An Anthology

by Josef Pieper

Foreword by Hans Urs von Balthasar Near the end of a long career as one of the most widely read popular Thomistic philosophers of the twentieth century, Josef Pieper has himself compiled an anthology from all his works. He has selected the best and most representative passages and arranged them in an order that gives sense to the whole and aids in the understanding of each excerpt. Pieper's reputation rests on his remarkable ability to restate traditional wisdom in terms of contemporary problems. He is a philosopher who writes in the language of common sense, presenting involved issues in a clear, lucid and simple manner. Among his many well-known works included in this anthology are selections from The Basis of Culture , The Four Cardinal Virtues , About Love , Belief and Faith , Happiness and Contemplation , and Scholasticism . Below is a list of the selection Human Authenticity
The Two Sides of the Coin That Is Truth
The Freedom of Philosophy and Its Adversaries
Free Space in the World of Work
Truths-Known and Believed
The Reality of the Holy
"Finis" Means Both End and Goal
 

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity, Religion, Essays

241 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Josef Pieper was a German Catholic philosopher and an important figure in the resurgence of interest in the thought of Thomas Aquinas in early-to-mid 20th-century philosophy. Among his most notable works are The Four Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance; Leisure, the Basis of Culture; and Guide to Thomas Aquinas (published in England as Introduction to Thomas Aquinas).

Reviews

[Ann]

I finished this anthology of essays by Josef Pieper this afternoon. As with all of his writings, I close the book after reading several pages and just ruminate on what has been said ... and much of it escapes me altogether !! BUT there is also much that I can actually read with refreshing clarity because its truth lights up the soul and gives such wonderful direction and hope for "the journey".
The excerpt from his essay, "The Reality of the Holy", was SO excellent ... just that alone was worth the price of the book ! It is about how Christ becomes "present" to us in the eucharist ... a subject not often talked about in Protestant circles.
I give it only 3 stars, because for me, it was not as easy to read as the others by him that I've read... Perhaps because the chapters were excerpts from larger works and it was harder to follow his train of thought.

[Joseph Bouchoc]

4.5 stars. This is an anthology that Pieper assembled from his works. Most of the “chapters” are 3-5 pages long. Overall it was encouraging and thought provoking. The first 100 pages or so focus on the virtues and were particularly challenging (in a good way).

[Andrew Likoudis]

Best book I’ve read in a long time. Covers issues, from virtue, to the human heart, to hope and its counterfeits, to secular totalitarianism, its threats, and what must be done to counter it.

[Dan Yingst]

Excellent, immediately onto the reread shelf

[Anna]

"The borderline, of course, between antechamber and inner sanctum must not be blurred. It is important to preserve the distinction between philosophy and theology. And yet their strict separation from each other seems to me not only virtually impossible but above all illicit; for in that process each would be left sterile." (pg. 164)

Pieper likens the relationship between theology and philosophy to the interweaving melodies of polyphonic music (like a Bach fugue), as well as to the senses of seeing (philosophy) and hearing (theology - faith in a divine revelation). And he beautifully exemplifies this relationship in his own writing: although he was a philosopher, his philosophy was always informed by his Christian faith.

I have been reading through this anthology with an online class led by Dr. Fred Putnam, and I would concur with him that this anthology is an excellent introduction to the broad outlines of Pieper's thought. I am not new to Pieper, but I enjoyed revisiting ideas I was familiar with (e.g. leisure/schole) as well as excerpts from his writing that I had not yet read. You could easily spend a year slowly reading through this and discussing with a group of friends, and it will stand up to multiple rereads.

[Luke Daghir]

Josef Pieper has become one of my favorite thinkers. He is clear, concise, and easy to follow.

Here are my thoughts:

1. I learn latin reading Pieper. He is so clear that when he uses latin I come to know the latin because he uses it well within the English language. That is a great gift he had.

2. A professor once shared with me that this book is a sampler (like to sample chocolate or another food). I liked that description because this book opens up what Pieper's thoughts are like a sampler.

3. I think the biggest take-away for me in this book has been the sheer understanding of reality that Pieper had. Pieper saw things in life as they really are.

[Robert]

An excellent collection, compiled by Pieper himself.

[Kirk Lowery]

Josef Pieper is a German Roman Catholic philosopher in the German romantic idealist tradition. His specialty is Thomas Aquinas. This book is a selection from his writings selected by Pieper himself. The collection is remarkably coherent, each small unit leading into the next. He engages with ancient through modern philosophy, all from the standpoint of the Christian in dialog with Reality and Truth. What is the nature of human existence? How does theology and philosophy (or, better, theologians and philosophers) relate to one another? What is hope, happiness? How does hope relate to the future and the past? He is a clear and direct thinker and writer, reminding me at times of C. S. Lewis in his style. My one criticism is that sometimes, especially in the section on human existence, he leaves me wondering if I'm to accept his propositions as self-evident, when they are not self-evident to me! He's more "mystical" than I am, and some of his rhetoric leaves me cold. Nevertheless, he is profoundly thought-provoking and his ideas demand engagement and response. I'm going to leave this book alone for a while, and then reread it. Highly recommended.