All the great ideals that gave life meaning in earlier societies - God, the nation, revolution, freedom, democracy - are in disarray today, questioned by many and rejected by those who have lost faith in them. But there is another value, rooted in the birth of the modern family and in the passage from traditional to modern marriage, that has transformed our lives in profound and often unrecognized ways: love. It affects not only our personal lives but many aspects of our social and collective life too, from art and education to politics. In this book Luc Ferry shows how the quiet rise of love as the central value in modern societies has created a new principle of meaning and a new definition of the good life that requires a completely different kind of philosophical thinking. It forms the basis for a new philosophy for the twenty-first century and a new kind of humanism for the modern world - not a humanism of reason and rights, but a humanism of solidarity and sympathy. The ideal that this new humanism realizes is no longer that of nationalisms and revolutions, of the perpetrating of organized violence in the name of deadly principles that are pursued over and above humanity. Rather, it is about preparing and ensuring a future for those we love most: our future generations.
Has inquiry into the meaning of life become outmoded in a universe where the other-worldiness of religion no longer speaks to us as it once did, or, as Nietzsche proposed, where we are now the creators of our own value? Has the ancient question of the "good life" disappeared, another victim of the technological world? For Luc Ferry, the answer to both questions is a resounding no. In What Is the Good Life? Ferry argues that the question of the meaning of life, on which much philosophical debate throughout the centuries has rested, has not vanished, but at the very least the question is posed differently today. Ferry points out the pressures in our secularized world that tend to reduce the idea of a successful life or "good life" to one of wealth, career satisfaction, and prestige. Without deserting the secular presuppositions of our world, he shows that we can give ourselves a richer sense of life's possibilities. The "good life" consists of harmonizing life's different forces in a way that enables one to achieve a sense of personal satisfaction in the realization of one's creative abilities.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER "Ferry's openness, energy, and charm as a teacher burst through on every page." —Wall Street Journal From the timeless wisdom of the ancient Greeks to Christianity, the Enlightenment, existentialism, and postmodernism, Luc Ferry’s instant classic brilliantly and accessibly explains the enduring teachings of philosophy—including its profound relevance to modern daily life and its essential role in achieving happiness and living a meaningful life. This lively journey through the great thinkers will enlighten every reader, young and old.
What happens when the meaning of life based on a divine revelation no longer makes sense? Does the quest for transcendence end in the pursuit of material success and self-absorption? Luc Ferry argues that modernity and the emergence of secular humanism in Europe since the eighteenth century have not killed the search for meaning and the sacred, or even the idea of God, but rather have transformed both through a dual process: the humanization of the divine and the divinization of the human. Ferry sees evidence for the first of these in the Catholic Church's attempts to counter the growing rejection of dogmatism and to translate the religious tradition into contemporary language. The second he traces to the birth of modern love and humanitarianism, both of which demand a concern for others and even self-sacrifice in defense of values that transcend life itself. Ferry concludes with a powerful statement in favor of what he calls "transcendental humanism"—a concept that for the first time in human history gives us access to a genuine spirituality rooted in human beings instead of the divine.
Is ecology in the process of becoming the object of our contemporary passions, in the same way that Fascism was in the 30s, or Communism under Stalin? In The New Ecological Order, Luc Ferry offers a penetrating critique of the ideological root of the "Deep Ecology" movement spreading throughout the United States, Germany, and France. Traditional ecological movements, or "democratic ecology," seek to protect the environment of human societies; they are pragmatic and reformist. But another movement has become the refuge both of nostalgic counterrevolutionaries and of leftist illusions. This is "deep ecology." Its followers go beyond practical critique of human greed and waste: they call into question the very possibility of human coexistence with nature. Ferry launches his critique by examining early European legal cases concerning the status and rights of animals, including a few notorious cases where animals were brought to trial, found guilty, and publicly hanged. He then demonstrates that German Romanticism embraced certain key ideas of the deep ecology movement concerning the protection of animals and the environment. Later adopted by the Nazis, many of these ideas point to a profoundly antihumanistic component of deep ecology that is compatible with totalitarianism. Ferry shows how deep ecology casts aside all the gains of human autonomy since the Enlightenment. Far from denying our "duty in relation to nature," The New Ecological Order offers a bracing caution - against the dangers of environmental claims and, more important, against the threat to democracy contained in the deep ecology doctrine when pushed to its extreme.
