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The virtues of disillusionment

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    Publisher:
    AU Press, 2020
  • Publisher:
    Athabasca University Press, 2020
    Note: This book was purchased with support from the Government of Canada's Social Development Partnerships Program - Disability Component.

Details:

  • Author: Heighton, Steven
    Date:
    Created
    2020
    Summary:

    Most people go through life chasing illusions of success, fame, wealth, happiness, and few things are more painful than the reality-revealing loss of an illusion. But if illusions are negative, why is the opposite, being disillusioned, also negative? In this essay based on his inaugural writer-in-residence lecture at Athabasca University, internationally acclaimed writer Steven Heighton mathematically evaluates the paradox of disillusionment and the negative aspects of hope. Drawing on writers such as Herman Melville, Leonard Cohen, Kate Chopin, and Thich Nhat Hanh, Heighton considers the influence of illusions on creativity, art, and society. This meditation on language and philosophy reveals the virtues of being disillusioned and, perhaps, the path to freedom.

    Contents:
    • Intro
    • Title Page
    • Foreword
    • The virtues of Disillusionment
    • Copyright Page
    Genre:
    Canadian nonfiction, Philosophy
    Subject(s): Negativity (Philosophy) | Perception | Satisfaction | Illusion (Philosophy) | Hope
    Original Publisher: Edmonton, Alberta, AU Press
    Language(s): English
    ISBN: 9781771993258, 9781771993241, 1771993251, 1771993243, 1771993235, 9781771993234
    Collection(s)/Series: Read Alberta eBook Collection