1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910807204403321

Autore

Danvers John

Titolo

Agents of uncertainty [[electronic resource] ] : mysticism, scepticism, Buddhism, art and poetry / / John Danvers

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Amsterdam ; ; New York, : Rodopi, 2012

ISBN

1-283-54300-1

9786613855459

94-012-0787-9

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (217 p.)

Collana

Consciousness, literature & the arts, , 1573-2193 ; ; 31

Disciplina

149.3

Soggetti

Uncertainty

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

pt. 1. Mysticism -- pt. 2. Mysticism, language and postmodernism -- pt. 3. Scepticism -- pt. 4. Buddhism and Daoism : sceptical mysticism -- pt. 5. The contrarium : a dialectical seesaw -- pt. 6. Living with uncertainty : art and its making --- pt. 7. A drawing together.

Sommario/riassunto

Through an analysis of many different examples, Danvers articulates a new way of thinking about mysticism and scepticism, not as opposite poles of the philosophical spectrum, but as two fields of enquiry with overlapping aims and methods. Prompted by a deep sense of wonder at being alive, many mystics and sceptics, like the Buddha, practice disciplines of doubt in order to become free of attachment to fixed appearances, essences and viewpoints, and in doing so they find peace and equanimity. They develop ways of living with impermanence and the unexpected by letting go of adherence to dogmatic beliefs and by suspending judgement. In common with many artists and poets they act as agents of uncertainty, actively disturbing the routines and habits of day-to-day thought and behaviour in order to demonstrate how to maintain a sense of balance and spontaneity in the midst of life’s difficulties. Topics explored include: being and self as process; mysticism and language; scepticism and dogmatism; Buddhism, interdependence and emptiness; Daoism and impermanence; dialectics of doubt in art and poetry. Written in a lively and accessible style,



accompanied by drawings and photographs by the author, this volume is aimed at scholars, artists, teachers, and anyone interested in philosophy, religion, art, poetry and ways of being.