In Search of the Good Life

To whom should we look for moral guidance during times of global violence, scarcity, and corruption? For two millennia, Aristotle's writings have taught that the ethically 'good life' is the highest purpose of human existence. In In Search of the Good Life, renowned philosopher Fred Dallmayr traces the development of this notion, illuminating the connections between Greek philosophy, Judeo-Christian tradition, Eastern religions, and postindustrial social criticism. Dallmayr searches the writings of Bonaventure, Nicolaus of Cusa, Leibniz, Montesquieu, and others, for models of the good life. In Search of the Good Life, however, is not merely an academic exercise. Dallmayr's investigations apply directly to a number of contemporary issues: the relevance of the classics, the global spread of democracy, appropriate responses to evil, and the public role of religion in a democracy. Dallmayr reinvigorates the notion of the good life as a hallmark of personal conduct, civic virtue, and political engagement, seeking to roust a complacent and self-indulgent citizenry out of a fog of modern amusements and distractions.

The great German novelist Thomas Mann implored readers to resist the persistent and growing militarism of the mid-twentieth century. To whom should we turn for guidance during this current era of global violence, political corruption, economic inequality, and environmental degradation? For more than two millennia, the world's great thinkers have held that the ethically "good life" is the highest purpose of human existence. Renowned political philosopher Fred Dallmayr traces the development of this notion, finding surprising connections among Aristotelian ethics, Abrahamic and Eastern religious traditions, German idealism, and postindustrial social criticism.

In Search of the Good Life does not offer a blueprint but rather invites readers on a cross-cultural quest. Along the way, the author discusses the teachings of Aristotle, Confucius, Nicolaus of Cusa, Leibniz, and Schiller, in addition invoking more recent writings of Gadamer and Ricoeur, as guideposts and sources of hope during our troubled times. Among contemporary themes Dallmayr discusses are the role of the classics in education, proper and improper ways of spreading democracy globally, the possibility of transnational citizenship, the problem of politicized evil, and the role of religion in our predominantly secular culture.

Dallmayr restores the notion of the good life as a hallmark of personal conduct, civic virtue, and political engagement, and as the road map to enduring peace. In Search of the Good Life seeks to arouse complacent and dispirited citizens, guiding them out of the distractions of shallow amusements and perilous resentments in the direction of mutual learning and civic pedagogy—a direction that will enable them to impose accountability on political leaders who stray from fundamental ethical standards.

Preface
Introduction
Being in the World: A Moving Feast
Cosmopolitanism
After Babel: Journeying toward Cosmopolis
Humanizing Humanity: Education for World Citizenship
Ethics and International Politics: A Response
Befriending the Stranger: Beyond the Global Politics of Fear
The Body Politic: Fortunes and Misfortunes of a Concept
A Secular Age? Reflections on Taylor and Panikkar
Post-Secularity and (Global) Politics: A Need for Radical Redefinition
Political Self-Rule: Gandhi and the Future of Democracy
Radical Changes in the Muslim World: Turkey, Iran, Egypt
Opening the Doors of Interpretation: In Memory of Abu Zayd and Mohammed al-Jabri
Beyond Multiculturalism? For Bhikhu Parekh
Cosmopolitan Confucianism? Chinese Traditions and Dialogue
The Complexity of Difference: Comments on Zhang Longxi
Dialogue in Practice: Conversation with Members of a "Youth Forum"