WEBINAR
Facilitator: Kate Warlow-Corcoran
Overview
In this group, we will read and discuss Helen De Cruz’s recently published book, Wonderstruck: How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think (Princeton University Press, 2024). This group will be facilitated by Kate Warlow-Corcoran.
Dates and Times
Weekly on Wednesdays from 2 October to Wednesday 20 November 2024 on Zoom
The sessions will run from 10:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM ET / 6:30 PM UK / 7:30 CET / 11:00 PM IST for 90 minutes
N.B. Due to the end of British Summer Time, please note the following time changes:
30 October: 11:30 AM PT / 2:30 PM ET / 6:30 PM UK / 7:30 CET / 12:00 AM IST (Thurs 31)
06, 13 & 20 November: 10:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM ET / 6:30 PM UK / 7:30 CET / 12:00 AM IST (Thurs 07, 14 & 21)
About the Book
Drawing on the latest psychological insights on emotions, Helen De Cruz argues that wonder and awe are emotional drives that motivate us to inquire and discover new things, and that humanity has deliberately nurtured these emotions in cultural domains such as religion, science, and magic. Tracing how wonder and awe unify philosophy, the humanities, and the sciences, De Cruz provides new perspectives on figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Adam Smith, William James, Rachel Carson, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Abraham Heschel. Along the way, she explains how these singular emotions empower us to be open-minded, to experience joy and hope, and to be resilient in the face of personal troubles and global challenges.
Taking inspiration from Descartes’s portrayal of wonder as “that sudden surprise of the soul,” this illuminating book reveals how wonder and awe are catalysts that can help us reclaim what makes life worth living and preserve the things we find wonderful and valuable in our lives.
About the Author
Helen De Cruz is the Danforth Chair in the Humanities and professor of philosophy at Saint Louis University. She is the author of Religious Disagreement and (with Johan De Smedt) A Natural History of Natural Theology and the editor and illustrator of Philosophy Illustrated.
Group Facilitator
Kate Warlow-Corcoran is an Editor at The Philosopher and oversees our rolling programme of groups and classes. Her main philosophical interests are 19th and 20th Century European philosophy (particularly the work of Theodor Adorno) and contemporary philosophy of mind. She recently completed an MRes in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London.
Registration details
Registration fee: £30 for paying Patreon members, regular donors, and print subscribers. £50 for all other participants. To register, visit: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/thephilosopher/1386979
A limited number of free places are available for those who cannot afford to pay. If you wish to be considered, please write to us at: thephilosopher1923@gmail.com. Free spaces will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
The group size will be limited to 20 people, and priority will be given to our supporters.
Participants will need to obtain a copy of the text: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691232126/wonderstruck
By joining this group, you agree to our Groups and Classes Policy.
