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Why It's OK: The Ethics and Aesthetics of How We Live
چرا دودل بودن آنقدرها هم بد نیست؟
Most of us experience the world through competing perspectives. A job or a religion seems important and fulfilling when looked at in one way; but from a different angle they seem tedious or ridiculous. A friend is obtuse from one point of view, wise from another. Continuing to hold both views at once can be unsettling, highlighting conflicts between our own judgments and values, and undermining our ability to live purposefully and effectively.
Yet, as Jennifer Church argues in this book, inner conflict can be a good thing, and not just as a temporary road bump on the road to resolution. This book describes several desirable types of "double consciousness"--or being of two minds--and explains why and how they should be maintained. Church looks critically at some common ideas about identity, including a popular belief about narratives that suggests our lives should "make sense" as a story. She also examines how empathy can helpfully cause us to be of two minds, and how various forms of irony and laughter enable us to benefit from holding onto opposing views. Finally, Church shows the merit of acknowledging reality while sometimes being guided by fantasy.
Why It's OK to Be of Two Minds is for anyone who's held two opposing views simultaneously, which is to say it's for everyone.
Key Features:
Argues against a longstanding philosophical idea: that it is important to resolve inner conflicts that result from competing systems of beliefs
Examines the role of empathy and friendship in maintaining a valuable form of double consciousness
Considers how irony and laughter allow us to dedicate ourselves to our particular projects while acknowledging their ultimate insignificance
Shows how fantasies that conflict with our beliefs can make a positive contribution to the way we live our lives
Yet, as Jennifer Church argues in this book, inner conflict can be a good thing, and not just as a temporary road bump on the road to resolution. This book describes several desirable types of "double consciousness"--or being of two minds--and explains why and how they should be maintained. Church looks critically at some common ideas about identity, including a popular belief about narratives that suggests our lives should "make sense" as a story. She also examines how empathy can helpfully cause us to be of two minds, and how various forms of irony and laughter enable us to benefit from holding onto opposing views. Finally, Church shows the merit of acknowledging reality while sometimes being guided by fantasy.
Why It's OK to Be of Two Minds is for anyone who's held two opposing views simultaneously, which is to say it's for everyone.
Key Features:
Argues against a longstanding philosophical idea: that it is important to resolve inner conflicts that result from competing systems of beliefs
Examines the role of empathy and friendship in maintaining a valuable form of double consciousness
Considers how irony and laughter allow us to dedicate ourselves to our particular projects while acknowledging their ultimate insignificance
Shows how fantasies that conflict with our beliefs can make a positive contribution to the way we live our lives
- GenresPhilosophy
200 pages, Paperback
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 21, 2025
Lots of interesting ideas here, but few of them are argued for convincingly, and many times, Church doesn’t take the time to develop or spell out what her ideas or suggestions really amount to. Her treatment of other philosophers, like Thomas Nagel and Richard Rorty, is strangely dismissive much of the time.
May 14, 2025
بنظرم نه تنها ملموس نیست بلکه همه چیز رو فلسفی ، سخت و پیچیده بیان کرده و حتی شاید نصفه رهاش کنی چون نمیتونی به راحتی درکش کنی
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews