{"product_id":"ignorance-and-bliss-on-wanting-not-to-know-9781911723523","title":"Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003eMark Lilla's book explores the human will to not know, tracing it from the Book of Genesis to Sigmund Freud. He reveals the paradoxes of hiding truth from ourselves and exposes the illusions that can lead us to entertain. \u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat\u003c\/strong\u003e: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLength\u003c\/strong\u003e: 256 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublication date\u003c\/strong\u003e: 12 December 2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e: C Hurst \u0026amp; Co Publishers Ltd\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch1\u003eWise and wonderfully enjoyable. . . . timely and terrifically witty. — John Banville, The Observer\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch1\u003eMark Lilla is always a challenging, fascinating mind – alert to all the power, paradox, and dangers of ignorance. — Rory Stewart\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch1\u003eAristotle 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?\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch1\u003eAcclaimed 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 Platos 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 childrens wise simplicity, and the yearning for vanished, allegedly purer civilisations.\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight\u003c\/strong\u003e: 370g\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimension\u003c\/strong\u003e: 171 x 198 x 31 (mm)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13\u003c\/strong\u003e: 9781911723523\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mark Lilla","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":46956451201274,"sku":"9781911723523","price":15.82,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0522\/4297\/2845\/files\/1734116390034_book.jpg?v=1734350390","url":"https:\/\/shulphink.com\/products\/ignorance-and-bliss-on-wanting-not-to-know-9781911723523","provider":"Shulph Ink","version":"1.0","type":"link"}