Preface Lack is known by many names: incompleteness, finiteness, deficiency, privation, imperfection, inadequacy, insufficiency, shortage, scarcity. To many, it appears to be an unfortunate aspect of existence – a blemish, a feeling of dissatisfaction, a dismal prelude to economy. From lack of bread to lack of meaning or love, why can we never attain perfection? Is there a common denominator behind this perpetual incompleteness? We present a synthesis of a long intellectual journey that has rediscovered lack as a universal principle of being, an essential yet unexplored component of life. Our pursuit of the cause and meaning of lack has taken us far beyond the realm of economics. This interdisciplinary study embraces philosophy, theology, anthropology, psychology and sociology. What we were astounded to discover is that the world is based not only on form and matter. That, in addition, there is a third principle: invisible, and yet fundamentally immanent. Lack, in its broadest sense – the object of our investigation – is revealed as a primary component of life, a catalyst for change and advancement. Behind each “lack of”, we discovered, lies universal lack, as a principle that permeates everything. One may notice that many of the terms used to describe lack have negative connotations. They suggest that something ought to be present, but is not. That something is missing, or has been taken away. When viewed through this prism of negativity, it is difficult to even assume that lack is a purposeful element of being. Lack, it seems, is playing hide-and-seek with humankind. Hiding and shape-shifting are in its very nature. Lack is both insufficiency and potential, imprinted in life and manifested in time. At every moment, each creation is on its way to acquire ever new features towards fulfilment. Lack precedes every
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