Narrative, Perception, Language, and Faith [Paperback]

There have been many voices in disciplines as various as philosophy, history, psychology, hermeneutics, literary theory, and theology that have claimed that narrative is fundamental to all that is human. Here is a book that, in an engaging and amusing way, presents a coherent thesis to that effect, connecting the Joke and the Story (with all that comedy and tragedy imply) not only with our sensing and perceiving of the world, but with our faith in each other, and what the character of that faith should be.The Joke The Story A Theory of Perception A Triangle with Fuzzy Corners Language Faith

'Wright offers a highly illuminating take on the way stories inform and inflect our everyday lives - from ordinary speech and jokes to high-risk politics and faith. A philosophical eye-opener for experts and amateurs alike'. - Richard Kearney, Charles Seelig Professor in Philosophy, Boston College

'...a banquet of intellectual nourishment on matters of logic, language, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, and religion, showing how inquiries in these several domains intercalate against the backdrop of the uses of narrative. This is no ordinary philosophy book. It will remain on the book shelves for some time to come.' - Calvin O. Schrag, The George Ade Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Purdue University

'Narrative, Perception, Language, and Faith is a work of startling ingenuity and originality. This is quite simply a tour de force. Edmond Wright's thoughtful, engaging and erudite book transcends the conventional barriers that have long divided semiotics from pragmatism, analytic from normative philosophy, materialist realism from social constructivism. At once charming and deeply serious, in his journey from the structure of the joke to the nature of ethical being Wright finds intellectual connections where nobody has even thought of looking. This study will be recognized as a major contribution not only to philosophy, but alsl$