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Escaping the History of Western Philosophy

From Nihilism to Happiness

Escaping the History of Western Philosophy cover

Escaping the History of Western Philosophy

From Nihilism to Happiness

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Pre-order. Available Apr 20 2027
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Description

This is a philosopher's journey from nihilism and skepticism to a renewed sense of everyday happiness.

Mark Anderson provides us with an entertaining account of what happens when we view reality, knowledge, and beauty from two opposed perspectives: Platonism and Nietzschean nihilism. As he travels through the ancient conflict between idealism and naturalism, he weaves in personal experiences as he discovers a skeptical attitude and arrives at an ordinary, happier life.
What happens when we take philosophy seriously and follow its conclusions to their limits? Anderson explores how philosophical commitments can shape, and sometimes unsettle, our lived experience. He shows how skepticism, left unchecked, can slide into nihilism, and turns to Zen Buddhism to confront its existential and psychological consequences.

Can we achieve happiness if we let go of obscure intellectual abstractions and return to a simple life, based on common-sense truth and goodness? Anderson's journey will be familiar to scholars working in the arts and humanities. This is a book to make you laugh, cry, and be happy.

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Table of Contents

Preface

Part One: Duck-Rabbit Skepticism

A. Duck (Platonism)
1. The Real
2. The True
3. The Good
4. The Beautiful

B. Rabbit (Naturalism)
1. Nothing is Real
2. Truth is a Kind of Error
3. Beyond Good and Evil
4. Beauty is a Feeling

Part Two: Ordinary Mind is the Way

1. Skepticism
2. Nihilism
3. Zen
4. More Zen than Zen

Part Three: Ataraxia

1. Melancholia
2. Life is Not Suffering
3. Happiness

Index

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published Apr 20 2027
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Pages 176
ISBN 9781350677210
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Mark Anderson

Mark Anderson is Professor and Chair of the Depart…

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