Description
Book SynopsisSantayana at 150: International Interpretations is an anthology gathering seventeen scholarâs essays on the thought and life of Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana. Themes considered include: materialism, naturalistic ethics, aesthetics, and cosmopolitanism. This volume marks the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of Santayanaâs birth.
Trade Review“This rich collection demonstrates the breadth and depth of Santayana’s philosophical reach. His influence spans continents and disciplinary specializations, and the chapters included in this volume display the ongoing significance of Santayana’s original ideas. This book is a fitting tribute to the birth of a man who lives on in the insightful contributions of these writers.” -- Jessica Wahman
Giuseppe Patella hits the nail on the head in the introduction when he mentions the task of ‘thinking [Santayana’s heritage] over again’ and letting it ‘resound in our current intellectual concerns.’ The task . . . has been fully achieved and we get a novel, inspiring collection, indispensable for any Santayana scholar willing to keep him/herself up to date. Moreover, the attention given to Santayana’s life and personality as interconnected with his intellectual biography, set in a broad context of intellectual and cultural milieu of the era, constitutes an added value and makes the book of interest for a broader circle of philosophically-oriented readers and scholars of American Studies worldwide. * Overheard in Seville: Bulletin of the George Santayana Society *
Table of ContentsGeneral Introduction Part I: Reconciling Material and Ideal Realities Section Introduction Chapter 1: Bifurcation of Materialism Chapter 2: Free Will for a Materialist Chapter 3: Nature and the Ideal in Santayana’s Philosophy Chapter 4: Mediterranean Aestheticism and Epicurean Materialism Part II: Santayana’s Cosmopolitanism Section Introduction Chapter 5: Cosmopolitanism and the Spiritual Life Chapter 6: Poetic Italy in the Works of Santayana Chapter 7: A Traveling Philosophy Chapter 8: Ruins as Seats of Values Chapter 9: Santayana’s Theory of Art Part III: Morality and Truth Section Introduction Chapter 10: Scientific Ethics Chapter 11: On Celebrating the Death of Another Person Chapter 12: The Realm of Truth in Santayana Chapter 13: Was Santayana a Stoic Pragmatist? Part IV: The Personal and the Spiritual Section Introduction Chapter 14: Santayana’s Epicureanism Chapter 15: The World, a Stage Chapter 16: Transcending Means and Ends Near the End of Life Chapter 17: Santayana’s Relationship to Rome Afterword About the Contributors
