We're sorry. An error has occurred
Please cancel or retry.
The Janus Face of Ideas
Regular price
$39.95
Regular price
$39.95
Sale price
$39.95
Unit price
/
per
Sold out
Re-stocking soon
In ancient Roman myth and religion, Janus was the god of physical and emotional gateways. He is traditionally shown as having two faces pointing in opposite directions, representing different persp...
Read More
Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
Couldn't load pickup availability
Ships within 2 business days
-
20 September 2019

In ancient Roman myth and religion, Janus was the god of physical and emotional gateways. He is traditionally shown as having two faces pointing in opposite directions, representing different perspectives, or perhaps a reconciliation of two points of view. He is the god of the past and the future, looking fore and aft, as Homer says. He is the god of transitions, doorways, beginnings and endings, passageways, options, change, entrances and exits.
The Janus figure is a fitting symbol for this book, which concerns conflict and agreement between pairs of ideas. Janus, of course, is everyone – all of us -- as we struggle to reach decisions on the choices that punctuate our lives. We are unsure which is the real face of the Janus figure, or whether there is a right direction to point, although compasses are oriented toward true north. Janus is two-faced, not from hypocrisy or insincerity, but as a result of reflection. He always looks at both sides of the question, reflectively and deeply within the conscious mind.
The ideas we will explore include such apparent polarities as justice and forgiveness, belief and skepticism, the ascetic and the sensuous. When we unpack these concepts, we discover that in some cases the two sides align and a compromise is possible. In other cases, they repel each other, like identical poles of magnets. All of the ideas will receive critical airings so that we can be clear on what we can believe, which choices can be avoided, and which ones must be confronted as alternatives.
Price: $39.95
Pages: 272
Publisher: Academica Press
Imprint: Academica Press
Publication Date:
20 September 2019
ISBN: 9781680531732
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
PHILOSOPHY / General, PSYCHOLOGY / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology