Closure: A Story of Everything

by Hilary Lawson

For over 2000 years our culture has believed in the possibility of a single true account of the world. Now this age is coming to a close. As a result there is a deep unease. We are lost both as individuals, and as a culture. In the new relativistic, post-modern era, we have no history, no right or moral action, and no body of knowledge. In their place is a plethora of alternative, and sometimes incompatible theories from 'fuzzy logic' to 'consilience' proposing a theory of everything. Closure is a response to this crisis. It is a radically new story about the nature of ourselves and of the world.
Closure exposes the central questions of contemporary language and meaning, of the individual and identity, of truth and reality, but it is also philosophical in the broader everyday sense that it enables us to make sense of where and who we are. A central principle, the process of closure, is shown to be at the heart of experience and language. As a theory of knowledge it has dramatic consequences for our understanding of the sciences, involving a reinterpretation of what science does and how it is able to do it. It similarly proposes a profound shift in the role of art and religion. But, above all, it reshapes our understanding of ourselves and the organisation of society, our goals and our capacity to achieve them.
A superb new account of how order is created out of disorder, Closure is an exhilarating work of conceptual geography.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

420 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2001

Reviews

[Andrew Sabatier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Closure proposes a revolutionary type of language to understand the nature of the world. It gives an account of how perception and experience are made possible by a very simple mechanism.

A closure is described as the holding of two of more things as one. This is a very effective concept used to put every aspect of experience into perspective. It marks out the limitations of the scientific process, solves ancient and contemporary philosophical problems, provides a compelling definition of art and a basis for understanding the role of religion in people's lives.

Closure also enables us to better understand the complex social organisation of institutions, offers profound insights into the nature and make up of language and establishes a conceptual framework to build intelligent machines.

All-in-all a fascinating read for anyone interested in consciousness and existence.

[Daniel Keef · Rating 5 out of 5]

The explanatory power of closure as a nonrealist metaphysics that is self-referential without being self-destructive is incredible.

On a personal level, this book has provided me with new language that has been very rewarding in daily life.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with Robert Pirsig's Lila and Bryan Appleyard's The Brain is Wider than the Sky to get the most out of this wonderous book.

[Richard]

What I'm writing here now could best be called, I guess, a review in progress, because I'll be adding to it and changing it around as I read through 'Closure: A Story of Everything.' Today is June 12th 2013; and I've read to page 9. However, here's a quote below is from page 7:

"Closure enables us to escape the flux of possibility through the provision of particularity; and while it obscures the potential of openness, without closure and the provision of things we would have no means of understanding, or intervening, to any particular effect."

That quote is awfully abstract, I know. My hope is that as I progress through the book I'll find suitable, less abstract 'things,' or closures, to post here as everyday examples of the concept/process of closure.

In the meantime, here are two books that were recommended by Goodreads members as valuable accompaniments to Closure:

1. The Brain is Wider Than the Sky, by Bryan Appleyard http://bit.ly/14WwHO5

2. You Are Not a Gadget, by Jaron Lanier http://bit.ly/16dxSMf