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Only a Promise of Happiness
The Place of Beauty in a World of Art
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Only a Promise of Happiness
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This book may appeal to you if you're intrigued by the philosophy of aesthetics and the nature of beauty in everyday life. It offers a thoughtful exploration of how beauty influences our happiness and understanding, intertwining philosophical reflection with insights from art, literature, and history. Ideal for those who appreciate the intellectual pursuit of understanding the impact of beauty on human experiences.
Neither art nor philosophy was kind to beauty during the twentieth century. Much modern art disdains beauty, and many philosophers deeply suspect that beauty merely paints over or distracts us from horrors. Intellectuals consigned the passions of beauty to the margins, replacing them with the anemic and rarefied alternative, "aesthetic pleasure." I
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Description
Neither art nor philosophy was kind to beauty during the twentieth century. Much modern art disdains beauty, and many philosophers deeply suspect that beauty merely paints over or distracts us from horrors. Intellectuals consigned the passions of beauty to the margins, replacing them with the anemic and rarefied alternative, "aesthetic pleasure."
In Only a Promise of Happiness, Alexander Nehamas reclaims beauty from its critics. He seeks to restore its place in art, to reestablish the connections among art, beauty, and desire, and to show that the values of art, independently of their moral worth, are equally crucial to the rest of life. Nehamas makes his case with characteristic grace, sensitivity, and philosophical depth, supporting his arguments with searching studies of art and literature, high and low, from Thomas Mann's Death in Venice and Manet's Olympia to television.
Throughout, the discussion of artworks is generously illustrated. Beauty, Nehamas concludes, may depend on appearance, but this does not make it superficial. The perception of beauty manifests a hope that life would be better if the object of beauty were part of it. This hope can shape and direct our lives for better or worse. We may discover misery in pursuit of beauty, or find that beauty offers no more than a tantalising promise of happiness.
But if beauty is always dangerous, it is also a pressing human concern that we must seek to understand, and not suppress.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
In Only a Promise of Happiness, Alexander Nehamas presents a compelling case for the importance of beauty in our lives, linking it to happiness and personal fulfilment. Critics admire his clear and graceful writing as he argues for beauty's significance in art and life, opposing extreme positions that limit its role. The book is praised for its insightful and engaging discussion on how beauty intersects with love, art, and everyday life, making it an essential read for those interested in philosophical explorations of aesthetics.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780691177601
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 17 October 2010
Country: United States
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Illustration: 13 color + 79 b/w illus.
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 203.0mm
Height: 254.0mm
Weight: 510g
Pages: 208
About the Author
Alexander Nehamas is Edmund N. Carpenter II Class of 1943 Professor in the Humanities at Princeton University. He is the author of Nietzsche: Life as Literature, The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault, and Virtues of Authenticity: Essays on Plato and Socrates (Princeton).
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