Cover Pendular Thinking

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book € 11,50
series "Intersezioni"
pp. 144, Brossura, 978-88-15-11088-6
publication year 2006

FRANCESCA RIGOTTI

Pendular Thinking

This book discusses a particular type of motion, that of the pendulum, which accompanies a particular type of thought: pendular thought. The pendulum is here considered a symbol of experience and a model of knowledge: it swings from one extreme to the other; it advances then retreats, becoming richer at each passage; it remains faithful to its tradition and experience, then enters the realm of novelty and the unknown, then again returns to the familiar. A similar movement may be observed among commuters, who must move about both physically and mentally and in doing so reflect the pendular nature of knowledge: oscillating yet remaining attached, going to and fro, obeying restraints, tracing a path that is always the same, ever different. Rigotti outlines a cultural map of the pendulum and pendular movement, drawing upon mythology (Prosperine, Sisyphus), literature (Dostoevsky, Poe, Kafka), philosophy (Montaigne, Kant, Bobbio, Sen), and personal experience (the author endlessly moves - physically, linguistically, and culturally - among Italy, Germany, and Switzerland).

Francesca Rigotti teaches Political Doctrines and Institutions at the University of Lugano.

See also

copertina Life which Flies by. The Myth of the Automobile
copertina Un solo re, un solo impero
copertina Borders
copertina Il Touring Club Italiano