The Gift of Beauty and the Passion of Being

On the Threshold between the Aesthetic and the Religious

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Aesthetics, Metaphysics, Religious
Cover of the book The Gift of Beauty and the Passion of Being by William Desmond, Wipf and Stock Publishers
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William Desmond ISBN: 9781498241540
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers Publication: July 6, 2018
Imprint: Cascade Books Language: English
Author: William Desmond
ISBN: 9781498241540
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Publication: July 6, 2018
Imprint: Cascade Books
Language: English

This book gathers a set of reflections on the gift of beauty and the passion of being. There is something surprising about beauty that we receive and that moves the passion of being in us. The book takes issue with an ambiguous attitude to beauty among some who proclaim their advanced aesthetic authenticity. Beauty seems bland and lacks the more visceral thrill of the ugly, indeed the excremental. We crave what disrupts and provokes us, not what gives delight or even consoles. By contrast, attention is given to how beauty arouses enigmatic joy in us, and we enjoy an elemental rapport with it as other. Surprised by beauty, our breath is taken away, but we are more truly there with the beautiful when we are taken outside of ourselves. We are first receivers of the gift of surprise and only then perceivers and conceivers. My attention to the passion of being stresses a patience, a receptivity to what is other. What happens is not first our construction. There is something given, something awakening, something delighting, something energizing, something of invitation to transcendence. The theme is amplified in diverse reflections: on life and its transient beauty; on soul music and its relation to self; on the shine on things given in creation; on beauty and Schopenhauer's dark origin; on creativity and the dynamis in Paul Weiss's creative ventures; on redemption in Romanticism in the thought of Stanley Cavell; on theater as a between or metaxu; on redeeming laughter and its connection with the passion of being.

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

This book gathers a set of reflections on the gift of beauty and the passion of being. There is something surprising about beauty that we receive and that moves the passion of being in us. The book takes issue with an ambiguous attitude to beauty among some who proclaim their advanced aesthetic authenticity. Beauty seems bland and lacks the more visceral thrill of the ugly, indeed the excremental. We crave what disrupts and provokes us, not what gives delight or even consoles. By contrast, attention is given to how beauty arouses enigmatic joy in us, and we enjoy an elemental rapport with it as other. Surprised by beauty, our breath is taken away, but we are more truly there with the beautiful when we are taken outside of ourselves. We are first receivers of the gift of surprise and only then perceivers and conceivers. My attention to the passion of being stresses a patience, a receptivity to what is other. What happens is not first our construction. There is something given, something awakening, something delighting, something energizing, something of invitation to transcendence. The theme is amplified in diverse reflections: on life and its transient beauty; on soul music and its relation to self; on the shine on things given in creation; on beauty and Schopenhauer's dark origin; on creativity and the dynamis in Paul Weiss's creative ventures; on redemption in Romanticism in the thought of Stanley Cavell; on theater as a between or metaxu; on redeeming laughter and its connection with the passion of being.

More books from Wipf and Stock Publishers

Cover of the book The Lord’s Prayer by William Desmond
Cover of the book On This Rock by William Desmond
Cover of the book Anarchy and Apocalypse by William Desmond
Cover of the book The Whole Christ for the Whole World by William Desmond
Cover of the book Christ at the Checkpoint by William Desmond
Cover of the book Benedict’s Daughter by William Desmond
Cover of the book Hitler, Jesus, and Our Common Humanity by William Desmond
Cover of the book 28 Hymns to Sing before You Die by William Desmond
Cover of the book First Steps Discipleship Training by William Desmond
Cover of the book The Road Traveled and Other Essays by William Desmond
Cover of the book Authentically Emergent by William Desmond
Cover of the book The Power of the West in the Economy of Grace by William Desmond
Cover of the book Faith-Based Education That Constructs by William Desmond
Cover of the book "In the Beginning . . ." by William Desmond
Cover of the book Suffering in Romans by William Desmond
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