of all time, Hobbes’s theories have had an enduring impact on modern political and religious thought. This book offers a new perspective on the afterlife of Hobbes’s philosophy, focusing on the readers who were most sympathetic to his critical and radical ideas in the decades following his death. It investigates how Hobbes’s ideas shaped the English anticlerical campaign that peaked in the early eighteenth century and that was essential for the emergence of the early Enlightenment.The book shows that a large number of writers – Charles Blount, John Toland, Anthony Collins, Matthew Tindal, Thomas Morgan, and many others – were more Hobbesian than has ever been appreciated. Not only did they engage consistently with Hobbes’s ideas, they even invoked his authority at a time when doing so was highly unpopular. Most fundamentally, they carried on Hobbes’s war against the kingdom of darkness and used various Hobbesian weapons for their own war against priestcraft.Analysing the ways in which the deists and freethinkers developed their nuanced theories and conducted their heated dialogues with the orthodoxy, they emerge from this study as sophisticated and valuable theorists in their own right. The case of Hobbes and his successors demonstrates that anticlericalism was a key component of a much larger programme whose primary aim was to secure civil harmony, peace, and stability.
Anxiety: A Philosophical Guide
by Samir ChopraHow philosophy can teach us to be less anxious about being anxious by understanding that it&’s an essential part of being humanToday, anxiety is usually thought of as a pathology, the most diagnosed and medicated of all psychological disorders. But anxiety isn&’t always or only a medical condition. Indeed, many philosophers argue that anxiety is a normal, even essential, part of being human, and that coming to terms with this fact is potentially transformative, allowing us to live more meaningful lives by giving us a richer understanding of ourselves. In Anxiety, Samir Chopra explores valuable insights about anxiety offered by ancient and modern philosophies—Buddhism, existentialism, psychoanalysis, and critical theory. Blending memoir and philosophy, he also tells how serious anxiety has affected his own life—and how philosophy has helped him cope with it.Chopra shows that many philosophers—including the Buddha, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Freud, and Heidegger—have viewed anxiety as an inevitable human response to existence: to be is to be anxious. Drawing on Karl Marx and Herbert Marcuse, Chopra examines how poverty and other material conditions can make anxiety worse, but he emphasizes that not even the rich can escape it. Nor can the medicated. Inseparable from the human condition, anxiety is indispensable for grasping it. Philosophy may not be able to cure anxiety but, by leading us to greater self-knowledge and self-acceptance, it may be able to make us less anxious about being anxious.Personal, poignant, and hopeful, Anxiety is a book for anyone who is curious about rethinking anxiety and learning why it might be a source not only of suffering but of insight.
Anxiety: A Philosophical Guide (Moral Psychology Of The Emotions Ser.)
by Samir ChopraHow philosophy can teach us to be less anxious about being anxious by understanding that it&’s an essential part of being humanToday, anxiety is usually thought of as a pathology, the most diagnosed and medicated of all psychological disorders. But anxiety isn&’t always or only a medical condition. Indeed, many philosophers argue that anxiety is a normal, even essential, part of being human, and that coming to terms with this fact is potentially transformative, allowing us to live more meaningful lives by giving us a richer understanding of ourselves. In Anxiety, Samir Chopra explores valuable insights about anxiety offered by ancient and modern philosophies—Buddhism, existentialism, psychoanalysis, and critical theory. Blending memoir and philosophy, he also tells how serious anxiety has affected his own life—and how philosophy has helped him cope with it.Chopra shows that many philosophers—including the Buddha, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Freud, and Heidegger—have viewed anxiety as an inevitable human response to existence: to be is to be anxious. Drawing on Karl Marx and Herbert Marcuse, Chopra examines how poverty and other material conditions can make anxiety worse, but he emphasizes that not even the rich can escape it. Nor can the medicated. Inseparable from the human condition, anxiety is indispensable for grasping it. Philosophy may not be able to cure anxiety but, by leading us to greater self-knowledge and self-acceptance, it may be able to make us less anxious about being anxious.Personal, poignant, and hopeful, Anxiety is a book for anyone who is curious about rethinking anxiety and learning why it might be a source not only of suffering but of insight.