Considering, Questioning and Re-Imagining Harmony
Multicultural, Multihistorical and Multidisciplinary Reflections
Chenyang Li editor Prof Karyn Lai editor Prof Rick Benitez editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publishing:27th Nov '25
£90.00
This title is due to be published on 27th November, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
An examination of the personal, social and political implications of harmony across different cultures, histories and disciplines.
Are harmony and disruption mutually exclusive? This collection critically examines the concept of harmony and its association with perfection.
Harmony is pursued by individuals, families, societies and nations as a fundamental value. Yet it often comes at the cost of freedom, creativity and individuality. This book explores ways in which it may be misleading to regard harmony as opposed to difference or to think that harmony and disruption are independent.
Featuring examples of historically and culturally diverse perspectives of harmony, an international line-up of contributors reflect on ideas from ancient Greek, Chinese, Indian and Japanese thought. They draw on modern and contemporary thinkers and from music and design perspectives. The range of historical and cultural reflections make it possible to re-imagine the concept and practice of harmony, either by incorporating a role for disruption, or by recognising a dynamic in which disruption balances the overreach of harmony.
By including historically and culturally diverse perspectives of harmony to widen the horizons of consideration, this collection present a more inclusive understanding of this major philosophical and political concept.
This volume is comparative philosophy exemplified – generative, lucid, gripping, and provoking. Drawing on classical traditions from around the globe and applying them to contemporary philosophical and political questions, these essays together provide a variety of ways of thinking about harmony as a virtue and a value, as well as ways in which the search for harmony might actually contribute to the ongoing ills of this world. Harmony, this volume shows us, is a concept that connects self and world, aesthetics and politics, intuition and reason and the heart-mind. We may only hope it does so for the good. * Yarran Hominh, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Bard College, USA *
In modern western thought, the concept of Harmony remains severely under theorized, either restricted to aesthetics, or when used in other domains, understood naively, almost unthinkingly as conflict-free agreement. This important book opens up new avenues of inquiry that show that harmony is rich, complex, multivalent and internally dissonant, with immense moral resonance for both individuals and societies. A compelling collection of essays. * Rajeev Bhargava, Honorary Fellow and Founder Director, Parekh Institute of Indian Thought, CSDS, Delhi, India *
ISBN: 9781350453210
Dimensions: 236mm x 158mm x 22mm
Weight: 600g
328 pages