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Philosophy Social

The Virtues of Disillusionment

by (author) Steven Heighton

Publisher
Athabasca University Press
Initial publish date
Sep 2020
Category
Social
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781771993241
    Publish Date
    Sep 2020
    List Price
    $19.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781771993265
    Publish Date
    Sep 2020
    List Price
    $19.99

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Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 18
  • Grade: 12

Description

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.

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