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Book Description
We spend most of our time and energy chasing
success, such that we have little left over for thinking and feeling,
being and relating. As a result, we fail in the deepest possible way. We
fail as human beings. 'The Art of Failure' explores what it means to be
successful, and how, if at all, true success can be achieved.
An extraordinarily wide ranging mix of psychology and philosophy
covering most of human behaviour from madness to happiness and the
meaning of life, and encoutering ghosts and death on the way ...
Brilliant. Neel Burton has already won several prizes ... and this
volume deserves another. --The British Medical Association
The book's basic premise is that the modern Western definition of
success is deeply flawed, presenting us with the false goals of material
comfort, fame, power and hedonism. In contrast, Burton argues, Western
philosophical and spiritual traditions have largely been in agreement
that true happiness lies in accepting 'failure'; that we are limited,
mortal, subject to frequent and unforeseen setbacks, in the face of
which we do better to develop virtues of honesty, friendship, patience,
and moderation. To be fair, this is not perhaps a lesson that the much
maligned self-help guides have ignored, but the virtue of Burton's book
is that he is not afraid to enter into these topics in more appropriate
depth and detail. Throughout, his points are illustrated by recourse to
theories, ideas and anecdotes cherry-picked from the lives and writings
of the great philosophers - Plato and Aristotle (who feature heavily
throughout), Epicurus and Heraclitus, but also representatives of the
existentialist tradition, such as Nietzsche, Kierkegaard and Sartre.
Burton also draws on his background in psychology in ranging through
contemporary issues in psychiatry as well as the continued relevance of
the classic approaches of Freud and Jung. Such discussion is augmented
throughout with references to literature, art, religion and history,
with the result that Burton's material is always engaging and
interesting, presented in an accessible and clear manner. --Gareth
Southwell, philosopher and writer
success, such that we have little left over for thinking and feeling,
being and relating. As a result, we fail in the deepest possible way. We
fail as human beings. 'The Art of Failure' explores what it means to be
successful, and how, if at all, true success can be achieved.
An extraordinarily wide ranging mix of psychology and philosophy
covering most of human behaviour from madness to happiness and the
meaning of life, and encoutering ghosts and death on the way ...
Brilliant. Neel Burton has already won several prizes ... and this
volume deserves another. --The British Medical Association
The book's basic premise is that the modern Western definition of
success is deeply flawed, presenting us with the false goals of material
comfort, fame, power and hedonism. In contrast, Burton argues, Western
philosophical and spiritual traditions have largely been in agreement
that true happiness lies in accepting 'failure'; that we are limited,
mortal, subject to frequent and unforeseen setbacks, in the face of
which we do better to develop virtues of honesty, friendship, patience,
and moderation. To be fair, this is not perhaps a lesson that the much
maligned self-help guides have ignored, but the virtue of Burton's book
is that he is not afraid to enter into these topics in more appropriate
depth and detail. Throughout, his points are illustrated by recourse to
theories, ideas and anecdotes cherry-picked from the lives and writings
of the great philosophers - Plato and Aristotle (who feature heavily
throughout), Epicurus and Heraclitus, but also representatives of the
existentialist tradition, such as Nietzsche, Kierkegaard and Sartre.
Burton also draws on his background in psychology in ranging through
contemporary issues in psychiatry as well as the continued relevance of
the classic approaches of Freud and Jung. Such discussion is augmented
throughout with references to literature, art, religion and history,
with the result that Burton's material is always engaging and
interesting, presented in an accessible and clear manner. --Gareth
Southwell, philosopher and writer
