Does Happiness Write Blank Pages? On Stoicism and Artistic CreativityStoicism is coming back in a big way. Seen as a remedy for the craziness of the times we live in, it is experiencing a great surge in academic and cultural interest. Yet, can one live stoically and be a creative artist at the same time? Delving into its underlying tenets, obscure restrictions and limits of applicability, Stankiewicz critically explores Stoicism and its complex association with artistic creativity. Stoicism and artistic creativity are two great displays of the human spirit. Yet, there are multiple reasons to suspect that they are at odds with each other. Popular culture encapsulates this problem in the figure of the rational, yet emotionally remote Stoic, who achieves serenity through withdrawal, and the contrasting figure of the "cursed poet," "tormented artist," or simply a rock star, who lives in a whirl of creative energy, yet falls short of quietude. Is this contrast valid? Other disciplines, including psychology, have explored this problem. But it has never been done philosophically. Pioneering in its philosophical approach, this book discusses how artistic creativity and its problems of identity, expression and self-creation serve as a great testing ground for Stoicism, as well as its theoretical challenges and practical limits. Stankiewicz presents a detailed investigation into the stereotypes of Stoic life that seeks to explain the cause of Stoicism's modern revival. This book is an essential read for anyone captivated by Stoicism's complex allure. |
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Does Happiness Write Blank Pages? On Stoicism and Artistic Creativity Piotr Stankiewicz Limited preview - 2019 |
Does Happiness Write Blank Pages? On Stoicism and Artistic Creativity Piotr Stankiewicz Limited preview - 2019 |
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agency ancient Stoics argue argument artistic creativity ascetic misinterpretation autotherapeutic theme axiological axiological theme Becker Berlin Cambridge chapter cognitive theme concept conservative misinterpretation contemporary create creative act define Denis Diderot didactic theme Diogenes Laertius Discourses discussion Encheiridion Epictetus Epicureans Epistles eternal return everything example expressed Friedrich Nietzsche goal Hadot happens happiness Harold Bloom Henryk Elzenberg human Ibid idea interpretation live Marcus Aurelius Marcus Cornelius Fronto Max Ehrmann means Meditations mind misinterpretation of Stoicism modern Stoicism nature nonstoic obliged one’s oneself Oxford particular passage Pierre Hadot play poem poet poetry political possible preservation theme principle problem profit theme progressors reason revolutionary theme roles Romantic model Romanticism Rorty Seneca sense Slavoj Žižek social specific Stoic ethics Stoic ideal Stoic philosophy Stoic sage Stoicism Stoicism and artistic suffering theme of artistic things trans translated turn University Press William words write York