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eBook On Balance download

by Adam Phillips

ISBN: 0241143896
Author: Adam Phillips
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton (July 1, 2011)
Language: English
ePub: 1539 kb
Fb2: 1525 kb
Rating: 4.6
Other formats: mbr lrf doc lrf
Category: Political
Subcategory: Philosophy

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FREE shipping on qualifying offers. Every day, we are told that balance is a good thing.

FREE shipping on qualifying offers. We are supposed to make balanced judgments, balance our budget.

The cover of Adam Phillips's new book displays a photograph of two skeletons: one a human .

The cover of Adam Phillips's new book displays a photograph of two skeletons: one a human male and the other a male gorilla. The gorilla stands broad, squat and secure in its centre of gravity. But why do we suppose balance is a good thing? John Stuart Mill was wary of the "singularly captivating" concept of balance; it has a way of beguiling us into thinking that it must necessarily be good, so we may pursue it without considering what we really gain by it.

Joan Acocella, writing in The New Yorker, described Phillips as "Britain's foremost psychoanalytic writer", an opinion echoed by historian Élisabeth Roudinesco in Le Monde.

On Balance Phillips Adam Holtzbrink(MPS)/MPS 9780374212575 : Balancing acts, writes Adam Phillips, are entertaining because they are risky, but there are situations in whi.

On Balance Phillips Adam Holtzbrink(MPS)/MPS 9780374212575 : Balancing acts, writes Adam Phillips, are entertaining because they are risky, but there are situations in wh. Кол-во: о цене Наличие: Отсутствует. Возможна поставка под заказ. При оформлении заказа до: 6 сен 2019 Ориентировочная дата поставки: начало октября При условии наличия книги у поставщика.

In this absorbing and provocative new book from one of Britain's most elegant and original prose stylists, psychoanalyst Adam Phillips addresses a variety of urgent concerns - many centred around the idea of balance. When might we know that enough is enough? Does the road of excess ever lead to the palace of wisdom? What is the role of the parent, the teacher and of psychoanalysis itself in the development of children's minds? Should we be happy, or is there something better we can be?

Adam Phillips is a psychoanalyst and and a visiting professor in the English department at the University of York. He is the author of many acclaimed books, including On Kissing, Tickling, and Being Bored ; Going Sane ; and On Kindness (with Barbara Taylor).

Adam Phillips is a psychoanalyst and and a visiting professor in the English department at the University of York.

In this insightful, charming book, the philosopher and psychoanalyst Adam Phillips looks afresh at balance (and its shadow, excess) and asks if achieving the former is such an admirable goal. From this perspective, Phillips examines the explosive topics of money, sex, parenthood, faith, and education. We are supposed to make balanced judgments, balance our budget, and preserve a balance of power in our government. Disturbed people are described as unbalanced.

Balancing acts," writes Adam Phillips, "are entertaining because they are risky, but there are situations in which it is more dangerous to keep your balance . On Balance - Adam Phillips.

On Balance - Adam Phillips.

On Balance

Comments: (7)

Cenneel

This is my second foray into Mr Phillips' writing, and it felt like I had stumbled into a his study as he answered his mail, listened to his colleagues' messages appreciatively, perused a stack of poetry books, waiting for his edits and comments, and then, after a restorative nap and hastily recorded accounting of our respective dreams, he read aloud to his young grandchild a collection of fairy tales, with sidebar observations for my benefit. His intellect and his interests are wide ranging, and he writes at a level beyond my poor ability to absorb it all, but accessibly enough that I am stretched and provoked. This is not self help, and not psychobabble, and not muscle flexing for is own sake.The reader feels he is writing to clarify and perfect his own point of view, as much as the reader's, and he has a capacity for wonder, erudition and history that approaches Emerson, who he has been favorably compared to. There is a gracefulness in the way he gets to the heart of his point, and a lack of judgment or pedantry. Many of his illustrative points were AHA moments for me, which will keep me on the lookout for other things he has written.

MEGA FREEDY

The world and society being what they are, omnipresent and all-encompassing, they are the default leaders of our lives. Engraved on the subway walls at 42nd and Sixth in New York City are the words of C G Jung: 'Nature must not win the game, but she cannot lose.' About a century ago while Jung was preparing a lecture tour in America, his companion said, 'Don't they realize we are bringing them the plague?' His companion was the star of Phillips's book, Sigmund Freud.

A child psychoanalyst and literary critic, Phillips probes deeply into the human malaise; if you say, What malaise?, this book is not for you. He comes up with the odd remark often, such as, We travel to protect ourselves from the possibility of arriving, or The quest for knowledge would seem to be about dispelling desire: "Tell me who you desire and I will tell you who you are." What humanity as a whole apparently desires however is of a magnitude infinitely greater. On the front page of today's New York Times, seed money of $500,000 is being offered to study what it would take to send humans to another star, a challenge so daunting the study alone could take a hundred years, at which time we will all be dead.

On Balance was my vacation book this year, a kind of ballast against the euphoria, but it would not be the kind of thing I'd want on my private island; I'd want something like a mixture of Zen and Christianity, music above all, and a bottle of wine. I'd leave the great Chinese poets at their rest. May I add how startled I was to read on page 286 how insufficient are all the helps and glories of human civilization, never fully adequate to our needs and desires. "Human nature, without divine redemption, is a disillusionment that cannot be borne." In writing about W H Auden, Phillips says that unredeemed human nature had become unbearable to him. He is not alone in this assessment.

You may also wish to read the fairly positive review in the current New York Review of Books, and may I point out the admiring comment of Judith Shulevitz in her review of All About Love in the August 14 New York Times Book Review: she calls Phillips "an accomplished aphorist who hovers over the pages like an interrupting angel." Lastly, Phillips has a place in the Joys of Secularism, an anthology just published and reviewed by James Wood in the current New Yorker.

Nargas

What a great book- it's the right combo of intelligent, interesting and witty. Perfect for anyone who wants a thought-provoking, well-written dip into the dizzying topic of balance. Just when I felt like the content was a bit heady at times, the author balanced things out (sorry, pun intended) with totally accessible language. I never knew that references to Freud could be so immensely readable.
After reading this book I want to read more from Adam Phillips!

Dynen

Product as described by the seller. Arrived on time.

Nettale

Wow, had to read this for a class, ended up falling in love with it. I'll be keeping this one around for sure! Fast shipping, and the book was in perfect condition! Thanks so much! !

Steelrunner

Fantastic. Recommended to everyone. Insightful, surprising, different, intellectual, mysterious, counterintuitive and exciting. If you love history and psychology, a must.

Cobandis

I read about this book on the blog "Brain Pickings". It's very good, but I gave it a lower score because it sometimes became repetitive. That said, the premise is viable, and an important read for over-achievers.

I have not received this book yet, but the author was profiled in "Health and Wellness" magazine which is a Martha Stewart product. After looking up the Author on Amazon, he has been writing for sometime on similar topics of which I was primarily unaware. Seems like "On Balance" is a good place to start!

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