Detachment as a Way of Life: A Philosophical Guide to Letting Go

What is a detached life? Is it fit for human beings? Can we engage in meaningful relationships and be socially responsible if we are detached? Douglas Edwards answers these questions and more in this wide-ranging and comparative exploration of the concept of detachment, encompassing Eastern and Western and ancient and modern philosophical approaches.

In dialogue with authors including ancient Greek thinkers Plato and Epicurus, Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna, and Daoist sage Zhuangzi, the first half of the book explores a number of different models of the life of detachment. Described in lively and engaging prose, these range from detachment from the concerns of the human world to detachment based on an ability to be flexible and transform. Then, Edwards subjects detachment to the tests of experience. In the final four chapters he engages with existentialist unease and asks how detachment can offer a way of life that makes us more, rather than less, human, before also considering, via Marx, how detachment relates to alienation, and how detachment can help an alienated person.

As life in our times grows increasingly unstable, Detachment as a Way of Life demonstrates how letting go can be just what you need to live a fulfilled and socially-responsible life. For anyone wanting to assess their own attachments and discern what really matters, this is the book for you.