Search results for ""Author Ziyad Marar""

Book SynopsisThe dream of a happy life has preoccupied thinkers since Plato, and in modern times it has become one of the signature tunes of our age - the rise of therapists, gurus, New Age cults and the use of Prozac are familiar indicators of how ubiquitous the pursuit of happiness has become within Western culture. "The Happiness Paradox" examines how this modern obsession has evolved. Ziyad Marar shows how the state of mind we seek remains highly elusive, and much of the energy devoted to searching for happiness is wasted or even self-defeating. The author argues that happiness is a deceptively simple idea that will always be elusive because it is based on a paradox: the conflict between feeling good while simultaneously being good. It is the conflict, for example, between the desire to break rules, for adventure or self-expression, and the need to follow them to gain the approval of society; these tensions permeate what Freud called the two central parts of a happy life: love and work. Drawing on a wide and varied range of sources - from psychology, philosophy, history, popular novels, television and films - this book will engage all those who are looking for meaning within their lives. It challenges the conventional search for happiness, while suggesting a bolder way to live with one of the central paradoxes of our time.Trade Review'Thoughtful, and at times unsettling, observations on love and work ... Ziyad Marar's book contains a great deal to enlighten and engage anyone interest in happiness, and that probably includes most of us.' - Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisMost of us think we are about 15 per cent cleverer, nicer, more attractive and better drivers than others think we are. It seems deception begins at home. After all the most convincing liars convince themselves first. Sellers and buyers, parents and children, friends and lovers must conceal from each other the unutterable truth that they don't believe or want the same things. In this book, Ziyad Marar throws a revealing light on the many ways deception is woven into the texture of human life: our wiring leaves us easily suckered by persuasive illusions, while our contradictory desires (for sex and honesty, money and kindness, for cake and losing weight) force us to cook up self-serving stories. We manage flattering impressions with effortless skill, while pretending our sins and self-indulgences are beyond our control.Drawing on insights from philosophy, psychology and literature, Marar explores the implications for living well in the shadow of Kant's humbling thought that "out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made".Trade Review"Marar takes it upon himself to fully explore our two-faced nature in his book, and very enjoyable this exploration is. His references are wide-ranging, covering philosophy, psychology, literature and modern culture, and his language has an easy-going, humorous, down-to-earth quality. This is no obscure philosophical tract, but an intelligently written essay on one of life's more complex areas. Deception is an essential text if we are to disillusion ourselves that in our dealings with each other everything is as straightforward as it first appears." - Culture Wars "For anyone involved in the narrative business (historians, ethicists, students of ideologies, religionists), this could be a very enlightening book, written with reference to a host of interesting references from the literature and the arts and leading the reader to be disturbed - a very good thing." - Australian Journal of Adult LearningTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Homo credens: the believer 2. Deceiving ourselves: you can't always know what you want 3. Deceiving each other: the techniques of sincerity 4. "It's beyond my control": and other moral masquerades 5. To thine own self be true?

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Book SynopsisEveryone worries about being judged. One foolish tweet can destroy a career, one careless image can ruin a reputation. Yet judgement is inescapable; we cannot be social beings without judging and being judged. We're stuck with judgement and all the awkwardness, embarrassment, shame, guilt and loneliness that can come with that.Yet all is not lost in this arena of snap verdicts and social misfires. In this sensitive and creative book, Ziyad Marar reclaims judgement proposing that we need it in order to value ourselves and others; we can't live abundantly without the peaks and troughs of judgement. Drawing upon psychology, philosophy, TV, Film, poetry and literature, Marar reveals a world which takes seriously our need to reach out and connect and one where hope, however tentative, can blossom.There are no easy answers here, but there are moments where our judging can become generous and forgiving; moments where the cracks in the world feel like possibilities rather than dead Trade ReviewRarely do I feel a book and author transform the way I think about myself, reputation, judgement, self and society. This one did. It’s like an invisible parrot on my shoulder telling me wise stuff, stuff that, bit, by bit, make me understand what it is to be human. Read it. Go on this exhilarating journey with the wise and wonderful author. You will find new insights, capacities and profundities, all essential for life in our times. -- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, journalist and authorA fascinating and original book, Judged is characteristic of Marar’s other work in drawing on moral philosophy, psychology, history, sociology, film and literature. A cornucopia of wonderful thoughts and ideas. -- Roman Krznaric, author of Carpe Diem Regained, Empathy, and How to Find Fulfilling WorkPhilosopher, psychologist, sociologist, moralist, cutting edge cultural commentator: Marar reveals he is all these, through writing as insightful and stimulating as it is entertaining and accessible. Marar richly describes how we all swim, sink, even drown, in oceans of each other’s judgement. Judgement is heaven and hell, craved and loathed, it makes us fully human. Our being-for-others is a primeval existential truth, and social media is its new and disturbing dimension. Marar’s analysis of how e-judgement is redefining us is timely and brilliant. -- Gary Cox, author of 'How to Be an Existentialist'This is a deft, forgiving and very helpful account of how we can avoid some of the messes we invariably get into when we are judging others and being judged by them. We feel compelled to judge other people but often do so in deeply flawed ways, all the while hoping that others will judge us in ways most flattering to our needy egos. You cannot read it without stopping to think a little more reflectively and generously about what really matters in life. -- Charles Leadbeater, author of 'We Think' and 'The Rise of the Social Entrepreneur'This is a lovely book, extraordinary in its range of reference and yet written with a wonderful lightness of touch. It’s also refreshingly disorientating. You will find yourself re-examining your judgement of others. More disturbingly, you will end up reappraising your own actions and motives. Do not expect to emerge unscathed! -- David Edmonds, author (with John Eidinow) of 'Wittgenstein’s Poker' and co-host of the Philosophy Bites podcast (www.philosophybites.com)Marar writes in a lively, narrative style. Careful readers will be struck by the subtle distinctions Marar draws between various forms of judgment and the various representations of both social and personal identity. The discussion benefits from helpful endnotes and figures, references to pop culture, and autobiographical insights … Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, professionals, general readers. -- CHOICEZiyad Marar is a humane writer and thinker, realising that grappling with our own nature, and reaching for objective and subjective insights, makes for the very best philosophy. -- Mark Vernon, author of 'The Idler Guide to Ancient Philosophy'Table of ContentsIntroduction Judging in the digital age A tour of this book 1. The social minefield Social pain Shame and guilt Covering up Making an impression 2. The right kind of reputation Earning a reputation ‘Nice and in control’: the twin peaks of a good reputation Trying to do both ‘Heroes’ 3. Unreliable judges How we judge: moral taste buds Judgement in context Moral luck Can we judge fairly? Reserving (or revisiting) judgement 4. Breaking Free Animals and artists Escaping the potent audience Washing off the human stain 5. The last judgement Telling tales Learning from literature Significance Index

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