Customer Reviews

Five Moral Pieces

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

These are five essays previously written by Eco for various publications. Most of them are of interest to those who study European politics and cultural life. If you are not interested in the Italian press or post WWII Facism in Europe and are not familiar with some of the well known players, parts of these essays will make no sense to you.

However, the first essay, "Reflections on War," is worth the price. This essay was written about the first "gulf" war in Kuwait. Reading in now in a post-Iraq war frame is even more interesting. Eco predicts the neo-conservative view that active imposition of democracy by the developed nations will begin to occur in the middle east and elsewhere and he gives some brillant insight into this thinking.

The other essays have thoughts worth reading even if the topics are not your cup of tea. Like all of Eco's work, this is highly readable and not at all obtuse.

While the book is on the pricey side, it contains some extremely relevant thought pieces for our world today.

The essays are meant to provoke further thinking on the subjects rather than provide any pat answers.

The essays on immigration and intolerance and the characteristics of fascism are particularly worth reading.

Had to read these essays in college for an English class and the message within them stay with me still.

This is not the insight of American and it's not about American politics or history so there may be very obscure references that you may not know about but they do not cloud the message at all, so worry not. These are essays about, you guessed it, morality and ethics from the perspective of a well-respected intellectual.
Don't expect anything more than essays and you'll be fine. A bit of forewarning on my part for anyone looking to buy this.

The price is a bit steep at nearly $13 for a book that you can read in one sitting frankly. I wouldn't recommend buying it for the price, you can pick it up used for far cheaper. Mind you, I'm not saying this to cheapen the writing but in this day and age, $13 for a tiny collection of essays is ridiculous.

But this is one of those books that you'll always keep around and drag out now and then to give it a quick read, to reflect upon his well-constructed and brilliant arguments about things like compassion, history, and war. And why morality is a universal concept that is rational and with a reach that encompasses the world.

One of my favorite little 'books' by a very great mind.

Umberto Eco is a really fascinating semiotician, philosopher, and literary critic. I really loved three essays of this book: "Reflections on War", "When the Other Appears on the Scene", and "Ur-Fascism". Each one touches an important subject that was valid when he wrote, and it is also very current. I really recommend this book.

My wife gave me this book as a gift. I love Eco's writings, so I immediately began reading these essays. Be forewarned - if you are an Eco fan, you have probably already seen parts of this book. One of the essays was even included in last year's Belief or Nonbelief?

Wait for the paperback or check this out at the library. Unless you're giving it as a gift, Five Moral Pieces isn't worth the price.

I am a long time fan of Eco's non-fiction. The pieces were not billed as being related and they certainly aren't. They should have merely lived their short lives as speeches and newspaper articles and not been bound. For the Eco collector, go to original texts, not these translations.