The Art of Losing Control: A Philosopher's Search for Ecstatic Experience
Jules Evans
(Author)
Description
Since the Enlightenment, western culture has written off ecstatic experience as a form of mental illness. But why should rationality be considered the highest part of human nature when we are capable of so many more states of experience?
Piecing together interviews, analysis of ancient and modern philosophy, and his own eclectic encounters with the sublime, philosopher Jules Evans mounts an investigation into what we can gain from mastering the art of losing control. From Aristotle and Plato to the Bishop of London and Sister Bliss, radical jihadis to Silicon Valley transhumanists, The Art of Losing Control is a funny, life-enhancing journey that will change the way you think about how you feel.
Product Details
Price
$16.00
$14.88
Publisher
Canongate Books
Publish Date
April 09, 2019
Pages
304
Dimensions
5.0 X 0.9 X 7.7 inches | 0.5 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781782118787
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Jules Evans is policy director at the Centre for the History of Emotions at Queen Mary, University of London. He is the author of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations, which was published in nineteen countries and was a Times Book of the Year. Jules has written for WIRED, Aeon, the Financial Times and the Guardian, and is a BBC New Generation Thinker.
Reviews
"In keeping with the ecstatic experience itself, this is a wild, wondrous, wide-eyed journey, and Evans has convinced me at least that it's a trip worth taking."----Psychologist
"A captivating exploration of humanity's journey toward self-transcendence."--Prospect
"Fascinating stuff . . . Evans is a natural storyteller and his honesty about his own experience is refreshing and disarming . . . A smart book that delivers on entertainment as well. Evans takes his subject matter seriously but delivers his investigations in an endlessly amusing and eye-opening manner."--Big Issue
"Compelling . . . His sensitivity as a thinker, like his skill as a storyteller, is never in doubt."--Guardian
"An original and outstanding investigation into a poorly understood but central experience in all our lives. Jules Evans is brave, honest and wise - a great companion and guide on a fascinating journey."--Caspar Henderson
"A captivating exploration of humanity's journey toward self-transcendence."--Prospect
"Fascinating stuff . . . Evans is a natural storyteller and his honesty about his own experience is refreshing and disarming . . . A smart book that delivers on entertainment as well. Evans takes his subject matter seriously but delivers his investigations in an endlessly amusing and eye-opening manner."--Big Issue
"Compelling . . . His sensitivity as a thinker, like his skill as a storyteller, is never in doubt."--Guardian
"An original and outstanding investigation into a poorly understood but central experience in all our lives. Jules Evans is brave, honest and wise - a great companion and guide on a fascinating journey."--Caspar Henderson