Can subjective, individual taste be reconciled with an objective, universal standard? In Homo Aestheticus, Luc Ferry argues that this central problem of aesthetic theory is fundamentally related to the political problem of democratic individualism. Ferry's treatise begins in the mid-1600s with the simultaneous invention of the notions of taste (the essence of art as subjective pleasure) and modern democracy (the idea of the State as a consensus among individuals). He explores the differences between subjectivity and individuality by examining aesthetic theory as developed first by Kant's predecessors and then by Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, and proponents of the avant-garde. Ferry discerns two "moments" of the avant-garde aesthetic: the hyperindividualistic iconoclasm of creating something entirely new, and the hyperrealistic striving to achieve an extraordinary truth. The tension between these two, Ferry argues, preserves an essential element of the Enlightenment concern for reconciling the subjective and the objective—a problem that is at once aesthetic, ethical, and political. Rejecting postmodern proposals for either a radical break with or return to tradition, Ferry embraces a postmodernism that recasts Enlightenment notions of value as a new intersubjectivity. His original analysis of the growth and decline of the twentieth-century avant-garde movement sheds new light on the connections between aesthetics, ethics, and political theory.
“A marvelously wise and expansive book. . . . Ferry writes with warmth, wit, and energy; one could call his prose conversational, but it’s rare to have a conversation quite this wonderful.” — Boston Globe A fascinating journey through Greek mythology that explains the myths' timeless lessons and meaning Heroes, gods, and mortals. The Greek myths are the founding narratives of Western civilization: to understand them is to know the origins of philosophy, literature, art, science, law, and more. Indeed, as Luc Ferry shows in this masterful book, they remain a great store of wisdom, as relevant to our lives today as ever before. No mere legends or clichés ("Herculean task," "Pandora's box," "Achilles heel," etc.), these classic stories offer profound and manifold lessons, providing the first sustained attempt to answer fundamental human questions concerning "the good life," the burden of mortality, and how to find one's place in the world. Vividly retelling the great tales of mythology and illuminating fresh new ways of understanding them, The Wisdom of the Myths will enlighten readers of all ages.
Because contemporary political philosophy owes a significant debt to the great nineteenth-century German philosophies of history, a sound knowledge of German Idealist philosophy is crucial to an understanding of our own time. In Political Philosophy 2, Luc Ferry provides not only a thorough introduction to German Idealism and its critics, but also an insightful look at contemporary political philosophy. Ferry begins this second volume of his ambitious three-volume Political Philosophy by considering both the structure and the potential political effects of the various philosophies of history born of German Idealism. He focuses on the key question of whether, and to what extent, the principle of reason may be said to govern the totality of the historically real. This leads to an examination of Hegel's criticism of the moral view of the world and to an assessment of the phenomenological criticism of Hegel put forth by Heidegger and Arendt.
In recent years, an increasing number of thinkers have grown suspicious of the Enlightenment ideals of progress, reason, and freedom. These critics, many inspired by Martin Heidegger, have attacked modern philosophy's attempt to ground a vision of the world upon the liberty of the human subject. Pointing to the rise of totalitarian regimes in this century, they argue that the Enlightenment has promoted the enslavement of human beings rather than their freedom. In this first of four volumes that aim to revitalize the fundamental values of modern political thought, one of the leading figures in the contemporary revival of liberalism in France responds to these critics and offers a philosophically cogent defense of a humanistic modernity. Luc Ferry reexamines the philosopical basis of the contemporary retreat from the Enlightenment and then suggests his own alternative, which defends the ideals of modernity while giving due consideration to the objections of the critics.
What is the common element linking the right to health care and the right of free speech, the right to leisure and the right of free association, the right to work and the right to be protected? Debates on the rights of man abound in the media today, but all too often they remain confused and fail to recognize the fundamental political conceptions on which they hinge. Several French theorists have recently attempted a new account of rights, one that would replace the discredited Marxist view of rights as mere formalities concealing the realities of class domination. In this final volume of Political Philosophy, Luc Ferry and Alain Renaut summarize these efforts and put forward their own set of arguments.
From the ordered universe of the ancient Greeks to the shadows of Nietzsche's nineteenth century, LEARNING TO LIVE shakes the dust from the history of philosophy and takes us on a fascinating journey through more than two millennia of humanity's search for understanding - of the world around us and of each other. Both a sparkling and accessible history of Western thought, and a courageous dissection of how religion and philosophy have converged and clashed through the ages, Luc Ferry's blueprint for a new humanism challenges every one of us to learn to think for ourselves, and asks us the most important question of all: how can we live better?
