Get the summary
Sign up now and receive this summary right away!
Not ready to buy yet? Sample two free summaries now!
See the How it works page to learn more about the functions.
If you are an existing customer, login to download this summary.
getAbstract Rating
Overall  |
|
(9)Innovation |
|
Style |
|
(10)
(6)| Level of Expertise |
|
In this summary you will learn
- How emotions work
- Why art, literature and philosophy must inform the psychological study of emotions
Why you should read Alchemies of the Mind
This superlative work belongs on the shelf of any serious student of art, literature, philosophy and psychology - not to mention those readers who seek self-knowledge. Author Jon Elster explores the complex cognitive antecedents and consequences of emotional experience. Noting that much of what society needs to know about emotions is inaccessible in the psychology laboratory, he makes original, insightful use of literary and philosophical sources. He uses the work of such authors as Francois de La Rochefoucauld, Michel de Montaigne, Jean de La Bruyère and Alexis de Tocqueville to examine how emotional mechanisms function. This approach sheds light on the emotions and on the way you might read literature or listen to music. getAbstract.com highly recommends this book and finds it valuable not only for what it says, but for what it inspires. It is capable of changing how you think and feel in ways that are (just as emotions themselves) far from predictable.
About the Author
Jon Elster is the Robert K. Merton Professor of Social Science at Columbia University.
If you wish to purchase 20 or more copies of this title (not the summary, but the actual book), please contact us at info@getAbstract.com. Make sure you include the title of the book and your phone number.
getAbstract makes it easy for you to access the summary of Alchemies of the Mind any time or any place. Once registered, you can choose from a variety of download formats: PDF for your computer, BlackBerry, iPhone, Kindle, PDA or other handheld devices. You can even obtain the audio version of many of our summaries.
Subscribe today to gain access to this summary as well as many other compelling titles!