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

Bucke, Richard Maurice

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1578989620 ISBN 13 : 9781578989621

Editeur : Martino Publishing, 2010

Synopsis

Book by Bucke Richard Maurice

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

2010 Reprint of 1905 edition.This work is the magnum opus of Bucke's career, a project that he researched and wrote over many years. In it, Bucke described his own experience, that of contemporaries (most notably Whitman, but also unknown figures like "C.P."), and the experiences and outlook of historical figures including Buddha, Jesus, Paul, Plotinus, Muhammad, Dante, Francis Bacon, and William Blake. Bucke developed a theory involving three stages in the development of consciousness: the simple consciousness of animals; the self-consciousness of the mass of humanity (encompassing reason, imagination, etc.); and cosmic consciousness - an emerging faculty and the next stage of human development. Among the effects of this progression, he believed he detected a lengthy historical trend in which religious conceptions and theologies had become less and less fearful. A classic work.

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.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Martino Publishing
• Date d'édition: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1578989620
• ISBN 13: 9781578989621
• Reliure: Broché
• Langue: anglais
• Nombre de pages: 338