Description
"The Two Hands of God explores the human experience of polarity, a condition in which seemingly opposite qualities form part of a larger whole. The author illustrates the ways that different cultures express the concept of polarity through the symbolic language of myth, literature, and art"--
Library's review
The Two Hands of God is a fascinating exploration and expisition of the myths of polarity, those crucial symbolic relationships such as light and darkness, good and evil, which illustrate the inner unity of opposites. It is a rich source of the themes that have made Alan W. Watts one of the most
The first section of the book deals with the inner unity of opposites as shown in Taoist, Buddhist, and Hindu myths and images. The second introduces the Middle eastern myths of the conflict of good and evil. The third follows the disappearance of this inner unity to its extreme in ultimate dualism, especially as indicated in the Christian mythology of Satan and hell. The concluding section, 'dismemberment Remembered,' describes the restoration of opposites to their eternally implicit union in myths dealing with the creation of the world , the generaton of offspring, and other themes.
Alan W. Watts, one of the most influential philosophers and teachers of our time, is the author of many books, among them This Is It and The Book, both available from Collier Books.
Contents
List of Plates
List of line drawings
Preface
Introduction
One the primordial pair
Two The cosmic dance
Three The two brothers
Four Ultimate dualism
Five Dismemberment remembered
Notes on the plates
Bibliographical references
Index
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popular of contemporary philosophers. Those themes, centering on the idea that explicit oppostion conceals implicit unity, are superbly illustrated here by a treasury of stories and myths from Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, Iranian, and Early Christian sources, and by twenty-three photographic plates to which detailed explications are supplied.The first section of the book deals with the inner unity of opposites as shown in Taoist, Buddhist, and Hindu myths and images. The second introduces the Middle eastern myths of the conflict of good and evil. The third follows the disappearance of this inner unity to its extreme in ultimate dualism, especially as indicated in the Christian mythology of Satan and hell. The concluding section, 'dismemberment Remembered,' describes the restoration of opposites to their eternally implicit union in myths dealing with the creation of the world , the generaton of offspring, and other themes.
Alan W. Watts, one of the most influential philosophers and teachers of our time, is the author of many books, among them This Is It and The Book, both available from Collier Books.
Contents
List of Plates
List of line drawings
Preface
Introduction
One the primordial pair
Two The cosmic dance
Three The two brothers
Four Ultimate dualism
Five Dismemberment remembered
Notes on the plates
Bibliographical references
Index
Show Less
Subjects
Genres
Publication
Collier Books 866 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022
Original publication date
1963