Nostalgia for the Absolute

by George Steiner

Overview

Writer and scholar George Steiner's Massey Lectures are just as cogent today as when he delivered them in 1974 -- perhaps even more so. He argues that Western culture's moral and emotional emptiness stems from the decay of formal religion. He examines the alternate mythologies (Marxism, etc.) and fads of irrationality (astrology, the occult). Steiner argues that this decay and the failure of the mythologies have created a nostalgia for the absolute that is growing and leading us to a massive clash between truth and human survival.

Ultimately he suggests that we can only reduce the impact of this collision course if we continue, as disinterestedly as possible, to ask questions and seek answers in the face of our increasingly complex world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780887848698
Publisher:	House of Anansi Press Inc
Publication date:	03/01/1997
Series:	The CBC Massey Lectures
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

George Steiner is an internationally renowned writer and scholar.