The Madness of Knowledge: On Wisdom, Ignorance and Fantasies of Knowing
Many human beings have considered the powers and the limits of human knowledge, but few have wondered about the power that the idea of knowledge has over us. Steven Connor’s The Madness of Knowledge is the first book to investigate this emotional inner life of knowledge—the lusts, fantasies, dreams, and fears that the idea of knowing provokes. There are in-depth discussions of the imperious will to know, of Freud’s epistemophilia (or love of knowledge), and the curiously insistent links between madness, magical thinking, and the desire for knowledge. Connor also probes secrets and revelations, quarreling and the history of quizzes and “general knowledge,” charlatanry and pretension, both the violent disdain and the sanctification of the stupid, as well as the emotional investment in the spaces and places of knowledge, from the study to the library.

In an age of artificial intelligence, alternative facts, and mistrust of truth, The Madness of Knowledge offers an opulent, enlarging, and sometimes unnerving psychopathology of intellectual life.
1129770300
The Madness of Knowledge: On Wisdom, Ignorance and Fantasies of Knowing
Many human beings have considered the powers and the limits of human knowledge, but few have wondered about the power that the idea of knowledge has over us. Steven Connor’s The Madness of Knowledge is the first book to investigate this emotional inner life of knowledge—the lusts, fantasies, dreams, and fears that the idea of knowing provokes. There are in-depth discussions of the imperious will to know, of Freud’s epistemophilia (or love of knowledge), and the curiously insistent links between madness, magical thinking, and the desire for knowledge. Connor also probes secrets and revelations, quarreling and the history of quizzes and “general knowledge,” charlatanry and pretension, both the violent disdain and the sanctification of the stupid, as well as the emotional investment in the spaces and places of knowledge, from the study to the library.

In an age of artificial intelligence, alternative facts, and mistrust of truth, The Madness of Knowledge offers an opulent, enlarging, and sometimes unnerving psychopathology of intellectual life.
35.0 In Stock
The Madness of Knowledge: On Wisdom, Ignorance and Fantasies of Knowing

The Madness of Knowledge: On Wisdom, Ignorance and Fantasies of Knowing

by Steven Connor
The Madness of Knowledge: On Wisdom, Ignorance and Fantasies of Knowing

The Madness of Knowledge: On Wisdom, Ignorance and Fantasies of Knowing

by Steven Connor

Paperback(First Edition)

$35.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 6-10 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

Many human beings have considered the powers and the limits of human knowledge, but few have wondered about the power that the idea of knowledge has over us. Steven Connor’s The Madness of Knowledge is the first book to investigate this emotional inner life of knowledge—the lusts, fantasies, dreams, and fears that the idea of knowing provokes. There are in-depth discussions of the imperious will to know, of Freud’s epistemophilia (or love of knowledge), and the curiously insistent links between madness, magical thinking, and the desire for knowledge. Connor also probes secrets and revelations, quarreling and the history of quizzes and “general knowledge,” charlatanry and pretension, both the violent disdain and the sanctification of the stupid, as well as the emotional investment in the spaces and places of knowledge, from the study to the library.

In an age of artificial intelligence, alternative facts, and mistrust of truth, The Madness of Knowledge offers an opulent, enlarging, and sometimes unnerving psychopathology of intellectual life.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781789145113
Publisher: Reaktion Books, Limited
Publication date: 07/21/2021
Edition description: First Edition
Pages: 384
Product dimensions: 6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Steven Connor is professor of English and director of research at the Digital Futures Institute, King’s College London. He is the author of more than twenty books.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

1 Will To Knowledge 46

2 Know Thyself 87

3 Secrecy 134

4 Quisition 171

5 Imposture 212

6 Unknowing 238

7 Epistemotopia 274

8 Epistemocracy 302

References 335

Further Reading 358

Index 362

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews