Only a Promise of Happiness: The Place of Beauty in a World of Art by Nehamas, Alexander
Only a Promise of Happiness: The Place of Beauty in a World of Art by Nehamas, Alexander

Only a Promise of Happiness: The Place of Beauty in a World of Art

Neither art nor philosophy was kind to beauty during the twentieth century. Much modern art disdains beauty,...
HK$404.47
HK$404.47
SKU: 9780691177601
Product Type: Books
Please hurry! Only 18 left in stock
Author: Alexander Nehamas
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Subtotal: $404.47
10 customers are viewing this product
Only a Promise of Happiness: The Place of Beauty in a World of Art by Nehamas, Alexander

Only a Promise of Happiness: The Place of Beauty in a World of Art

$404.47
Only a Promise of Happiness: The Place of Beauty in a World of Art by Nehamas, Alexander

Only a Promise of Happiness: The Place of Beauty in a World of Art

$404.47
Author: Alexander Nehamas
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Description

Neither art nor philosophy was kind to beauty during the twentieth century. Much modern art disdains beauty, and many philosophers deeply suspect that beauty merely paints over or distracts us from horrors. Intellectuals consigned the passions of beauty to the margins, replacing them with the anemic and rarefied alternative, "aesthetic pleasure." In Only a Promise of Happiness, Alexander Nehamas reclaims beauty from its critics. He seeks to restore its place in art, to reestablish the connections among art, beauty, and desire, and to show that the values of art, independently of their moral worth, are equally crucial to the rest of life.

Nehamas makes his case with characteristic grace, sensitivity, and philosophical depth, supporting his arguments with searching studies of art and literature, high and low, from Thomas Mann's Death in Venice and Manet's Olympia to television. Throughout, the discussion of artworks is generously illustrated.

Beauty, Nehamas concludes, may depend on appearance, but this does not make it superficial. The perception of beauty manifests a hope that life would be better if the object of beauty were part of it. This hope can shape and direct our lives for better or worse. We may discover misery in pursuit of beauty, or find that beauty offers no more than a tantalizing promise of happiness. But if beauty is always dangerous, it is also a pressing human concern that we must seek to understand, and not suppress.

Author: Alexander Nehamas
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 10/17/2010
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.90h x 8.10w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780691177601

About the Author
Alexander Nehamas is Edmund N. Carpenter II Class of 1943 Professor in the Humanities at Princeton University. He is the author of Nietzsche: Life as Literature, The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault, and Virtues of Authenticity: Essays on Plato and Socrates (Princeton)
Shipping & Return

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Review

Related Products

Example product title
HK$404.47
HK$404.47
Example product title
HK$404.47
HK$404.47
Example product title
HK$404.47
HK$404.47
Example product title
HK$404.47
HK$404.47
Example product title
HK$404.47
HK$404.47
Example product title
HK$404.47
HK$404.47
Example product title
HK$404.47
HK$404.47
Example product title
HK$404.47
HK$404.47
Example product title
HK$404.47
HK$404.47
Example product title
HK$404.47
HK$404.47

Recently Viewed Products