Augenblick: The Concept of the 'Decisive Moment' in 19th- and 20th-Century Western Philosophy

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Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., Oct 1, 2012 - Philosophy - 208 pages

Augenblick, meaning literally 'In the blink of an eye', describes a 'decisive moment' in time that is both fleeting yet momentously eventful, even epoch-makingly significant. In this book Koral Ward investigates the development of the concept into one of the core ideas in Western existential philosophy alongside such concepts as anxiety and individual freedom.

Ward examines the whole extent of the idea of the 'decisive moment', in which an individual's entire life-project is open to a radical reorientation. From its inception in Kierkegaard's works to the writings of Jaspers and Heidegger, she draws on a vast array of sources beyond just the standard figures of 19th and 20th century Continental philosophy, finding ideas and examples in photography, cinema, music, art, and the modern novel.

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Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements
its place in Friedrich Nietzsches concept of Eternal Return
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

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About the author (2012)

Koral Ward teaches at Murdoch University, Western Australia. She also has an art practice which focuses on text: in writing, performance, installation and situational works.

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