« Ô malheureuse enfant d'un père malheureux ! » Bravant l’interdit du roi de Thèbes, Antigone, fille d’Œdipe, choisit d’enterrer son frère rebelle, s’exposant ainsi à la peine de mort. Il n’y a pour elle aucune alternative : elle ne fait qu’accomplir son devoir et prouve ainsi sa loyauté envers son parent et les dieux. Mais le roi Créon, son propre oncle, n’a lui pas l’intention de bafouer la loi des hommes, et condamne de fait sa nièce... La collection « La Sagesse des mythes » accueille ce texte fondateur de la philosophie qui illustre, selon le mot de Hegel, le conflit inéluctable et tragique de deux personnages « unilatéraux », c’est-à-dire légitimes dans leurs vues mais incapables de comprendre, ou en tout cas d’accepter, le point de vue de l’autre.
Since its publication in France in 1985, this critique of the main currents in contemporary French thought has prompted debate over the character of postmodern philosophy. Luc Ferry and Alain Renaut offer sociopolitical analysis of the May 1968 student uprising in France, explore the connection between the revolt and the rise of postmodern thought, and question whether student dissent was a genuine humanist reaction to conditions in France at that time.
Works by legendary artists from the Carmignac Collection. A private collection is an account of an individual's passion and reveals something of its owner's personality. Composed of around 250 works by leading artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Martial Raysse, Gerhard Richter and Ed Ruscha, the Carmignac Collection is also an open dialogue with emerging art scenes and contemporary creation by artists like Zhang Huan and Korakrit Arunanondchai. First exhibited in the offices of Carmignac Gestion, and now shared with the public at the Fondation Carmignac's premises in Porquerolles, the collection belonging to �douard Carmignac has provoked its viewers since its inception in the early 1980s. In this volume Nicolas Bourriaud, Luc Ferry, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Camille Morineau, Catherine Millet and David Cronenberg lead you through six of its key themes: The Great Game; Shocks and Freedom; Heritage; Perception Introspection; Contemporary Mythologies; Trangression and Sex.
From the ordered universe of the ancient Greeks to the shadows of Nietzsche's nineteenth century, LEARNING TO LIVE shakes the dust from the history of philosophy and takes us on a fascinating journey through more than two millennia of humanity's search for understanding - of the world around us and of each other. Both a sparkling and accessible history of Western thought, and a courageous dissection of how religion and philosophy have converged and clashed through the ages, Luc Ferry's blueprint for a new humanism challenges every one of us to learn to think for ourselves, and asks us the most important question of all: how can we live better?
A staple for paddlers.... [The Packraft Handbook has] now become the bible for outdoor recreators taking their inflatable rafts into the backcountry." ― Anchorage Daily News 2021 National Outdoor Book Award Winner in Outdoor Adventure Guides 2022 Banff Mountain Book Competition Guidebook Winner Alaska-based author is a leading expert on wilderness travel Emphasis on skill progression and safety applies to wide range of outdoor water recreation Vibrant illustrations and photos inform and inspire The Packraft Handbook is a comprehensive guide to packrafting, with a strong emphasis on skill progression and safety. Readers will learn to maneuver through river features and open water, mitigate risk with trip planning and boat control, and how to react when things go wrong. Beginners will find everything they need to know to get started--from packraft care to proper paddling position as well as what to wear and how to communicate. Illustrated for visual learners and featuring stunning photography, The Packraft Handbook has something to offer all packrafters and other whitewater sports enthusiasts.
In recent years, an increasing number of thinkers have grown suspicious of the Enlightenment ideals of progress, reason, and freedom. These critics, many inspired by Martin Heidegger, have attacked modern philosophy's attempt to ground a vision of the world upon the liberty of the human subject. Pointing to the rise of totalitarian regimes in this century, they argue that the Enlightenment has promoted the enslavement of human beings rather than their freedom. In this first of four volumes that aim to revitalize the fundamental values of modern political thought, one of the leading figures in the contemporary revival of liberalism in France responds to these critics and offers a philosophically cogent defense of a humanistic modernity. Luc Ferry reexamines the philosopical basis of the contemporary retreat from the Enlightenment and then suggests his own alternative, which defends the ideals of modernity while giving due consideration to the objections of the critics.
