The aim of this book is a recovery of interest in the experience of meaning. Jan Zwicky defends the claim that we experience meaning in the apprehension of wholes and their internal structural relations, providing examples of such insight in mathematics and physics, literature, music, and Plato's ancient theory of forms. Taken together, these essays constitute a powerful indictment of the aggressive reductionism and the reliance on calculative modes of thought that dominate our present conception of understanding. The Experience of Meaning proposes a more just epistemology, arguing for a new grammar of thought, a new way of understanding the relationship of human intelligence to the world. Engaging with philosophy, psychology, literature, fine arts, music, and environmental studies in a profound way, The Experience of Meaning will interest any reader who ponders the question of meaning and its relation to true human expression.

Jan Zwicky is an accomplished poet, philosopher and musician whose intense and vivid lyricism imbues her poetry with music and passion. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Zwicky studied at the University of Calgary and the University of Toronto before undertaking an academic career teaching philosophy at a number of North American institutions. She is also a professional musician, with an active interest in baroque performance technique. Zwicky is a prolific essayist, as well as the author of a dozen books. Her works have won her the Governor General's Award (Songs For Relinquishing the Earth, 1998) and the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize (Robinson's Crossing, 2004) as well as many other accolades and shortlist nominations. Zwicky lives on Quadra Island, British Columbia.

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"The Experience of Meaning is a courageous, profound book – broad in scope, yet scholarly and concise. It is truly a joy to read." Nina Belmonte, University of Victoria

"The Experience of Meaning paints a troubling portrait of our age. Unmitigated allegiance to rational, technocratic logic has annihilated our ability to perceive meaning. To revive this capacity would mean seeing our world anew. Not needing words to descr

"An enjoyable and thought-provoking read." Choice

"Rich and thought-provoking, The Experience of Meaning will change the way you see the world. I literally could not put this book down and I think all readers will be as entranced as I was, although it may resonate differently in each of them." Marjorie Senechal, Smith College