Book description
The great German novelist Thomas Mann implored readers to resist the
persistent and growing militarism of the mid-twentieth century. To whom
should we turn for guidance during this current era of global violence,
political corruption, economic inequality, and environmental
degradation? For more than two millennia, the world's great thinkers
have held that the ethically “good life” is the highest purpose of human
existence. Renowned political philosopher Fred Dallmayr traces the
development of this notion, finding surprising connections among
Aristotelian ethics, Abrahamic and Eastern religious traditions, German
idealism, and postindustrial social criticism. In Search of the Good
Life does not offer a blueprint but rather invites readers on a
cross-cultural quest. Along the way, the author discusses the teachings
of Aristotle, Confucius, Nicolaus of Cusa, Leibniz, and Schiller, in
addition invoking more recent writings of Gadamer and Ricoeur, as
guideposts and sources of hope during our troubled times. Among
contemporary themes Dallmayr discusses are the role of the classics in
education, proper and improper ways of spreading democracy globally, the
possibility of transnational citizenship, the problem of politicized
evil, and the role of religion in our predominantly secular culture.
Dallmayr restores the notion of the good life as a hallmark of personal
conduct, civic virtue, and political engagement, and as the road map to
enduring peace. In Search of the Good Life seeks to arouse complacent
and dispirited citizens, guiding them out of the distractions of shallow
amusements and perilous resentments in the direction of mutual learning
and civic pedagogy-a direction that will enable them to impose
accountability on political leaders who stray from fundamental ethical
standards.
