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The Veil of Isis: An Essay on the History of the Idea of Nature

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Item specifics

Condition
Very Good: A book that has been read but is in excellent condition. No obvious damage to the cover, ...
ISBN
9780674023161
Book Title
Veil of Isis : an Essay on the History of the Idea of Nature
Item Length
8.2 in
Original Language
French
Publisher
Harvard University Press
Publication Year
2006
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Illustrator
Yes
Item Height
1.3 in
Author
Pierre Hadot
Genre
Philosophy
Topic
History & Surveys / General, Religious, General, History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical
Item Width
5.5 in
Item Weight
22.3 Oz
Number of Pages
432 Pages

About this product

Product Information

Nearly twenty-five hundred years ago the Greek thinker Heraclitus supposedly uttered the cryptic words "Phusis kruptesthai philei." How the aphorism, usually translated as "Nature loves to hide," has haunted Western culture ever since is the subject of this engaging study by Pierre Hadot. Taking the allegorical figure of the veiled goddess Isis as a guide, and drawing on the work of both the ancients and later thinkers such as Goethe, Rilke, Wittgenstein, and Heidegger, Hadot traces successive interpretations of Heraclitus' words. Over time, Hadot finds, "Nature loves to hide" has meant that all that lives tends to die; that Nature wraps herself in myths; and (for Heidegger) that Being unveils as it veils itself. Meanwhile the pronouncement has been used to explain everything from the opacity of the natural world to our modern angst. From these kaleidoscopic exegeses and usages emerge two contradictory approaches to nature: the Promethean, or experimental-questing, approach, which embraces technology as a means of tearing the veil from Nature and revealing her secrets; and the Orphic, or contemplative-poetic, approach, according to which such a denuding of Nature is a grave trespass. In place of these two attitudes Hadot proposes one suggested by the Romantic vision of Rousseau, Goethe, and Schelling, who saw in the veiled Isis an allegorical expression of the sublime. "Nature is art and art is nature," Hadot writes, inviting us to embrace Isis and all she represents: art makes us intensely aware of how completely we ourselves are not merely surrounded by nature but also part of nature.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Harvard University Press
ISBN-10
0674023161
ISBN-13
9780674023161
eBay Product ID (ePID)
53567417

Product Key Features

Book Title
Veil of Isis : an Essay on the History of the Idea of Nature
Author
Pierre Hadot
Original Language
French
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
History & Surveys / General, Religious, General, History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical
Publication Year
2006
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Philosophy
Number of Pages
432 Pages

Dimensions

Item Length
8.2 in
Item Height
1.3 in
Item Width
5.5 in
Item Weight
22.3 Oz

Additional Product Features

Lc Classification Number
Bd581.H2813 2006
Reviews
Pierre Hadot, professor emeritus of the CollÈge de France, has written a remarkably insightful book on the theme of secrets of nature and their significance for the history of science and ideas about nature. First published in 2004 by Editions Gallimard, it is now available in English through Michael Chase's adept and eloquent translation...Of particular interest to historians of science will be Hadot's conception of the Promethean attitude and the mechanization of nature...The Veil of Isis is a rewarding voyage through a multitude of texts, illustrations and historical figures that brings a set of complex and often contradictoryideas into a clear and compelling argument., [Hadot] has written a remarkably insightful book on the theme of the secrets of nature and their significance for the history of science and ideas about nature. First published in 2004 by Editions Gallimard, it is now available in English through Michael Chase's adept and eloquent translation...Of particular interest to historians of science will be Hadot's conception of the Promethean attitude and the mechanization of nature...Hadot's analysis is significant for its focus on Nature as female both in reality and as metaphor during the Renaissance and early modern era...[W]hatever view the reader may hold of the rise of science or of the consequences of the Promethean attitude, The Veil of Isis is a rewarding voyage through a multitude of texts, illustrations and historical figures that brings a set of complex and often contradictory ideas into a clear and compelling argument., Pierre Hadot, professor emeritus of the Coll ge de France, has written a remarkably insightful book on the theme of secrets of nature and their significance for the history of science and ideas about nature. First published in 2004 by Editions Gallimard, it is now available in English through Michael Chase's adept and eloquent translation...Of particular interest to historians of science will be Hadot's conception of the Promethean attitude and the mechanization of nature... The Veil of Isis is a rewarding voyage through a multitude of texts, illustrations and historical figures that brings a set of complex and often contradictoryideas into a clear and compelling argument., [Hadot] is an extraordinary guide to the history of the idea of nature from Heraclitus to now. You will find yourself in the company of a wise Greek, a pagan, a philosopher who believes that a role of philosophy is to teach us how to live.
Table of Content
PrefacePrologue at Ephesus: An Enigmatic SayingPart I: The Veil of Death1. Heraclitus' Aphorism: "What Is Born Tends to Disappear"Part II: The Veil of Nature2. From Phusis to Nature 3. Secrets of the Gods and Secrets of NaturePart III: "Nature Loves to Hide"4. Heraclitus' Aphorism and Allegorical Exegesis 5. "Nature Loves to Wrap Herself Up": Mythical Forms and Corporeal Forms 6. Calypso, or "Imagination with the Flowing Veil" 7. The Genius of Paganism 8. The "Gods of Greece": Pagan Myths in a Christian WorldPart IV: Unveiling Nature's Secrets9. Prometheus and OrpheusPart V: The Promethean Attitude: Unveiling Secrets through Technology10. Mechanics and Magic from Antiquity to the Renaissance 11. Experimental Science and the Mechanization of Nature 12. Criticism of the Promethean AttitudePart VI: The Orphic Attitude: Unveiling Secrets through Discourse, Poetry, and Art13. Physics as a Conjectural Science 14. Truth as the Daughter of Time 15. The Study of Nature as a Spiritual Exercise 16. Nature's Behavior: Thrifty, Joyful, or Spendthrift? 17. The Poetic Model 18. Aesthetic Perception and the Genesis of FormsPart VII: The Veil of Isis19. Artemis and IsisPart VIII: From the Secret of Nature to the Mystery of Existence: Terror and Wonder20. Isis Has No Veils 21. The Sacred Shudder 22. Nature as Sphinx 23. From the Secret of Nature to the Mystery of BeingConclusionNotes Index
Copyright Date
2006
Target Audience
Trade
Lccn
2006-044554
Dewey Decimal
113.09
Dewey Edition
22

Item description from the seller