Description
Book SynopsisWhen political theorists teach the history of political philosophy, they typically skip from the ancient Greeks and Cicero to Augustine in the fifth century and Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth, and then on to the origins of modernity with Machiavelli and beyond. Paul Stern aims to change this settled narrative and makes a powerful case for treating Dante Alighieri, arguably the greatest poet of medieval Christendom, as a political philosopher of the first rank. In Dante's Philosophical Life, Stern argues that Purgatorio's depiction of the ascent to Earthly Paradise, that is, the summit of Mount Purgatory, was intended to give instruction on how to live the philosophic life, understood in its classical form as love of wisdom. As an object of love, however, wisdom must be sought by the human soul, rather than possessed. But before the search can be undertaken, the soul needs to consider from where it begins: its nature and its good. In Stern's interpretation of Purgatorio, Dante's int
Trade Review"In this rich new book, Paul Stern makes a compelling case for re-interpreting Dante Alighieri as an important and inventive political philosopher in his own right. Stern argues that through the
Purgatorio, Dante attempts to re-imagine culture and politics as spaces for ongoing rational inquiry into human good which he terms 'philosophy as a way of life.'..Stern has written a careful, attentive, and manifestly readable interpretation." *
Reading Religion *
"Stern's book will be especially welcomed by readers inclined to hearken toDante's call for a renewed political philosophy and to consider seriously thesuspicions of Dante's orthodoxy that date back to his own time. It willmake them indebted to Stern for his insights and suggestive readings." *
The Review of Politics *
"A highly original, important, and pathbreaking work. Paul Stern reveals Dante to be a daring thinker, running counter to medieval religious orthodoxy. He teaches us how to read Dante anew." * Paul Cantor, University of Virginia *
"Paul Stern's
Dante's Philosophical Life is a flawlessly written and artfully crafted book that offers an impressively nuanced reading of the narrative of Dante's
Purgatory. It deserves a place among the handful of indispensable studies of Dante's masterpiece." * Gregory Stone, Louisiana State University *
Table of ContentsChapter 1. Politics, Poetry, and Philosophy in Purgatorio
Chapter 2. "What Good Would Climbing Do?": The Rationale and Impetus for the Pursuit of Self-Knowledge (Cantos I-IX)
Chapter 3. "To a Better Nature You Lie Subject": The Political Character of Humanity and Nature (Cantos X-XVII)
Chapter 4. Disrobing the Siren: The Zealous Pursuit of Clarity (Cantos XXVII-XIX)
Chapter 5. "When Love Breathes Within Me": The Desirability of Desire (Cantos XIX-XXVII)
Chapter 6. "The Nest for Human Nature": Earthly Paradise and the "Happiness in This Life" (Cantos XXVIII-XXXIII)
Chapter 7. Dante's Human Wisdom
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
