H2O and the Waters of Forgetfulness

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Encounters & Identities: Religion in Private and Public Spheres

Philosopher and social analyst Ivan Illich, one of the most influential thinkers of second half of this century, directs his attention to water, the ‘stuff’ of purity and the creative force of the imagination without which life in unthinkable. He deals with the dual nature of water, as life-giving material substance and as the wellspring of form, on which are founded the most basic myths and cultural manifestations: water as cleanser, water as domestic necessity and water as a religious and spiritual force.

In the course of this brilliant essay the author traces the way water has been shorn of its mythic associations and reduced to an urban cleaning fluid. The histories of medicine, art, mythology, architecture, technology, and conceptions of the afterlife come into play as the changing role of water in our lives is revealed.

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