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Living Without Why - Meister Eckhart's Critique of the Medieval Concept of Will (Hardcover)
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Living Without Why - Meister Eckhart's Critique of the Medieval Concept of Will (Hardcover)
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What does it mean to "live without why"? This was the advice of
Meister Eckhart (ca. 1260-1328), both in his Latin treatises to
philosophers and theologians and in his German sermons to nuns and
ordinary lay persons. He seems to have meant that we should live
and act out of justice or goodness and not in order to gain some
reward for our deeds. This message was received with indignation by
the Church hierarchy and was condemned by the Pope in 1329. How did
Eckhart come to formulate it? And why was it so controversial? John
M. Connolly addresses these questions by locating Eckhart's
thinking about how to live within the mainstream synthesis of
Christian and classical thought formulated in the High Middle Ages.
He calls the classical Greek moral consensus "teleological
eudaimonism," according to which correct living coincides with the
attainment of happiness (eudaimonia). This involves living a life
marked by the practice of the virtues, which in turn requires a
consistent desire for the correct goal in life. This desire is the
core notion of will. In late antiquity Augustine drew on this
tradition in formulating his views about how Christians should
live. This required grafting onto classical eudaimonism a set of
distinctively scriptural notions such as divine providence,
original sin, redemption, and grace. In the 13th century these
ideas were systematized by Thomas Aquinas in his will-centered
moral theology. Eckhart claimed that this tradition was profoundly
mistaken. Far from being a wild-eyed mystic or visionary, he argued
trenchantly from classical philosophical principles and the
Christian scriptures. Connolly proposes that Eckhart's views, long
obscured by the papal condemnation, deserve reconsideration today.
"This book is a signal contribution to ancient and medieval
philosophy. By putting Eckhart into conversation with his
predecessors (i.e., Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas), Connolly
does a fine job in identifying where Eckhart makes an original-and
still viable-contribution to moral thought in general. This is a
remarkable work, the product of long and careful thought, as well
as being clearly presented. " -Bernard McGinn, Naomi Shenstone
Donnelley Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and of the
History of Christianity in the Divinity School and the Committees
on Medieval Studies and on General Studies, University of Chicago
"It would appear that Connolly has written the right book at the
right moment. Through his work, the English-speaking world can
become finally acquainted with the academic discussion of the last
decades concerning Eckhart and can furthermore have an original and
text grounded interpretation of a relevant section of his
philosophical thought." -Loris Sturlese, Professor of Medieval
Philosophy, Universita del Salento
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