Aristotle attempted to ground ethical life in human striving for happiness, yet he didn't understand what happiness is any better than we do. Happiness became an enigmatic, always unattainable, means of seducing humankind into living an ethical life. Freud fared no better when he tried to ground human striving, aggression, and destructiveness in the death drive, like Aristotle attributing purpose where none exists. Neither overarching principle can guide or govern "the remainder of life", in which our inherently disruptive unconscious moves in breaks and swerves to affect who and how we are. Lear exposes this tendency to self-disruption for what it is: an opening, an opportunity for new possibilities. His insights have profound consequences not only for analysis but also for our understanding of civilization and its discontent.
Or split into 4x interest-free payments of 25% on orders over R50
Learn more
Aristotle attempted to ground ethical life in human striving for happiness, yet he didn't understand what happiness is any better than we do. Happiness became an enigmatic, always unattainable, means of seducing humankind into living an ethical life. Freud fared no better when he tried to ground human striving, aggression, and destructiveness in the death drive, like Aristotle attributing purpose where none exists. Neither overarching principle can guide or govern "the remainder of life", in which our inherently disruptive unconscious moves in breaks and swerves to affect who and how we are. Lear exposes this tendency to self-disruption for what it is: an opening, an opportunity for new possibilities. His insights have profound consequences not only for analysis but also for our understanding of civilization and its discontent.
Imprint | Harvard University Press |
Country of origin | United States |
Series | The Tanner Lectures on Human Values |
Release date | February 2002 |
Availability | Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days |
First published | February 2002 |
Authors | Jonathan Lear |
Dimensions | 215 x 140 x 15mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Paperback |
Pages | 204 |
Edition | New Ed |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-674-00674-4 |
Barcode | 9780674006744 |
Categories | |
LSN | 0-674-00674-7 |