Lost in Thought: The hidden pleasures of an intellectual life

Abstract

In our modern society, people are valued based on their practical usefulness which has undermined the importance of learning, contemplation and leisure. Although some people use learning as an instrument to achieve a particular purpose, Zena Hitz writes that only by pursuing learning for its own sake where we flourish and reach our inner peace. She quotes philosophers, scientists and novelists such as Aristotle, Socrates, Jack London and George Orwell to support her ideas. Lost in Thought is a book that views life through the lens of those ultimate goals we are pursuing, whether we are pursuing them consciously or subconsciously. In her book, Hitz states that intellectual life is important even though our society disregards its significance. The book is 226 pages long. It consists of an introduction and three chapters along with a prologue and an epilogue. The introduction is titled “Learning, Leisure and Happiness”. It discusses how learning sought for its own sake makes us happy and illustrates how leisure can be beneficial in achieving learning loved for itself. The first chapter is titled “A Refuge from the World” where the author describes the pain and suffering of life and helps readers to recognise that the intellectual life can protect you from the world. The second chapter is titled “Learning Lost and Found”. In this chapter, the author describes the corruption of learning due to our desires for money, social status and success. The third and final chapter is titled “The Uses of Uselessness” where the author discusses the corruption in learning caused by politics and politicians