Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life
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Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life
This is a book celebrating St Augustine and the Catholic faith. The intellectual part is a front to create the impression that one can arrive at religious truth by intellectualising. "Augustine's naturally skeptical intellect softens to Christianity thanks to reading "some...
Product Description An invitation to readers from every walk of life to rediscover the impractical splendors of a life of learningIn an overloaded, superficial, technological world, in which almost everything and everybody is judged by its usefulness, where can we turn for escape, lasting pleasure, contemplation, or connection to others? While many forms of leisure meet these needs, Zena Hitz writes, few experiences are so fulfilling as the inner life, whether that of a bookworm, an amateur astronomer, a birdwatcher, or someone who takes a deep interest in one of countless other subjects. Drawing on inspiring examples, from Socrates and Augustine to Malcolm X and Elena Ferrante, and from films to Hitz's own experiences as someone who walked away from elite university life in search of greater fulfillment, Lost in Thought is a passionate and timely reminder that a rich life is a life rich in thought.Today, when even the humanities are often defended only for their economic or political usefulness, Hitz says our intellectual lives are valuable not despite but because of their practical uselessness. And while anyone can have an intellectual life, she encourages academics in particular to get back in touch with the desire to learn for its own sake, and calls on universities to return to the person-to-person transmission of the habits of mind and heart that bring out the best in us.Reminding us of who we once were and who we might become, Lost in Thought is a moving account of why renewing our inner lives is fundamental to preserving our humanity. About the Author Zena Hitz is a Tutor in the great books program at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, where she also lives. She has a PhD in ancient philosophy from Princeton University and studies and teaches across the liberal arts. Website: zenahitz.net Twitter @zenahitz Review "Lost in Thought is a moving declaration of faith in the intellectual act at a time when everything we do seems to conspire against it." ―Alberto Manguel, author of Packing My Library " Lost in Thought recounts the thrilling story of how Zena Hitz overcame the anxiety of uselessness, the fear that immersion in the intellectual life cuts one off from what really matters. What she discovers, for herself and for us, is that what truly matters only emerges in the course of a commitment to think things through to the ground. Indeed, she concludes, 'If intellectual life is not left to rest in its splendid uselessness, it will never bear its practical fruit.' An old lesson, but one that must be relearned, especially at times like ours when a passion for social justice is the new idol to which disinterested contemplation is being sacrificed." ―Stanley Fish, author of Think Again "Read Zena Hitz's honest, urgent Lost in Thought and recover clarity about why and how intellectual work and teaching should be forms of loving service―responses to the wonder and curiosity that all people bring into this world as they seek to understand. Hitz’s book should rally the spirits of everyone who is dedicated to learning to take up yet more energetically the question of how we can design colleges and universities that we can be proud of without reservation." ―Danielle Allen, author of Our Declaration "A vivid mixture of memoir, philosophical reflection, and stories that range from Einstein to Dorothy Day, Lost in Thought is an inspiring, elegant, and original defense of the intrinsic value of intellectual life―and why it needs to be reclaimed in our colleges and universities." ―Kieran Setiya, author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide Review "In her rich and rewarding book Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life, Professor Zena Hitz argues that the goal of education is not the status or privileges it confers upon us, or even the valuable life skills it demands that we acquire. In line with classical pagan and Christian traditions, she argues that we have a natural desire to understand the world outside of us, and that a true education carefully cultivates this natural love of learning and helps to bring it to its full maturity. . . . [A] rich, timely book, a book educators and students alike would do well to read." ---Jennifer A. Frey, Classical Learning Test blog Review "[ Lost in Thought is] full of wonder, full of the joyful smiles of somebody who’s been saved, or saved herself, from empty toils of ledger-sheet learning. In her good-natured way, Hitz chastises the increasing commodification of intellectual endeavor. . . . This is a book to savor in your quietest reading nook. Which is very much the point." ---Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review Review "An inspirational attestation of the ability of intellectual activity to dignify oppressed lives. . . . Much of this book is beautiful." ---Sophie Duncan, Literary Review Review "Everyone who cares about colleges and universities and their place in American life should read it. [ Lost in Thought] confronts familiar and abiding questions about intellectual inquiry in an utterly engaging and profound way. . . . [A] wonderful book." ---Flagg Taylor, National Review Review "[In Lost in Thought] Hitz is asking the right questions. . . . The question at its heart is disarmingly simple and deeply engaging: What should we do with ourselves." ---Jonathan Marks, Wall Street Journal
