A Small Treatise on the Great Virtues
Publisher
:
Presses Universitaires de France
Parution date
:
1996
EAN
:
9782130466710
Description
In this graceful, incisive book, the writer-philosopher André Comte-Sponville reexamines the classical human virtues that help us understand "what we should do, who we should be, and how we should live." In the process, he gives us an entirely new perspective on the value, the relevance, and even the charm of the Western ethical tradition.
Drawing on thinkers from Aristotle to Simone Weil, by way of Aquinas, Kant, Rilke, Nietzsche, Spinoza and Rawls, among others, Comte-Sponville elaborates on the qualities that constitute the essence and excellence of humankind. Starting with politeness—almost a virtue—and ending with love—which transcends all morality—a small treatise on the great virtues takes us on a tour of the eighteen essential virtues: fidelity, prudence, temperance, courage, justice, generosity, compassion, mercy, gratitude, humility, simplicity, tolerance, purity, gentleness, good faith, and even, surprisingly, humor.
Sophisticated and lucid, full of wit and vivacity, this modestly titled yet immensely important work provides an indispensable guide to finding what is right and good in everyday life.
Author
André Comte-Sponville : One of the most important French philosophers of the “new wave”, André Comte-Sponville is a professor at the Sorbonne and the author of several highly acclaimed works of classical philosophy. He was critically acclaimed in the U.S. for his Small Treatise on the Great Virtues recently published by Metropolitan Books.
|