A vital and underappreciated dimension of social interaction is the way individuals justify their actions to others, instinctively drawing on their experience to appeal to principles they hope will command respect. Individuals, however, often misread situations, and many disagreements can be explained by people appealing, knowingly and unknowingly, to different principles. On Justification is the first English translation of Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot's ambitious theoretical examination of these phenomena, a book that has already had a huge impact on French sociology and is likely to have a similar influence in the English-speaking world. In this foundational work of post-Bourdieu sociology, the authors examine a wide range of situations where people justify their actions. The authors argue that justifications fall into six main logics exemplified by six authors: civic (Rousseau), market (Adam Smith), industrial (Saint-Simon), domestic (Bossuet), inspiration (Augustine), and fame (Hobbes). The authors show how these justifications conflict, as people compete to legitimize their views of a situation. On Justification is likely to spark important debates across the social sciences.
Dans Réflexions Stratégiques sur Haïti: Sauvons un Patrimoine Universel en Péril, Luc Rémy offre une remarquable lecture haïtiano-centriste de la Politique Internationale. Il la construit autour de trois points clé : 1. le cadeau de la Révolution haïtienne d'une espèce humaine nouvelle à l'Histoire universelle; 2. l'éternel contentieux occidentalo-haïtien et le péril sur la Nation; 3. la prise en charge indispensable. Le premier point présente le prototype de l'homme nouveau ; il est anti-esclavage, anti-colonie, anti-métropole, anti-impérialiste, antiracisme, antiségrégationniste, etc. Par cette création humaniste suprême, Haïti s'est érigée en Patrimoine universel. Ce beau et sublime péché contre le standard international de l'époque a généré et entretient encore le contentieux : dans la conscience, l'inconscient et l'imaginaire collectifs des pouvoirs d'État de l'Occident, Haïti est un ennemi barbare et inconciliable. Servi par nos alliances internationales patricides, le triomphe du modèle diplomatique jeffersonien et talleyrandien, d'essence raciste et revancharde -aux dépens de l'adamien-, le veut ainsi. Haïti est donc un obstacle permanent à la conscience et buts traditionnels récurrents de l'ordre international hégémonique. Il faut toujours la "tenir en laisse" et la réduire à sa plus simple expression (serait-ce jusqu'à la solution f ?). Embargo, tutelle et occupation continus par des forces étrangères, élimination des Haïtiens, spoliation et sabotage du patrimoine national, tout concourt au retour à la barbarie (l'esclavage) par l'exploitation de notre sol et de nos massives mines Le péril n'est pas seulement contre Haïti! La construction d'un leadership national capable et humaniste s'impose.
The Killing Tide by Jean-Luc Bannalec is the fifth novel in the internationally bestselling Commissaire Dupin series. Deep sea fishers, dolphin researchers, smugglers, and an island shrouded in myth in the middle of the rough Atlantic ocean: Commissaire Dupin had sworn he would never again investigate on the ocean, but his fifth case takes him offshore, off the west coast of Brittany on a beautifully sunny day in June. He lands on the unique Île de Sein, populated by more rabbits than people, where the hairdresser arrives by boat and which was formerly inhabited by powerful witches and even the devil himself. In front of this impressive backdrop—between the islands of Molène, Ouessant, and the bay of Douarnenez—Dupin and his team follow a puzzling case that pushes them to their very limits.
For British playwright, John Osborne, there are no brave causes; only people who muddle through life, who hurt, and are often hurt in return. This study deals with Osborne's complete oeuvre and critically examines its form and technique; the function of the gaze; its construction of gender; and the relationship between Osborne's life and work. Gilleman has also traced the evolution of Osborne's reception by turning to critical reviews at the beginning of each chapter.
This book provides readers with fresh new theoretical tools to better understand how sociopolitical actors (from governmental institutions to ecological NGOs; from local residents to multinational companies) clash about transport initiatives. It questions both the dominant understanding of what is geopolitics and conventional conceptions in transport geography used by transport planners. Drawing on a structuralist approach and addressing the capital notion of 'political control of mobility', it demonstrates how transport geopolitics, by being more inclusive of all modes of transport and all scales of analysis, may help prepare transport diplomacy in a time of critical global and local turbulences. It offers a valuable resource for research and teaching in the fields of transport studies, land-use planning, conflict studies, human geography and politics, presenting insightful theoretical material and concrete transport conflict examples to support teaching about territorial conflicts, political governance and transport political geography.
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