Overview

A probing, inspiring exploration of mysticism not as religious practice but as a mode of experience and way of life by one of the most provocative philosophical thinkers of our time. Why mysticism? It has been called “experience in its most intense form,” and in his new book the philosopher Simon Critchley poses a simple question to the reader: Wouldn’t you like to taste this intensity? Wouldn’t you like to be lifted up and out of yourself into a sheer feeling of aliveness, both your life and those of the creatures that surround you? If so, it might be well worthwhile trying to learn what is meant by mysticism and how it can shift, elevate, and deepen the sense of our lives.  Mysticism is not primarily a theoretical issue. It's not a question of religious belief but of felt experience and daily practice. A rough and ready definition of mysticism is that it is a way of systematically freeing yourself of your standard habits, your usual fancies and imaginings so as to see what is there and stand with what is there ecstatically. Mysticism is the practical possibility of the achievement of a fluid openness between thought and existence.  This is a book about trying to get outside oneself, to lose oneself, while knowing that the self is not something that can ever be fully lost. It is also a book about Julian of Norwich, Anne Carson, Annie Dillard, T.S. Eliot, and Nick Cave. It shows how listening to music can be secular worship. It is a book full of learning, puzzlement, pleasure, and wonder. It opens the door to mysticism not as something unworldly and unimaginable, but as a way of life.

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9781681378244

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Reviews

"""Simon Critchley is the most powerful and provocative philosopher now writing about the complex relations of ethical subjectivity and reinvigorated democracy."" —Cornel West ""Simon Critchley’s work manages the difficult task of drawing both accessibility and depth from his vast range of references."" —Daniel Fraser, The Quietus ""Erudite and impassioned, Critchley’s intimate examination of mysticism speaks to a yearning for personal transformation and nothing less than enchantment. A stirring, lyrical meditation on transfiguration."" —Kirkus Reviews ""Critchley is what one might call a 'working-class philosopher,' by which I mean he sees philosophy as a proletarian concern rather than an elite activity to be practiced in ivory towers. He approaches every subject — be it suicide or soccer — with the same intellectual rigor. The writing is not only deep and philosophical, but approachable and conversational."" —Tyler Malone, Los Angeles Times ""Critchley is generous without being platitudinous, rigorous but not overbearing."" —Houman Barekat, Vol. 1 Brooklyn"

""Simon Critchley is the most powerful and provocative philosopher now writing about the complex relations of ethical subjectivity and reinvigorated democracy."" —Cornel West ""Simon Critchley’s work manages the difficult task of drawing both accessibility and depth from his vast range of references."" —Daniel Fraser, The Quietus ""Erudite and impassioned, Critchley’s intimate examination of mysticism speaks to a yearning for personal transformation and nothing less than enchantment. A stirring, lyrical meditation on transfiguration."" —Kirkus Reviews ""Critchley is what one might call a 'working-class philosopher,' by which I mean he sees philosophy as a proletarian concern rather than an elite activity to be practiced in ivory towers. He approaches every subject — be it suicide or soccer — with the same intellectual rigor. The writing is not only deep and philosophical, but approachable and conversational."" —Tyler Malone, Los Angeles Times ""Critchley is generous without being platitudinous, rigorous but not overbearing."" —Houman Barekat, Vol. 1 Brooklyn

Author Information

Simon Critchley has written over twenty books, including works of philosophy and books on Greek tragedy, dead philosophers, David Bowie, football, suicide, and many other subjects. He is the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York and a Director of the Onassis Foundation.

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