Mysticism - by Simon Critchley (Paperback)

About the Book

"Simon Critchley (born 27 February 1960) is an English philosopher and the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York, USA.[2] Challenging the ancient tradition that philosophy begins in wonder, Critchley argues that philosophy begins in disappointment.[3] Two particular forms of disappointment inform Critchley's work: religious and political disappointment. While religious disappointment arises from a lack of faith and generates the problem of what is the meaning of life in the face of nihilism, political disappointment comes from the violent world we live in and raises the question of justice in a violently unjust world.[4][5] In addition, to these two regions of research, Critchley's recent works have engaged in more experimental forms of writing on Shakespeare, David Bowie, suicide, Greek tragedy and association football"--

Book Synopsis

A probing, inspiring exploration of mysticism not as religious practice but as a mode of experience and way of life by one of the most provocative philosophical thinkers of our time.

Why mysticism? It has been called "experience in its most intense form," and in his new book the philosopher Simon Critchley poses a simple question to the reader: Wouldn't you like to taste this intensity? Wouldn't you like to be lifted up and out of yourself into a sheer feeling of aliveness, both your life and those of the creatures that surround you? If so, it might be well worthwhile trying to learn what is meant by mysticism and how it can shift, elevate, and deepen the sense of our lives.

Mysticism is not primarily a theoretical issue. It's not a question of religious belief but of felt experience and daily practice. A rough and ready definition of mysticism is that it is a way of systematically freeing yourself of your standard habits, your usual fancies and imaginings so as to see what is there and stand with what is there ecstatically. Mysticism is the practical possibility of the achievement of a fluid openness between thought and existence.

This is a book about trying to get outside oneself, to lose oneself, while knowing that the self is not something that can ever be fully lost. It is also a book about Julian of Norwich, Anne Carson, Annie Dillard, T.S. Eliot, and Nick Cave. It shows how listening to music can be secular worship. It is a book full of learning, puzzlement, pleasure, and wonder. It opens the door to mysticism not as something unworldly and unimaginable, but as a way of life.

Review Quotes

"Simon Critchley is the most powerful and provocative philosopher now writing about the complex relations of ethical subjectivity and reinvigorated democracy." --Cornel West

"This book does something miraculous: It saves the baby of mysticism from the discarded bathwater of institutional religion. It reminds us that our attention matters, that even in our fractured digital age, ecstasy is possible. That's not religious hokum. It's practical, and most of us need reminders of it every day." --Peter Catapano, The New York Times

"Simon Critchley's work manages the difficult task of drawing both accessibility and depth from his vast range of references." --Daniel Fraser, The Quietus

"Erudite and impassioned, Critchley's intimate examination of mysticism speaks to a yearning for personal transformation and nothing less than enchantment. A stirring, lyrical meditation on transfiguration." --Kirkus Reviews

"Critchley is what one might call a 'working-class philosopher, ' by which I mean he sees philosophy as a proletarian concern rather than an elite activity to be practiced in ivory towers. He approaches every subject -- be it suicide or soccer -- with the same intellectual rigor. The writing is not only deep and philosophical, but approachable and conversational." --Tyler Malone, Los Angeles Times

"Critchley is generous without being platitudinous, rigorous but not overbearing." --Houman Barekat, Vol. 1 Brooklyn

"Professor Critchley has a gift for conveying complex philosophical ideas in an easy to understand manner for those not versed in philosophy. Those readers who decide to join him on the journey to mystical experience will find themselves in capable hands." -- Tony Mierzwicki, Pantheos

"Simon Critchley, a philosopher at the New School for Social Research in New York, provides an accessible assessment of the subject that is usually treated in a maddeningly esoteric or academic way." -- The Economist

"A study of mysticism--defined as an experience, rather than religious practice--by the great British philosopher Critchley, who mines music, poetry, and literature along the way." --Sophia M. Stewart, The Millions

"Mysticism is a lucid, genial guide to a body of writing that describes states of being, and intuitions, that belong and don't belong to the tradition in which its author finds himself." -- Brian Dillon, 4Columns

"For readers looking to become one with the divine, philosopher Simon Critchley points to lessons from renowned religious mystics in Mysticism (New York Review Books, Oct.). In this book, God is optional, and one can find the extraordinary in the ordinary aspects of life." - Cathy Lynn Grossman, Publishers Weekly

"Currently Hans Jonas professor of philosophy at the New School for School Research in New York, he has been named as one of the most influential philosophers today. For all his readability, he is a serious academic. You have to pay careful attention. But it pays off: this book is a real intellectual adventure. "Let us go a little deeper . . ." he announces, and he's off again, powered by a childlike and communicable curiosity" - Clemency Burton-Hill, The Financial Times

About the Author

Simon Critchley has written over twenty books, including works of philosophy and books on Greek tragedy, dead philosophers, David Bowie, football, suicide, and many other subjects. He is the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York and a Director of the Onassis Foundation.