The Paradox of Intention: Reaching the Goal by Giving Up the Attempt to Reach It

by Marvin C. Shaw

This book examines the paradox of intention, the simple idea that we may reach a goal by giving up the attempt to reach it or, conversely, that we may be prevented from reaching a goal by our intentional efforts to achieve it. The nature of this paradox is explored through an examination of texts from ancient and existential philosophy, psychotherapy, and the sacred texts of Buddhism, Christianity, and Taoism. Shaw then subjects the paradox to systematic study by pursuing a series of questions arising from it.

A clearly written and accessible study, The Paradox of Intention adds an intriguing chapter to both comparative ethics and the cross-cultural study of the philosophy of religion.

Genres: Philosophy

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 1988

Reviews

[Jenny Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book challenges the apparently logical idea that you can always achieve what you want by trying as hard as you can. it examines the quest for enlightenment/religious experience in several religious traditions and the phenomenal effects of giving up, giving in, and just generally dropping the effort to control everything. turns out this applies to stuttering too!

[Kenton Whitman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife and I love this book, and have given it to students at our wilderness school to read. It is not meant to be an easy-to-read, general audience book, so expect a more scholarly dissertation. But if you are interested in nonduality as represented by various traditions and thinkers, then this can add a lot to your spiritual journey. It's not exactly easy to describe what this book is about, because this idea of "reaching a goal" isn't just about the kind of goals we tend to set during New Years' resolutions. It's about an entirely different way of living where we do more Being than Doing, and thus doesn't "make sense" to our usual, "get-er-done" mindset. But there are great gifts waiting in this gentler (and often, more effective and even more productive) mindset.

I gave it five starts because it's a book I keep coming back to, and a book that has made a lot of difference to our students. But again, know what you're getting into -- it would doubtless get less stars if someone came looking for a slick, easy-to-digest book on philosophy or spirituality.