Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind - Couverture souple

Bucke, Richard Maurice

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 048647190X ISBN 13 : 9780486471907

Editeur : Dover Publications Inc., 2009

Synopsis

Acclaimed by William James as "an addition to psychology of first-rate importance," this pioneering work constitutes a classic modern study of the mystical experience. Author Richard Maurice Bucke, a distinguished progressive psychiatrist, explores the phenomenon of transcendent realization, or illumination. Bucke draws upon his firsthand experience of a life-altering insight to explore the theory of cosmic consciousness, an advance in mental evolution with the potential to raise existence to a higher plane.As valuable today as it was upon its 1901 publication, this landmark survey treats illumination from the standpoint of psychology, as a rare but definite and well-documented mental condition. It cites instances of sudden enlightenment experienced by mystics, philosophers, writers, and artists throughout history, noting an increasing frequency of episodes consistent with an evolutionary trend. Numerous case studies offer intriguing, real-life particulars of people and their personal epiphanies -- from Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed, to Dante, William Blake, Walt Whitman, and lesser-known individuals. A work of uplift and promise, this book offers readers a vista of extraordinary possibilities and a renewed capacity for hope and wonder.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

In 1872, while in London, England, Bucke had the pivotal experience of his life, a fleeting mystical experience that he regarded as a few moments of "cosmic consciousness." Bucke described the characteristics and effects of this "faculty" as follows: sudden appearance; subjective experience of light (inner light); moral elevation; intellectual illumination; sense of immortality; loss of fear of death; loss of a sense of sin. However, the term "cosmic consciousness" more closely derives from yet another feature: the vivid sense of the universe as a living presence, rather than as basically lifeless, inert matter. This direct perception, which Bucke took great pains to try to explain, vivifies Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's theory of Nature.

Biographie de l'auteur

An adventurer during his youth, Bucke later studied medicine and practiced psychiatry in Ontario. He was a friend of several noted men of letters in Canada, the United States, and England. Besides publishing professional articles, Bucke wrote three books: Man's Moral Nature, Walt Whitman, and Cosmic Consciousness, a study of mystical experience which is his best-known work.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Dover Publications Inc.
• Date d'édition: 2009
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 048647190X
• ISBN 13: 9780486471907
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 416
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Soc. Agr. La Raia Ss; http://www.la-raia.it; ; Strada Monterotondo, 79; Novi Ligure; 15067; Italie