The Celts, the old Norse and Germanic people, the Greeks of the
time of Homer and Hesiod, and other ancient heroic societies are
popularly believed to be tribal warrior cultures, where the light
of civilisation had not yet dawned. In fact, this is far from the
case. Many of our own most fundamental ideas about politics,
justice, friendship, true love, the good life, and especially the
notion of Virtue itself, come from their world. To them, virtue had
nothing to do with purity, nor modesty, nor God-given laws, nor sin
and guilt, nor with any Sunday-school pretentiousness.Rather, it
originally meant 'excellence' and 'greatness of soul'. It was tied
to more assertive qualities like strength and courage, and to
social qualities like friendship. It was also connected to
spiritual principles like the nature of the soul, the hope for
immortality, and even the pursuit of happiness itself. Using
ancient heroic epics and sagas like "Beowulf", the "Illiad" and
"Odyssey", the "Eddas", the "Tain Bo Cuailnge", and literature
inspired by them including the works of the Renaissance and
Romanticism, Shakespeare, Tolkien, and J.K. Rowling, this book
explains the world-view that gave birth to our virtues. In that
world-view, life involves inevitable confrontations with
inexplicable events like fortune, nature, other people, and death
itself. However, the good life itself becomes possible when we face
them and respond to them. Finally, the book calls for a revival of
heroic and classical virtue in our time.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
