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This book considers the experience of enchantment in art.
Considering the essential characteristics, dynamics and conditions
of the experience of enchantment in relation to art, including
liminality, it offers studies of different kinds of artistic
experience and activity, including painting, music, fiction and
poetry, before exploring the possibility of a life oriented to
enchantment as the activity of art itself. With attention to the
complex relationship between wonder in art and the programmatic
disenchantment to which it is often subject, the author draws on
the thought of a diverse range of philosophers, sociological
theorists and artists, to offer an understanding of art through the
idea of enchantment, and enchantment through art. An accessible
study, richly illustrated with experience - both that of the author
and others - Art and Enchantment will appeal to scholars and
students of sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and anyone with
interests in the nature of aesthetic experience.
This book considers the experience of enchantment in art.
Considering the essential characteristics, dynamics and conditions
of the experience of enchantment in relation to art, including
liminality, it offers studies of different kinds of artistic
experience and activity, including painting, music, fiction and
poetry, before exploring the possibility of a life oriented to
enchantment as the activity of art itself. With attention to the
complex relationship between wonder in art and the programmatic
disenchantment to which it is often subject, the author draws on
the thought of a diverse range of philosophers, sociological
theorists and artists, to offer an understanding of art through the
idea of enchantment, and enchantment through art. An accessible
study, richly illustrated with experience - both that of the author
and others - Art and Enchantment will appeal to scholars and
students of sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and anyone with
interests in the nature of aesthetic experience.
Divination is any ritual and its associated tradition performed in
order to ask a more-than-human intelligence for guidance. A
universal human practice, it has received surprisingly little
academic attention. This interdisciplinary collection by leading
scholars in the field is dedicated to fascinating new insights into
divination and oracles arising from recent work in anthropology,
religious studies, history and classical studies. Central
importance is given to the practical and theoretical perspectives
of diviners as well as scholars of divination; several contributors
are both. This book explores philosophical issues such as the
nature of divinatory intelligence, the relationship between
divinatory and metaphorical truth, the primacy of ontology over
epistemology, the importance of reflexivity in scholarly studies of
divination, and astrology as the principal Western form of
divination. The ethnographic and historical examples range from
contemporary Nigeria, urban Cuba, Mayan Guatemala and the shamanic
cultures of the circumpolar Arctic to classical Greece and ancient
Judea.
Divination is any ritual and its associated tradition performed in
order to ask a more-than-human intelligence for guidance. A
universal human practice, it has received surprisingly little
academic attention. This interdisciplinary collection by leading
scholars in the field is dedicated to fascinating new insights into
divination and oracles arising from recent work in anthropology,
religious studies, history and classical studies. Central
importance is given to the practical and theoretical perspectives
of diviners as well as scholars of divination; several contributors
are both. This book explores philosophical issues such as the
nature of divinatory intelligence, the relationship between
divinatory and metaphorical truth, the primacy of ontology over
epistemology, the importance of reflexivity in scholarly studies of
divination, and astrology as the principal Western form of
divination. The ethnographic and historical examples range from
contemporary Nigeria, urban Cuba, Mayan Guatemala and the shamanic
cultures of the circumpolar Arctic to classical Greece and ancient
Judea.
Enchantment is a profound human experience. When we encounter
wonder, awe or amazement, that is enchantment. Enchantment can
reveal profound truths, lead to deep values and become central to a
life well-lived. This unique book explores how enchantment plays
out in a wide range of contexts -- in love, art, religion and
learning, in food and drink, and perhaps most significantly in our
relationship with the natural world. Patrick Curry argues that
modernist attempts to undermine or dismiss enchantment as a
delusion are not only misguided but dangerous, potentially leading
to a disengagement with our world that could have disastrous
consequences for our future on this planet.
The relationship between the human soul and the stars has been
central to the spiritual and esoteric traditions of Western
thought, and many other cultures, for thousands of years. Medieval
Christians thought that heaven was located above the earth, beyond
the stars. Our modern society, however, has largely severed the
relationship between the human spirit and the sky. This book
explores ideas, beliefs and practices which meet at the boundary of
psychology and cosmology, the universe and human imagination. This
book addresses this special relationship from a variety of
challenging and inspiring approaches. The contributors include
James Hillman, the founder of archetypal psychology and Jungian
analyst; astrologer Liz Greene; Professor Neville Brown of
Mansfield College, Oxford; Nicholas Pearson of the Temenos Academy;
Professor Jarita Holbrook of the University of Arizona; Dr Angela
Vos of the University of Kent; Bernadette Brady; Jules Cashford;
Noel Cobb, the former editor of Sphinx; Cherry Gilchrist; Robert
Hand; and Professor Richard Tarnas of the California Institute of
Integral Studies.
