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The esteemed French philosopher Pierre Hadot’s final work, now available in English.
With a foreword by Arnold I. Davidson and Daniele Lorenzini.
In his final book, renowned philosopher Pierre Hadot explores Goethe’s relationship with ancient spiritual exercises—transformative acts of intellect, imagination, or will. Goethe sought both an intense experience of the present moment as well as a kind of cosmic consciousness, both of which are rooted in ancient philosophical practices. These practices shaped Goethe’s audacious contrast to the traditional maxim memento mori (Don’t forget that you will die) with the aim of transforming our ordinary consciousness. Ultimately, Hadot reveals how Goethe cultivated a deep love for life that brings to the forefront a new maxim: Don’t forget to live.
Translator’s Introduction
Preface
1. “The Present Is the Only Goddess I Adore”
Faust and Helen
The Present, the Trivial, and the Ideal
Idyllic Arcadia
Unconscious Health or Conquered Serenity?
The Philosophical Experience of the Present
The Tradition of Ancient Philosophy in Goethe
The Present, the Instant, and Being-There in Goethe
2. The View from Above and the Cosmic Journey
The Instant and the View from Above
The View from Above in Antiquity: Peaks and Flight of the Imagination
The Philosophical Meaning of the View from Above among Ancient Philosophers
The Medieval and Modern Tradition
The Various Forms of the View from Above in Goethe
The View from Above after Goethe
Aeronauts and Cosmonauts
3. The Wings of Hope: The Urworte
Daimôn, Tukhê
Daimôn, Tukhê, Eros, Anankê, and Elpis
Human Destiny
Autobiographical Aspects?
The Caduceus
Elpis, Hope
4. The Yes to Life and the World
Great Is the Joy of Being-There (Freude des Daseins)
Greater Still Is the Joy One Feels in Existence Itself (Freude am Dasein)
The Yes to Becoming and the Terrifying
Goethe and Nietzsche
Conclusion
Translator’s Note
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Description
The esteemed French philosopher Pierre Hadot’s final work, now available in English.
With a foreword by Arnold I. Davidson and Daniele Lorenzini.
In his final book, renowned philosopher Pierre Hadot explores Goethe’s relationship with ancient spiritual exercises—transformative acts of intellect, imagination, or will. Goethe sought both an intense experience of the present moment as well as a kind of cosmic consciousness, both of which are rooted in ancient philosophical practices. These practices shaped Goethe’s audacious contrast to the traditional maxim memento mori (Don’t forget that you will die) with the aim of transforming our ordinary consciousness. Ultimately, Hadot reveals how Goethe cultivated a deep love for life that brings to the forefront a new maxim: Don’t forget to live.
