On Moderation: Defending an Ancient Virtue in a Modern World [Paperback]

Harry Clor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008

Moderation suffers in today's culture of excesses. In resuscitating this discarded virtue, Harry Clor unveils the intrinsic power of moderation to influence and engage, from the public square to the deeply personal. A mature book from a senior scholar, On Moderation answers critics of this misunderstood value, demonstrating its continued relevance to human flourishing.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Is moderation inspiring? After reading this lucid, profound book, your answer will be yes. Harry Clor flings a tightrope across the abyss of modern thought, then shows how excess, that clumsy beast, is bound to fall, while moderation, sure-footed as the author himself, crosses lightly and gracefully to wisdom. --Martha Bayles, Lecturer, Arts and Sciences Honors Program, Boston College

Balanced, widely informed, gracefully written, and exhibiting a generous spirit... Recommended. General readers through research faculty. --CHOICE

On Moderation is a sublime gem. Harry Clor has taken an old yet neglected virtue--moderation--and given it a fully modern analysis, treating its political, personal, and philosophical dimensions. Readers will be dazzled by the depth of the argument, even as they are calmed by the sobriety of its message. --James Ceaser, Professor of Politics at the University of Virginia

About the Author

Harry Clor (Ph.D. University of Chicago) is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Kenyon College. He is the author of: Public Morality and Liberal Society: Essays on Decency, Law, and Pornography (1996), The Mass Media and Modern Democracy: Essays (1974), and Obscenity and Public Morality: Censorship in a Liberal Society (1971).

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Baylor University Press (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160258155X
• ISBN-13: 978-1602581555
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,446,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moderation, November 19, 2008

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George I. Greene (Chappaqua, New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: On Moderation: Defending an Ancient Virtue in a Modern World (Paperback)

First, I should write an acknowledgement. I was a student of Professor Clor at Kenyon College in the fall of 1977. He lectured on Plato and Aristotle.

I enjoyed reading this book. Professor Clor seeks to find a place for moderation as a virtue in modernity. He explores it as a political, individual and philosophic virtue. With his philosophic cast of mind, he is open to explore alternate arguments. He has a real rather than an armchair grasp of the passions and why moderation is needed for self-mastery. One can see that he has deliberated long and hard recognizing both the power of passions and the troubles that they may cause if left unchecked.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This little gem of a book demonstrates what it means to be thoughtful., April 14, 2009

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E3 "E3" - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Moderation: Defending an Ancient Virtue in a Modern World (Paperback)

This new book by Harry Clor is a book for thoughtful people who long to read, or learn how to reflect on, controversial topics by the light of reason and sensibility. MODERATION models the post-partisan discussion that President Obama espouses...it illuminates a path to civility. Clor has written this book in the manner of his teaching: carefully exploring a variety of perspectives and/or ojections to a theses.

Full disclosure: I, too, was a Political Science student of Professor Clor's in 1983-85. His teaching regarding the ancient's understanding of the soul continues to inform my practice as a psychotherapist.