Bereft of reason
Subtitle: on the decline of social thought and prospects for its renewal
By: Eugene Halton.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Chicago
Language: eng
Number of pages: 304
Subjects: Sociology -- Philosophy.; Social sciences -- Philosophy.
Description: In this radical critique of contemporary social theory, Eugene Halton argues that both modernism and postmodernism are damaged philosophies whose acceptance of the myths of the mind/body dichotomy make them incapable of solving our social dilemmas.

Claiming that human beings should be understood as far more than simply a form of knowledge, social construction, or contingent difference, Halton argues that contemporary thought has lost touch with the spontaneous passions - or enchantment - of life.

Exploring neglected works in twentieth-century social thought and philosophy - particularly the writings of Lewis Mumford and Charles Peirce - as well as the work of contemporary writers such as Vaclav Havel, Maya Angelou, Milan Kundera, Doris Lessing, and Victor Turner, Halton argues that reason is dependent upon nonrational forces - including sentiment, instinct, conjecture, imagination, and experience.

We must, he argues, frame our questions in a way which encompasses both enchantment and critical reason, and he offers an outline here for doing so. A passionate plea for a fundamental reexamination of the entrenched assumptions of the modern era, this book deals with issues of vital concern to modern societies and should be read by scholars across disciplines.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 281-294) and index.