Irrationality : : A History of the Dark Side of Reason / / Justin E. H. Smith.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter PUP eBook-Package 2019
• VerfasserIn: Smith, Justin E. H.,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2020]; ©2019
• Year of Publication: 2020
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (344 p.)

From sex and music to religion and politics, a history of irrationality and the ways in which it has always been with us-and always will beIn this sweeping account of irrationality from antiquity to the rise of Twitter mobs and the election of Donald Trump, Justin Smith argues that irrationality makes up the greater part of human life and history. Ranging across philosophy, politics, and current events, he shows that, throughout history, every triumph of reason has been temporary and reversible, and that rational schemes often result in their polar opposite. Illuminating unreason at a moment when the world appears to have gone mad again, Irrationality is timely, provocative, and fascinating.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- Preface -- Preamble. A Mathematician's Murder -- Introduction -- CHAPTER ONE. The Self- Devouring Octopus; or, Logic -- CHAPTER TWO. "No-Brainers"; or, Reason in Nature -- CHAPTER THREE. The Sleep of Reason; or, Dreams -- CHAPTER FOUR. Dreams into Things; or, Art -- CHAPTER FIVE. "I believe because it is absurd"; or, Pseudoscience -- CHAPTER SIX. Enlightenment; or, Myth -- CHAPTER SEVEN. The Human Beast; or, the Internet -- CHAPTER EIGHT. Explosions; or, Jokes and Lies -- CHAPTER NINE. The Impossible Syllogism; or, Death -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index