Aristotle claimed that 'all human beings want to know'. Yet we also want not to know. Centuries after the Enlightenment, mesmerised crowds still follow preposterous prophets; irrational rumours trigger fanatical acts; and magical thinking crowds out common sense and expertise. Where does this will to ignorance originate, and how does it shape our lives today? Acclaimed essayist and historian of ideas Mark Lilla offers an absorbing intellectual travelogue of the human will not to know. He ranges with brio from the Book of ...
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Aristotle claimed that 'all human beings want to know'. Yet we also want not to know. Centuries after the Enlightenment, mesmerised crowds still follow preposterous prophets; irrational rumours trigger fanatical acts; and magical thinking crowds out common sense and expertise. Where does this will to ignorance originate, and how does it shape our lives today? Acclaimed essayist and historian of ideas Mark Lilla offers an absorbing intellectual travelogue of the human will not to know. He ranges with brio from the Book of Genesis and Plato's dialogues to Sufi parables and Sigmund Freud, revealing the paradoxes of hiding truth from ourselves. Lilla also exposes the illusions that this impulse can lead us to entertain: our belief in the ecstasies of prophet figures as a gateway to truth, the myth of children's wise simplicity, and the yearning for vanished, allegedly purer civilisations. 'An exuberant, inexhaustible storyteller.' Stephen Greenblatt 'A highly original study of what our desire not to know means for our lives.' John Gray 'In these murky days when we all seem to be at sea, Lilla's elegant and perceptive handbook serves both as a compass and a hopeful sail.' Alberto Manguel 'At a time when our politics is debauched with lies and fake news, Lilla asks a question which challenges our alibis: what if the root of the problem lies not with our leaders, but with us?' Michael Ignatieff
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Add this copy of Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know to cart. $17.78, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2024 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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Add this copy of Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know to cart. $22.51, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2024 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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Fine. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. 256 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Add this copy of Ignorance and Bliss: on Wanting Not to Know to cart. $23.28, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2024 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
