THE POLITICS OF ATTENTION AND THE PROMISE OF MINDFULNESS.

BERGER, Lawrence.

ISBN 10: 1538177250 / ISBN 13: 9781538177259

Published by Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, 2023

About this Item

8vo. pp: xiii, 267. First edition. Original publisher's blue and white illustrated boards with white and black lettering at front and spine. ISBN: 9781538177259 Tight and internally and externally perfectly clean copy. Fine.

Seller Inventory # C69417

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE POLITICS OF ATTENTION AND THE PROMISE OF MINDFULNESS.
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
• Publication Date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1538177250
• ISBN 13: 9781538177259
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition

About this title

Synopsis

It is evident from recent political campaigns, such as that of Donald Trump, that the deployment of attention is crucial for political outcomes. Indeed, Trump’s presidency came about in part due to realities that were produced by the media themselves, which required in turn the engagement of public attention. The implication is that the instability and capriciousness that is often associated with attention can be an important influence on the outcomes that are so produced. Drawing on the thought of Martin Heidegger, Lawrence Berger puts forward a new conception of attention as human presence, showing how its state determines the efficacy of public spaces in articulating and achieving visions of the common good. As politicians seek to amass power by capturing attention, citizens can engage in disciplines of attention such as mindfulness in producing a public power that is more appropriately oriented to the welfare of all. Berger argues that the practice of mindfulness can enable enhanced ontological bonds to form between individuals, which can be the basis for more stable and effective political realities. Such bonds are not given structures, but are rather contingent upon the state of attention, which comes about holistically by way of a hermeneutical circle of attention, language, and bodily understanding. This book is a valuable resource for scholars and students of philosophy of mind, political philosophy, phenomenology, and cognitive science.

About the Authors

Richard Polt is Professor of Philosophy at Xavier University, Cincinnati, USA.

Gregory Fried is Professor of Philosophy at Suffolk University, Boston, USA.