Mainstream science has long dismissed astrology as a form of
primitive superstition, despite or perhaps even because of its huge
popular interest. From daily horoscopes to in-depth and
personalized star forecasts, astrology, for many, plays a crucial
role in the organization of everyday life. Present-day scholars and
scientists remain baffled as to why this pseudo-science exercises
such control over supposedly modern, rational and enlightened
individuals, yet so far they have failed to produce any meaningful
analysis of why it impacts on so many lives and what lies behind
its popular appeal. Moving beyond scientific scepticism, Astrology,
Science and Culture finally fills the gap by probing deeply into
the meaning and importance of this extraordinary belief system.
From the dawn of pre-history, humankind has had an intimate
connection with the stars. With its roots in the Neolithic culture
of Europe and the Middle East, astrology was traditionally heralded
as a divinatory language. Willis and Curry argue that, contrary to
contemporary understanding including that of most astrologers
astrology was originally, and remains, a divinatory practice.
Tackling its rich and controversial history, its problematic
relationship to Jungian theory, and attempts to prove its grounding
in objective reality, this book not only persuasively demonstrates
that astrology is far more than a superstitious relic of years gone
by, but that it enables a fundamental critique of the scientism of
its opponents. Groundbreaking in its reconciliation of astrologys
ancient traditions and its modern day usage, this book impressively
unites philosophy, science, anthropology, and history, to produce a
powerful exploration of astrology, past and present.
Mainstream science has long dismissed astrology as a form of
primitive superstition, despite or perhaps even because of its huge
popular interest. From daily horoscopes to in-depth and
personalized star forecasts, astrology, for many, plays a crucial
role in the organization of everyday life. Present-day scholars and
scientists remain baffled as to why this pseudo-science exercises
such control over supposedly modern, rational and enlightened
individuals, yet so far they have failed to produce any meaningful
analysis of why it impacts on so many lives and what lies behind
its popular appeal. Moving beyond scientific scepticism, Astrology,
Science and Culture finally fills the gap by probing deeply into
the meaning and importance of this extraordinary belief system.
From the dawn of pre-history, humankind has had an intimate
connection with the stars. With its roots in the Neolithic culture
of Europe and the Middle East, astrology was traditionally heralded
as a divinatory language. Willis and Curry argue that, contrary to
contemporary understanding including that of most astrologers
astrology was originally, and remains, a divinatory practice.
Tackling its rich and controversial history, its problematic
relationship to Jungian theory, and attempts to prove its grounding
in objective reality, this book not only persuasively demonstrates
that astrology is far more than a superstitious relic of years gone
by, but that it enables a fundamental critique of the scientism of
its opponents. Groundbreaking in its reconciliation of astrologys
ancient traditions and its modern day usage, this book impressively
unites philosophy, science, anthropology, and history, to produce a
powerful exploration of astrology, past and present.
Illustrated guide to the crucial Italian philosopher and author of
The Prince. 'Machiavellian' is a popular byword for treachery and
opportunism. Machiavelli's classic book on statecraft, The Prince,
published over 400 years ago, remains controversial to this day
because of its electrifying frankness as a practical guide to
power. Is it a how-to manual for dictators, a cynical philosophy of
'the end justifies the means', or a more complex and subtle
analysis of successful government? Machiavelli was a loyal servant
of the Florentine republic. His opposition to Medici despotism led
him to torture on the rack and exile, and yet he chose as his model
for the Prince the most notorious tyrant, Cesare Borgia.
Introducing Machiavelli traces the colourful life of this
paradoxical realist whose clear-sighted patriotism made him the
first truly modern political scientist. Machiavelli is seen as
central to the postmodern debate on Civil Society. This book brings
the creative turbulence of Renaissance Italy to life, and presents
a compelling portrait of a key figure of European political
history.
What are millions of readers all over the world getting out of
reading The Lord of the Rings? Newly reissued with a new afterword,
Patrick Curry's Defending Middle-earth argues, in part, that
Tolkien has found a way to provide something close to spirit in a
secular age. His focus is on three main aspects of Tolkien's
fiction: the social and political structure of Middle-earth and how
the varying cultures within it find common cause in the face of a
shared threat; the nature and ecology of Middle-earth and how what
we think of as the natural world joins the battle against mindless,
mechanized destruction; and the spirituality and ethics of
Middle-earth, for which Curry provides a particularly insightful
and resonant examination that will deepen the understanding of the
millions of fans who have taken The Lord of the Rings to heart.
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Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
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R398
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Discovery Miles 3 300
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