PublishedAffirm Press, November 2024 |
ISBN9781916753044 |
FormatSoftcover, 144 pages |
Dimensions19.8cm × 12.9cm |
Modern life is full of minor but acute dilemmas: we get stuck at a gathering with someone unusually boring and wonder how to move on without causing offence; in the course of introducing one friend to another, we realise that we have forgotten one of the party's names; we run into an ex while on an early date with a new partner; we spill red wine across a host's sofa...
Such dilemmas might - at one level - seem desperately insignificant. But they actually belong to some of the largest and most serious themes in social existence: how can you pursue your own agenda for happiness while at the same time honouring the sensitivities and wishes of others; how can you convey goodwill with sincerity; how can you be kind without being supine or sentimental?
It is often confusing to know how to act around others and navigate social situations. This book features twenty case-studies on common social dilemmas and our possible responses to them, contributing to a new and original philosophy of graceful conduct.