"Divine Madness": Plato's Case Against Secular Humanism [Paperback]

Josef Pieper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1995

The popular Thomistic philosopher and writer Josef Pieper focuses on the thesis of Plato, which at first sight appears strange and unrealistic, that those experiences that advance human life to its true fullness are bestowed on us only during a "god-given" state of "being-beside-oneself". This thesis is then resolutely confronted with our contemporary and above all psychoanalytical knowledge of man's nature, as well as with the Christian conception of man's existence, thus revealing its amazing unexpected relevance.

"Man's real spiritual patrimony is achieved and preserved only through a willingly accepted openness: openness for divine revelation, for the salutary pain of catharsis, for the recollecting power of the fine arts, for the emotional shock brought about by eros and caritas-in short, through the attitude rooted in the mysterious experience that Plato called theia mania."

Josef Pieper

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Paperback: 59 pages
• Publisher: Ignatius Press (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898705576
• ISBN-13: 978-0898705577
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #603,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Ancient
  • #79 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Greek & Roman

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pieper on being authentic, May 9, 2001

By 

Neri "Neri" (Himeji, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: "Divine Madness": Plato's Case Against Secular Humanism (Paperback)

Pieper's interpretation of Plato's late Dialogue Phaedrus, and how Plato's views of where and how divine inspiration comes about, or what he calls "being-beside-oneself". Of all of Pieper's books I have read, thus far, none conjured up similarities of thought to Von Eschenbach's "Parzival", or Joseph campbell, or Allan Watts as this book does. His discription of the complications of staying in the state of "being-besides-oneself" may be the sort of advice Parzival might have used on his first experience of being in the Grail Castle; or, for that matter, for a surfer riding a wave. Pieper says the trouble is, "He can on condition (of being-besides-oneself) that when recieving the impetus born of emotion, he accepts and sustains it in lasting purity. In this context the possibilities of corruption, adulteration, dissimulation, pretension, and psuedo-actualization lie dangeriously close." It reminds me of Joseph Campbell saying "the privilidge of a life-time is being who you are"; or Allan Watts discussing the benifits of living in spontaneity, trusting in one's first thoughts, without the duelistic inner voice of self-doubt that makes one a splintered person; or, for that matter, "The Force"; or, further, the Kaballa's admiration of chaos; or Albert Camus' facination with the absurd. Pieper, in a nutshell, states that this divinely inspired "being-besides-oneself" may come from an unforseen act of chaos or "ecstatic frenzy"; or submission to god, creation; or Poetic mania; or beauty (of a very specific nature). Peiper, seemed to be saying, that like the Holy Grail, this "being-besides-oneslef" is a difficult thing to find if one is, on the whole, consciously looking for it. Pieper seemed to struggle to find a voice for this book, and it didn't seem entirely complete, thus the 4 stars.

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring book, May 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: "Divine Madness": Plato's Case Against Secular Humanism (Paperback)

This is a short essay on the real location of happiness. Pieper writes this book in a sofisticated way (perhaps is the translation) but his ideas are clear and deep.