Synopsis
We all see the world around us differently. Some people believe in gradual political progress; others push for radical revolution. Some of us see our lives as a long process of growth and change, and others as a series of landmark events.
In Waves and Stones, philosopher Graham Harman gives a name to this age-old divide, and lays out a new, unified theory for understanding it. 'Waves' look at the world through continuities, from phenomena as diverse as the incremental baby steps of childhood to the slow creep of fascism. The 'stone' perspective, by contrast, favours jarring discontinuity: the first day at secondary school, or the dropping of the atom bomb. This dualism is one of the most fundamental paradoxes in human thought.
With dazzling insight, Harman shows how the continuous vs discrete divide can be found wherever we turn, at the heart of every intellectual discipline from mathematics to politics and embedded in the fabric of our daily lives. Tracing its roots from Aristotle to Bergson, he proposes a new way of thinking about this ancient problem, with profound implications for our understanding of ourselves and the world we live in.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for Waves and Stones: The Continuous and the Discontinuous...
Stock Image
Waves And Stones
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 42075334-n
Stock Image
Waves and Stones (Hardcover)
Published by
Penguin Books Ltd, London, 2025
ISBN 10: 0241392861
ISBN 13: 9780241392867
New
Hardcover
Seller: Grand Eagle Retail, Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. A new exploration of our conception of reality, by one of the world's most influential philosophersHow do we understand the world and our place in it? Do our lives consist of a small number of dramatic turning points, or is there nothing but a series of gradual changes from infancy to old age? Are political elections genuinely transformational, or merely arbitrary points along a shifting cultural timeline? And in physics, how can the continuities of general relativity coexist with the discontinuities of quantum theory?In Waves and Stones, Graham Harman shows that this paradoxical interaction - the question of whether reality is made up of sudden jumps, or is laid out along a gentle gradient with no clear divisions between the various things in the world - permeates every area of human life. What's more, this paradox is as old as human thought itself. In exploring how the continuous and discrete relate to each other, he takes us on a kaleidoscopic journey from the philosophers of ancient Greece, through the writings of the great Arab historian Ibn Khaldun, through architectural and evolutionary theory, the compatibility of religion with science, and the wave-particle duality of matter.To explore the relationship between the continuous and the discrete, Harman shows, is to consider the very fabric of reality. With this dazzling new book, he proposes a new way of thinking about this ancient problem, with profound implications for our understanding of ourselves and the bewilderingly complex world in which we live. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780241392867
Stock Image
Waves and Stones
Seller: PBShop.store UK, Fairford, GLOS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
HRD. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # DB-9780241392867
Buy New
US$ 32.18
US$ 6.76 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 11 available
Stock Image
Waves And Stones
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: As New. Unread book in perfect condition. Seller Inventory # 42075334
Seller Image
Waves and Stones
Seller: Rarewaves.com USA, London, LONDO, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardback. Condition: New. A new exploration of our conception of reality, by one of the world's most influential philosophersHow do we understand the world and our place in it? Do our lives consist of a small number of dramatic turning points, or is there nothing but a series of gradual changes from infancy to old age? Are political elections genuinely transformational, or merely arbitrary points along a shifting cultural timeline? And in physics, how can the continuities of general relativity coexist with the discontinuities of quantum theory?In Waves and Stones, Graham Harman shows that this paradoxical interaction - the question of whether reality is made up of sudden jumps, or is laid out along a gentle gradient with no clear divisions between the various things in the world - permeates every area of human life. What's more, this paradox is as old as human thought itself. In exploring how the continuous and discrete relate to each other, he takes us on a kaleidoscopic journey from the philosophers of ancient Greece, through the writings of the great Arab historian Ibn Khaldun, through architectural and evolutionary theory, the compatibility of religion with science, and the wave-particle duality of matter.To explore the relationship between the continuous and the discrete, Harman shows, is to consider the very fabric of reality. With this dazzling new book, he proposes a new way of thinking about this ancient problem, with profound implications for our understanding of ourselves and the bewilderingly complex world in which we live. Seller Inventory # LU-9780241392867
Buy New
US$ 39.47
Free Shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: Over 20 available
Stock Image
Waves and Stones: On the Ultimate Nature of Reality
Seller: HALCYON BOOKS, LONDON, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. ALL ITEMS ARE DISPATCHED FROM THE UK WITHIN 48 HOURS ( BOOKS ORDERED OVER THE WEEKEND DISPATCHED ON MONDAY) ALL OVERSEAS ORDERS SENT BY TRACKABLE AIR MAIL. IF YOU ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE THE UK PLEASE ASK US FOR A POSTAGE QUOTE FOR MULTI VOLUME SETS BEFORE ORDERING ALL ITEMS ARE DISPATCHED FROM THE UK WITHIN 48 HOURS ( BOOKS ORDERED OVER THE WEEKEND DISPATCHED ON MONDAY) ALL OVERSEAS ORDERS SENT BY TRACKABLE AIR MAIL. IF YOU ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE THE UK PLEASE ASK US FOR A POSTAGE QUOTE FOR MULTI VOLUME SETS BEFORE ORDERING. Seller Inventory # mon0000995681
Buy New
US$ 19.33
US$ 24.23 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Waves and Stones: The Continuous and the Discontinuous in Human Thought
Seller: Majestic Books, Hounslow, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 409675563
Buy New
US$ 36.82
US$ 8.75 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 3 available
Stock Image
Waves and Stones
Seller: Kennys Bookshop and Art Galleries Ltd., Galway, GY, Ireland
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. 2025. Hardcover. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780241392867
Buy New
US$ 35.07
US$ 12.22 shipping
Ships from Ireland to U.S.A.
Ships from Ireland to U.S.A.
Quantity: Over 20 available
Stock Image
Waves and Stones
Seller: Kennys Bookstore, Olney, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. 2025. Hardcover. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780241392867
Stock Image
Waves and Stones: On the Ultimate Nature of Reality
Seller: Chiron Media, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 6666-GRD-9780241392867
Buy New
US$ 31.04
US$ 20.85 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: Over 20 available