Horizon: A History of Our Infinite Longing

by Didier Maleuvre

What is a horizon? A line where land meets sky? The end of the world or the beginning of perception? In this brilliant, engaging, and stimulating history, Didier Maleuvre journeys to the outer reaches of human experience and explores philosophy, religion, and art to understand our struggle and fascination with limits―of life, knowledge, existence, and death. Maleuvre sweeps us through a vast cultural landscape, enabling us to experience each stopping place as the cusp of a limitless journey, whether he is discussing the works of Picasso, Gothic architecture, Beethoven, or General Relativity. If, as Aristotle said, philosophy begins in wonder, then this remarkable book shows us how wonder―the urge to know beyond the conceivable―is itself the engine of culture.

Genres: Nonfiction

386 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2011

Reviews

[Hank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maleuvre's text is a historiography of the horizon in thought, art, and culture. It's as expansive and at times overwhelming as his subject. Maleuvre's greatest asset is in his ability to make these giant matters make sense, even if at times you can't help but wonder if it's the author and not the horizon which is unchanging.