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You Must Change Your Life

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( 500 ratings, 45 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Peter Sloterdijk presents a profound critique of myth, particularly the supposed return of religion. Instead, he identifies a rising emphasis on humans as practising, training beings who create and transcend themselves through exercise and self-discipline. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke's imperative, 'You must change your life,' Sloterdijk develops a new anthropology centred on the self-formation of individuals and collectives through their activities. Through examining diverse practitionersβ€”farmers, workers, warriors, writers, yogis, rhetoricians, musicians, and modelsβ€”the book offers a panoramic view of the exercises essential for being and remaining human.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for readers interested in philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, and self-development, particularly those keen on exploring how practice and discipline shape identity and existence. It appeals to scholars and thoughtful individuals seeking a deep, reflective investigation into the nature of human self-formation.

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In his major investigation into the nature of humans, Peter Sloterdijk presents a critique of myth - the myth of the return of religion.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In his major investigation into the nature of humans, Peter Sloterdijk presents a critique of myth - the myth of the return of religion. For it is not religion that is returning; rather, there is something else quite profound that is taking on increasing significance in the present: the human as a practising, training being, one that creates itself through exercises and thereby transcends itself. Rainer Maria Rilke formulated the drive towards such self-training in the early twentieth century in the imperative You must change your life.

In making his case for the expansion of the practice zone for individuals and for society as a whole, Sloterdijk develops a fundamental and fundamentally new anthropology. The core of his science of the human being is an insight into the self-formation of all things human. The activity of both individuals and collectives constantly comes back to affect them: work affects the worker, communication the communicator, feelings the feeler.

It is those humans who engage expressly in practice that embody this mode of existence most clearly: farmers, workers, warriors, writers, yogis, rhetoricians, musicians or models. By examining their training plans and peak performances, You Must Change Your Life offers a panorama of exercises that are necessary to be, and remain, a human being.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Critics describe the book as challenging and powerful, with Sloterdijk's wide-ranging analysis inspiring and provoking reflection. Stuart Elden praises the excellent translation and calls it a strong antidote to banal self-help literature. Claire Colebrook highlights its original approach to the problem of life-formation beyond conventional religious and humanist frameworks, noting its fresh perspective on contemporary spirituality and self-development. The book is regarded as a uniquely original and insightful examination of human practices shaping the self.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780745649221

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 12 September 2014

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polity Press

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 226.0mm

Weight: 680g

Pages: 500

About the Author

Peter Sloterdijk is Professor of Philosophy and Aesthetics at the Karlsruhe School of Design and the author of many works including Critique of Cynical Reason.

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