The Art of Life [Paperback]

Zygmunt Bauman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0745643264 | ISBN-13: 978-0745643267 | Publication Date: October 7, 2008 | Edition: 1

In our individualized society we are all artists of life - whether we know it or not, will it or not and like it or not, by decree of society if not by our own choice. In this society we are all expected, rightly or wrongly, to give our lives purpose and form by using our own skills and resources, even if we lack the tools and materials with which artists' studios need to be equipped for the artist's work to be conceived and executed. And we are praised or censured for the results - for what we have managed or failed to accomplish and for what we have achieved and lost.
In our liquid modern society we are also taught to believe that the purpose of the art of life should be and can be happiness - though it's not clear what happiness is, the images of a happy state keep changing and the state of happiness remains most of the time something yet-to-be-reached.

This new book by Zygmunt Bauman - one of the most original and influential social thinkers writing today - is not a book of designs for the art of life nor a 'how to' book: the construction of a design for life and the way it is pursued is and cannot but be an individual responsibility and individual accomplishment. It is instead a brilliant account of conditions under which our designs-for-life are chosen, of the constraints that might be imposed on their choice and of the interplay of design, accident and character that shape their implementation. Last but not least, it is a study of the ways in which our society - the liquid modern, individualized society of consumers - influences (but does not determine) the way we construct and narrate our life trajectories.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Brilliant ... To be read while listening to the Manic Street Preachers."
Steven Poole, The Guardian

From the Back Cover

In our individualized society we are all artists of life – whether we know it or not, will it or not and like it or not, by decree of society if not by our own choice. In this society we are all expected, rightly or wrongly, to give our lives purpose and form by using our own skills and resources, even if we lack the tools and materials with which artists’ studios need to be equipped for the artist’s work to be conceived and executed. And we are praised or censured for the results – for what we have managed or failed to accomplish and for what we have achieved and lost.
In our liquid modern society we are also taught to believe that the purpose of the art of life should be and can be happiness – though it’s not clear what happiness is, the images of a happy state keep changing and the state of happiness remains most of the time something yet-to-be-reached.

This new book by Zygmunt Bauman – one of the most original and influential social thinkers writing today – is not a book of designs for the art of life nor a ‘how to’ book: the construction of a design for life and the way it is pursued is and cannot but be an individual responsibility and individual accomplishment. It is instead a brilliant account of conditions under which our designs-for-life are chosen, of the constraints that might be imposed on their choice and of the interplay of design, accident and character that shape their implementation. Last but not least, it is a study of the ways in which our society – the liquid modern, individualized society of consumers – influences (but does not determine) the way we construct and narrate our life trajectories.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Polity; 1 edition (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745643264
• ISBN-13: 978-0745643267
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celebrates humanity's irrepressible capacity for creativity, January 31, 2009

By 

Malvin (Frederick, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Art of Life (Paperback)

"The Art of Life" is another insightful book by master philosopher and sociologist Zygmunt Bauman. Those who have already read a few of the octogenarian author's brilliant Liquid Modern series of books such as Liquid Life and Liquid Times or the more recent Consuming Life will be familiar with some of the postmodern themes embedded in "The Art of Life"; nevertheless, Mr. Bauman remains essential reading for anyone who wishes to gain a more sophisticated understanding of contemporary society. Here, the author ponders the meaning of the pursuit of happiness in the context of our increasingly dysfunctional consumerist society. The book couldn't be more timely, as Mr. Bauman succeeds yet again in skillfully deconstructing the psyche of the Western world and as recent financial turmoil threatens to unravel the precarious social model of which we have recently grown far too accustomed.

Mr. Bauman surveys the idea of happiness throughout human history to find it to be an elusive idea. Mr. Bauman submits that most often, people judge their level of satisfaction through a comparison with others; in today's society, a never-ending game of one-upmanship is expressed through the pursuit and acquisition of money to acquire the status that comes from exclusivity. Mr. Bauman contends that the cult of individualism and materialism throws the middle class into a perpetual state of anxiety and robs society of its ability to solve its problems. Yet, the author finds hope by acknowledging that many people have been able to choose morality and compassion in times of extraordinary stress, citing those who helped Jews to survive in the midst of the Holocaust as a prime example. Mr. Bauman believes that individuals may yet be able to collectively dedicate their lives and society to that which is ethical; this is not unlike the artist who aspires to creating beauty and meaning in a sometimes ugly and chaotic world.

It is also worth noting the cover art by Ursus Wehrli, whose graphic is inspired by the iconic image of a middle class businessman made famous by Renee Magritte. The image is multiplied many times over from large to small, suggesting a mass society in which individuals are indistinguishable save for their ability to consume and symbolically grow larger in stature and importance than others. The concept is a perfect complement to help illustrate the book's thoughtful and provocative themes, and commendable for its function as an original piece of art in a book that celebrates humanity's irrepressible capacity for creativity.

I highly recommend this discerning, intelligent and humane book to everyone.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Art of Life, June 21, 2011

By 

Casper Denck (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Life (Paperback)

Zygmunt Bauman is best known for his thesis of Liquid Modernity. In this book moves beyond the purely sociological to offer more of a philosophical take and addresses the question of identifying meaning in our lives.

Bauman's argument centres around the question of happiness being the leitmotif of modern life and in the process presents a very good, if somewhat repetitious, account of capitalism's reliance on manufacturing desire. To quote the US declaration of Independence (which Bauman does not) life for many is about the pursuit of happiness. However, as the happiness of materialism is illusory - and hence modern life is a pursuit in which the target is never obtained. Happiness, or rather the pursuit of happiness, paradoxically (so the logic goes) constitutes a limit on the pursuance of life and in particular liberty. To be beholden to the golden calf that you hope is just around the corner is a very perverse kind of freedom.

Given that happiness does not work the remainder of Bauman's work addresses what, given the constraints of the liquid modern we are to do. In a survey of key philosophers, notably Sartre and Nietzsche, Bauman suggests we are all responsible for our own life trajectories even if that is a submission to the larger forces. The liquid modern idea is one that I find persuasive but extremely depressing - I suspect Bauman has something of a similar response. He is careful to offer an optimistic refrain - the illusion of happiness may be influential but it is not determinative, choices can still be made but these choices are hard and counter-intuitive (for the pursuit of happiness is all-embracing), but nevertheless even a choice to enter the unknown is still a choice, and that's not nothing.