{"product_id":"perfection-9781481309769","title":"Perfection","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a masterful survey of the history of the idea of human perfection, prize-winning author and noted rhetorician Michael Hyde leads a fascinating excursion through Western philosophy, religion, science, and art. This book is nothing short of a triumphant examination of why we humans are challenged to live a life of significant insignificance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHyde (communication ethics, Wake Forest Univ.) argues that humans \"embody a metaphysical desire for perfection,\" and he aims to show this by reviewing the pertinent thinking of a very large number of writers, from ancient history to the present, in philosophy, religion, science, and the arts--in a sense, the entire \"Western canon.\" His review of the pertinent thinking of the included writers is interesting, engaging, and informative in a way that draws the reader in. To flesh out his inquiry, Hyde goes into detail in two \"case studies\" that illustrate the metaphysical desire for perfection: \"The Rhetorical Situation of Terri Schiavo\" and the recent motion picture As Good as It Gets. VERDICT This book should be of interest to a large readership from scholars to lay readers; highly recommended for philosophy and cultural studies collections in most libraries. -- Library Journal, 2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePreface\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChapter 1: Coming to Terms with Perfection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChapter 2: God on a Good Day\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChapter 3: Interpreting the Call\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChapter 4: The Otherness All Around Us\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChapter 5: Reason\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChapter 6: Beauty\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChapter 7: The Lived Body\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChapter 8: The Good Life, the Good Death\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChapter 9: The Biotechnology Debate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChapter 10: On Being an Oxymoron\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNotes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndex\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Baylor University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53187658580311,"sku":"9781481309769","price":26.96,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/perfection-9781481309769","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}