Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review“To read Pierre Hadot sparks enormous joy.” * Charlie Hebdo, on the French edition *
“No one is more qualified to describe this spiritual line of descent than Pierre Hadot” * Le Figaro, on the French edition *
“A very beautiful book that celebrates action, the duty to serve, and joy.” * Valeurs Actuelles, on the French edition *
“This deeply personal work, by one of the greatest of French classical philosophers, featuring one of his major inspirations, the great German author and philosopher Goethe, excellently translated by Michael Chase, might just change your life. It is the culmination of Hadot’s long-term concern with ‘philosophy as a way of life,’ and constitutes a significant expansion and deepening of this theme.” -- John Dillon, Trinity College Dublin
“Renowned for reviving the classical idea of philosophy as an art of living, Pierre Hadot combines his expertise in Greco-Roman thought with an extensive study of Goethe to produce a fascinating book, rich in both erudition and relevance for the conduct of life—reinterpreting, with compelling nuance and philosophical sophistication, the deeper, more mindful meaning of the Horatian maxim
carpe diem. What you learn from this book can change your life.” -- Richard Shusterman, Florida Atlantic University
"Pointing to similarities to the ancient philosophers Goethe knew intimately, Hadot observes that Goethe owes a debt to them but surpasses them in his emphasis on remembering to live a joyfully fulfilling life. Beautifully translated." -- E. G. Wickersham * Choice *
Table of ContentsTranslator’s Introduction
Preface
1. “The Present Is the Only Goddess I Adore”
Faust and Helen
The Present, the Trivial, and the Ideal
Idyllic Arcadia
Unconscious Health or Conquered Serenity?
The Philosophical Experience of the Present
The Tradition of Ancient Philosophy in Goethe
The Present, the Instant, and Being-There in Goethe
2. The View from Above and the Cosmic Journey
The Instant and the View from Above
The View from Above in Antiquity: Peaks and Flight of the Imagination
The Philosophical Meaning of the View from Above among Ancient Philosophers
The Medieval and Modern Tradition
The Various Forms of the View from Above in Goethe
The View from Above after Goethe
Aeronauts and Cosmonauts
3. The Wings of Hope: The
Urworte Daimôn, Tukhê
Daimôn, Tukhê, Eros, Anankê, and Elpis
Human Destiny
Autobiographical Aspects?
The Caduceus
Elpis, Hope
4. The Yes to Life and the World
Great Is the Joy of Being-There (
Freude des Daseins)
Greater Still Is the Joy One Feels in Existence Itself (
Freude am Dasein)
The Yes to Becoming and the Terrifying
Goethe and Nietzsche
Conclusion
Translator’s Note
Notes
Bibliography
Index
