Distraction

In Distraction, the philosopher Damon Young argues that distraction is not simply too many stimuli but a confusion about what to attend to and why. If we are "dying already," as Heidegger cheerily put it, then we only have so many days to invest. To commit to this job, this spouse, this leisure, this gadget means taking time, energy and wherewithal away from other possibilities. In an age of innumerable, intense diversions, we need to be clearer than ever about what is important.

Damon Young is an Honorary Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Melbourne, Australia and a frequent contributor to newspapers, magazines and radio.