All Things Shining: Reading the Western Canon to Find Meaning in a Secular World

by Hubert Dreyfus, Sean Dorrance Kelly Narrated by David Drummond

Overview

The religious turn to their faith to find meaning. But what about the many people who lead secular lives and are also hungry for meaning? What guides, what approaches are available to them?

Distinguished philosophers, Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly explain that a secular life charged with meaning is indeed within reach. It is achieved by a passionate, skillful engagement with the people, events, and wonders present in the most ordinary days-an approach to meaning that modern Western culture seems to have abandoned.

Dreyfus and Kelly use some of the greatest works of the Western Canon to trace the way we lost this passionate engagement to our surroundings and to show us how to get it back. Taking us on a journey from the wonder and openness of Homer's polytheistic world, to the monotheism of Dante, to the nihilism of Kant, to the pantheism of Melville, and finally to the spiritual difficulties of the world evoked by modern authors such as David Foster Wallace and Elizabeth Gilbert, All Things Shining will change the way we understand our culture, our history, our sacred practices, and ourselves, and offer a new-and very old-way to celebrate a secular existence.

Editorial Reviews

DECEMBER 2011 - AudioFile

Dreyfus and Kelly present an intriguing argument, based in Western literary and philosophical classics, for avoiding nihilism and being engaged with, and finding meaning in, the world as it is. David Drummond narrates at a slightly elevated pitch of excitement, as if urging someone to hurry. Despite the potential urgency of the book’s message, its tone is thoughtful and analytical. The uneasy fit makes Drummond’s manner seem all the more artificial. There are several prominent mispronunciations, but an egregious mistake is the word “agape,” Christian love. However, Drummond’s energy doesn’t let the book lag, and his clarity is admirable. The basic job of conveying the book is roughly but effectively done. W.M. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171648442
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	04/12/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged

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