The Wisdom of the World

The Wisdom of the World PDF Author: Rémi Brague
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022679802X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
When the ancient Greeks looked up into the heavens, they saw not just sun and moon, stars and planets, but a complete, coherent universe, a model of the Good that could serve as a guide to a better life. How this view of the world came to be, and how we lost it (or turned away from it) on the way to becoming modern, make for a fascinating story, told in a highly accessible manner by Rémi Brague in this wide-ranging cultural history. Before the Greeks, people thought human action was required to maintain the order of the universe and so conducted rituals and sacrifices to renew and restore it. But beginning with the Hellenic Age, the universe came to be seen as existing quite apart from human action and possessing, therefore, a kind of wisdom that humanity did not. Wearing his remarkable erudition lightly, Brague traces the many ways this universal wisdom has been interpreted over the centuries, from the time of ancient Egypt to the modern era. Socratic and Muslim philosophers, Christian theologians and Jewish Kabbalists all believed that questions about the workings of the world and the meaning of life were closely intertwined and that an understanding of cosmology was crucial to making sense of human ethics. Exploring the fate of this concept in the modern day, Brague shows how modernity stripped the universe of its sacred and philosophical wisdom, transforming it into an ethically indifferent entity that no longer serves as a model for human morality. Encyclopedic and yet intimate, The Wisdom of the World offers the best sort of history: broad, learned, and completely compelling. Brague opens a window onto systems of thought radically different from our own.

The Wisdom of the World

The Wisdom of the World PDF Author: Rémi Brague
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022679802X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 310

Get Book

Book Description
When the ancient Greeks looked up into the heavens, they saw not just sun and moon, stars and planets, but a complete, coherent universe, a model of the Good that could serve as a guide to a better life. How this view of the world came to be, and how we lost it (or turned away from it) on the way to becoming modern, make for a fascinating story, told in a highly accessible manner by Rémi Brague in this wide-ranging cultural history. Before the Greeks, people thought human action was required to maintain the order of the universe and so conducted rituals and sacrifices to renew and restore it. But beginning with the Hellenic Age, the universe came to be seen as existing quite apart from human action and possessing, therefore, a kind of wisdom that humanity did not. Wearing his remarkable erudition lightly, Brague traces the many ways this universal wisdom has been interpreted over the centuries, from the time of ancient Egypt to the modern era. Socratic and Muslim philosophers, Christian theologians and Jewish Kabbalists all believed that questions about the workings of the world and the meaning of life were closely intertwined and that an understanding of cosmology was crucial to making sense of human ethics. Exploring the fate of this concept in the modern day, Brague shows how modernity stripped the universe of its sacred and philosophical wisdom, transforming it into an ethically indifferent entity that no longer serves as a model for human morality. Encyclopedic and yet intimate, The Wisdom of the World offers the best sort of history: broad, learned, and completely compelling. Brague opens a window onto systems of thought radically different from our own.

The Story of the Middle Ages

The Story of the Middle Ages PDF Author: Samuel Bannister Harding
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Middle Ages
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description


Classical Myths and Legends in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

Classical Myths and Legends in the Middle Ages and Renaissance PDF Author: H. David Brumble
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136797386
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 480

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Book Description
While numerous classical dictionaries identify the figures and tales of Greek and Roman mythology, this reference book explains the allegorical significance attached to the myths by Medieval and Renaissance authors. Included are several hundred alphabetically arranged entries for the gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines, and places of classical myth and legend. Each entry includes a brief account of the myth, with reference to the Greek and Latin sources. The entry then discusses how Medieval and Renaissance commentators interpreted the myth, and how poets, dramatists, and artists employed the allegory in their art. Each entry includes a bibliography and the volume concludes with appendices and an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources.

Curious Myths of the Middle Ages

Curious Myths of the Middle Ages PDF Author: Sabine Baring-Gould
Publisher: London : Rivingtons
ISBN:
Category : Folklore
Languages : en
Pages : 680

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Book Description


Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages

Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages PDF Author: H. A. Guerber
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 048627862X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 465

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Book Description
Medieval romance and other kinds of myth and legend from the Middle Ages offer a heady mix of Christian and pagan elements, reflecting both the passing of an ancient culture and the arrival of a new order. Not purely legend, not really history, these wonderful stories often involve pagan heroes reshaped to fit tales of knighthood and Christian endeavor. 36 illustrations.

Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages

Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages PDF Author: H. A. Guerber
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 560

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Book Description


Misconceptions About the Middle Ages

Misconceptions About the Middle Ages PDF Author: Stephen Harris
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135986673
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
Brought together by an impressive, international array of contributors this book presents a representative study of some of the many misinterpretations that have evolved concerning the medieval period.

The Legend of the Middle Ages

The Legend of the Middle Ages PDF Author: Rémi Brague
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022679721X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
This volume presents a penetrating interview and sixteen essays that explore key intersections of medieval religion and philosophy. With characteristic erudition and insight, RémiBrague focuses less on individual Christian, Jewish, and Muslim thinkers than on their relationships with one another. Their disparate philosophical worlds, Brague shows, were grounded in different models of revelation that engendered divergent interpretations of the ancient Greek sources they held in common. So, despite striking similarities in their solutions for the philosophical problems they all faced, intellectuals in each theological tradition often viewed the others’ ideas with skepticism, if not disdain. Brague’s portrayal of this misunderstood age brings to life not only its philosophical and theological nuances, but also lessons for our own time.

The Idea of the Book in the Middle Ages

The Idea of the Book in the Middle Ages PDF Author: Jesse Gellrich
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1501740725
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 462

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Book Description
This book assess the relationship of literature to various other cultural forms in the Middle Ages. Jesse M. Gellrich uses the insights of such thinkers as Levi-Strauss, Foucault, Barthes, and Derrida to explore the continuity of medieval ideas about speaking, writing, and texts.

The Fantasy of the Middle Ages

The Fantasy of the Middle Ages PDF Author: Larisa Grollemond
Publisher: Getty Publications
ISBN: 1606067583
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 150

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Book Description
This abundantly illustrated book is an illuminating exploration of the impact of medieval imagery on three hundred years of visual culture. From the soaring castles of Sleeping Beauty to the bloody battles of Game of Thrones, from Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings to mythical beasts in Dungeons & Dragons, and from Medieval Times to the Renaissance Faire, the Middle Ages have inspired artists, playwrights, filmmakers, gamers, and writers for centuries. Indeed, no other historical era has captured the imaginations of so many creators. This volume aims to uncover the many reasons why the Middle Ages have proven so flexible—and applicable—to a variety of modern moments from the eighteenth through the twenty-first century. These “medieval” worlds are often the perfect ground for exploring contemporary cultural concerns and anxieties, saying much more about the time and place in which they were created than they do about the actual conditions of the medieval period. With over 140 color illustrations, from sources ranging from thirteenth-century illuminated manuscripts to contemporary films and video games, and a preface by Game of Thrones costume designer Michele Clapton, The Fantasy of the Middle Ages will surprise and delight both enthusiasts and scholars. This title is published to accompany an exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center from June 21–September 11, 2022.