Imperfection

"... aspirations to perfection awaken us to our actualimperfection." It is in the space between these aspirations andour inability to achieve them that Grant reflects upon imperfection.Grant argues that an awareness of imperfection, defined as bothsuffering and the need for justice, drives us to an unrelenting searchfor perfection, freedom, and self-determination. The twenty-one briefchapters of Imperfection develop this governing idea as itrelates to the present situation of the God debate, modern ethnicconflicts, and the pursuit of freedom in relation to the uncertaintiesof personal identity and the quest for self-knowledge. Known for his exploration of the relationship between Buddhism andviolent ethnic conflict in modern Sri Lanka, as well as hiscontribution to the study of Northern Ireland and the complexrelationships among religion, literature, and ethnicity, Grant providesthe reader with an analysis of the widespread rise of religiousextremism across the globe. Referencing Plato, Van Gogh, Jesus, and theBuddha, he enlightens the reader with both succinct and originalinsights into human society. Imperfection is the result of animportant Canadian public intellectual at work.