Ars Vitae: The Fate of Inwardness and the Return of the Ancient Arts of Living

Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn's book Ars Vitae explores the renewed interest in ancient philosophical thought in contemporary American culture, probing whether new stirrings of Gnosticism, Stoicism, Epicureanism, Cynicism, and Platonism present a true alternative to our current therapeutic culture. She argues that ancient philosophies can provide a moral framework for living that allows us to move forward toward the life we want and need.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2023
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press

Despite the abundance of self-help guides and our contemporary therapeutic culture, feelings of alienation and spiritual longing persist in modern society. In this book, Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn presents a novel solution: a return to classical philosophy and the cultivation of an inner life.

The ancient Roman philosopher Cicero famously declared that philosophy is ars vitae, the art of living. Today, signs of stress and duress indicate a profound crisis for individuals and communities, while our current modes of understanding our lives fall short. However, amidst this era of alienation and spiritual longing, there are glimpses of a renewed interest in ancient approaches to the art of living.

In this ambitious and timely book, Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn engages both general readers and scholars in the exploration of well-being. She examines the resurgence of ancient philosophical thought in contemporary American culture, questioning whether new stirrings of Gnosticism, Stoicism, Epicureanism, Cynicism, and Platonism offer a genuine alternative to our current therapeutic culture of self-help and consumerism, which prioritizes self-needs and desires but fails to deliver on promises of happiness and healing.

Do the ancient philosophies constitute a counter-tradition to our modern culture, heralding a new cultural vibrancy, or do they merely reinforce a modern way of life that lacks appreciation for inwardness—the cultivation of an inner life—stemming from those older traditions? Tracing the contours of this cultural resurgence and examining a diverse range of sources, from scholarly research to self-help manuals, films, and other artifacts of popular culture, this book views the various schools as interconnected and asks whether, taken together, they can guide us in significant new directions.

Ars Vitae resounds as a clarion call, urging us to embrace the timeless wisdom of classical philosophy and nurture our inner selves in the face of contemporary challenges.

Weight: 878g
Dimension: 229 x 154 x 37 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780268108908