Laurence Campbell Cooper

Chaos Bewitched Laurence Campbell Cooper

A short pithy saying that sums up a general truth often with an ironic twist like a joke, the aphorism is the oldest written art form. Following in such a long tradition from ancient Greeks like Heraclitus, Plato, and Epicurus to ancient Romans like Seneca and Cicero all the way to moderns like La Rochefoucauld, Nietzsche, Pascal, Goethe, Cioran, Karl Kraus, and Oscar Wilde, the aphorisms contained in this volume reflect both invention and discovery, and, like all aphorisms, are refreshingly above the vulgarity of argument, preferring self evidence to demonstration. From lexicographical satire to deductive theology, from politics to love, these aphorisms range across a great many topics and styles. Balancing rigour with flourish, Cooper shows that wit and lyrical virtue alone yield true philosophical insight. Formed at length from the intense heat and pressure of contemplation, aphorisms are the diamonds of literature and philosophy. They are a reader's best friend.




"Witty, novel, and extremely well executed." - Giramondo Books