On Habit

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy
Cover of the book On Habit by Clare Carlisle, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Clare Carlisle ISBN: 9781136725692
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: March 14, 2014
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Clare Carlisle
ISBN: 9781136725692
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: March 14, 2014
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

For Aristotle, excellence is not an act but a habit, and Hume regards habit as ‘the great guide of life’. However, for Proust habit is problematic: ‘if habit is a second nature, it prevents us from knowing our first.’

What is habit? Do habits turn us into machines or free us to do more creative things? Should religious faith be habitual? Does habit help or hinder the practice of philosophy? Why do Luther, Spinoza, Kant, Kierkegaard and Bergson all criticise habit? If habit is both a blessing and a curse, how can we live well in our habits?

In this thought-provoking book Clare Carlisle examines habit from a philosophical standpoint. Beginning with a lucid appraisal of habit’s philosophical history she suggests that both receptivity and resistance to change are basic principles of habit-formation. Carlisle shows how the philosophy of habit not only anticipates the discoveries of recent neuroscience but illuminates their ethical significance. She asks whether habit is a reliable form of knowledge by examining the contrasting interpretations of habitual thinking offered by Spinoza and Hume. She then turns to the role of habit in the good life, tracing Aristotle’s legacy through the ideas of Joseph Butler, Hegel, and Félix Ravaisson, and assessing the ambivalent attitudes to habit expressed by Nietzsche and Proust.

She argues that a distinction between habit and practice helps to clarify this ambivalence, particularly in the context of habit and religion, where she examines both the theology of habit and the repetitions of religious life. She concludes by considering how philosophy itself is a practice of learning to live well with habit.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

For Aristotle, excellence is not an act but a habit, and Hume regards habit as ‘the great guide of life’. However, for Proust habit is problematic: ‘if habit is a second nature, it prevents us from knowing our first.’

What is habit? Do habits turn us into machines or free us to do more creative things? Should religious faith be habitual? Does habit help or hinder the practice of philosophy? Why do Luther, Spinoza, Kant, Kierkegaard and Bergson all criticise habit? If habit is both a blessing and a curse, how can we live well in our habits?

In this thought-provoking book Clare Carlisle examines habit from a philosophical standpoint. Beginning with a lucid appraisal of habit’s philosophical history she suggests that both receptivity and resistance to change are basic principles of habit-formation. Carlisle shows how the philosophy of habit not only anticipates the discoveries of recent neuroscience but illuminates their ethical significance. She asks whether habit is a reliable form of knowledge by examining the contrasting interpretations of habitual thinking offered by Spinoza and Hume. She then turns to the role of habit in the good life, tracing Aristotle’s legacy through the ideas of Joseph Butler, Hegel, and Félix Ravaisson, and assessing the ambivalent attitudes to habit expressed by Nietzsche and Proust.

She argues that a distinction between habit and practice helps to clarify this ambivalence, particularly in the context of habit and religion, where she examines both the theology of habit and the repetitions of religious life. She concludes by considering how philosophy itself is a practice of learning to live well with habit.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book The Healthy Ancestor by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book Religious Cultures in Early Modern India by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book Gender, Kinship and Power by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book Rural Resource Management (Routledge Revivals) by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book Competition Policy in Europe and North America by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book The Sound Bite Society by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book African Women, ICT and Neoliberal Politics by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book Vinyl: A History of the Analogue Record by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book Religion in Contemporary China by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book Law and Finance after the Financial Crisis by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book Images of Blood in American Cinema by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book 'Luxury' Fleet: (RLE The First World War) by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book Progress in Tourism Marketing by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book Talking It Out by Clare Carlisle
Cover of the book Fundamental Rights by Clare Carlisle
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy