Wonderstruck : how wonder and awe shape the way we think Cover Image

Book

Wonderstruck : how wonder and awe shape the way we think / Helen De Cruz.

De Cruz, Helen, 1978- (author.).

Summary:

"What explains people's propensity to ask existential questions that they have little hope of resolving, such as: Why are we here? What, if any, is our purpose? What is the structure of the universe? That humans engage in these endeavors has long puzzled evolutionary theorists, as they go beyond the immediate demands of fending for ourselves, seeking safety, finding food, and reproducing, which occupy the daily lives of other animals. In this book, philosopher Helen De Cruz draws on a wide range of disciplines and thinkers, from Aristotle and 12th-century Muslim philosopher Ibn Tufayl to Jewish thinker Abraham Heschel and science writer Rachel Carson, showing how awe and wonder lie at the heart of such existential questions. She argues that there is an emotional basis to this drive for inquiry, as wonder and awe are epistemic emotions that help us think about big-picture questions and that motivate the answers we provide to those questions"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

ISBN: 9780691232126
ISBN: 0691232121
Physical Description: x, 217 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Publisher: Princeton, New Jeresy : Princeton University Press, [2024]
Copyright: ©2024

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Freedom of wonder -- That sudden surprise of the soul: How wonder fuels philosophy -- Mysteries of the mind: The psychology of awe and wonder -- Wonder and the origins of magic -- Seeing with firstness: Religion as awe- and wonder-technology -- Cabinet of wonders: How awe and wonder regulate science -- Transforming the world through awe and wonder -- Epilogue: Reclaiming our sense of wonder.