On The Unseriousness Of Human Affairs: Teaching Writing Playing Believing

by James V. Schall

In this wise and witty book, acclaimed author James Schall illuminates a fundamental truth that will shock ceaselessly busy and ambitious Americans: human affairs are unserious.

Following Plato, Schall shows why singing, dancing, playing, contemplating, and other "useless" human activities are not merely forms of escape but also indications of the freedom in and for which men and women were created. The joy that accompanies leisure, festivity, and conviviality, he demonstrates, gives us a glimpse of the eternal. On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs offers a vital message that is truly countercultural.

Genres: Philosophy, Education, Theology, Christianity, Essays, Cultural, Nonfiction

205 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Fr. James V. Schall, SJ was Professor of Political Philosophy at Georgetown University.

He was born in Pocahontas, Iowa, January 20, 1928. Educated in public schools in Iowa, he graduated in 1945 from Knoxville, Iowa High, and then attended University of Santa Clara. He earned an MA in Philosophy from Gonzaga University in 1945.

After time in the U.S. Army (1946-47), he joined the Society of Jesus (California Province) in 1948. He received a PhD in Political Theory from Georgetown University in 1960, and an MST from University of Santa Clara four years later. Fr. Schall was a member of the Faculty of Institute of Social Sciences, Gregorian University, Rome, from 1964-77, and a member of the Government Department, University of San Francisco, from 1968-77. He has been a member of the Government Department at Georgetown University since 1977.

Fr. Schall has written hundreds of essays on political, theological, literary, and philosophical issues in such journals as The Review of Politics, Social Survey (Melbourne), Studies (Dublin), The Thomist, Divus Thomas (Piacenza), Divinitas (Rome), The Commonweal, Thought, Modern Age, Faith and Reason, The Way (London), The New Oxford Review, University Bookman, Worldview, and many others. He contributes regularly to Crisis and Homiletic & Pastoral Review.

He iss the author of numerous books on social issues, spirituality, culture, and literature.

Reviews

[Nicole Cage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yep he got it. The best things about life are useless ie for their own sake ie singing, dancing, praying, laughing, playing. We ourselves are God’s “playthings” created not by necessity but love, made not for work but for joy, for having that which we love.

Perf, love, gorg, yes. Go drink wine and laugh! Go pray and sing! Go read Plato and phone a friend! Go and seek the highest things!

[Christopher Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only one problem exists with reading one of Father Schall's great books: after a dozen pages he has recommended so many classic books or other authors he wants you to read that you feel a little bad about continuing his book - a problem he most likely appreciates. Fortunately, his style is captivating enough that you want to continue, and his content is superb, which is more important anyway. As with his other works I've read (three now), one of his main themes is the importance of "what is." He emphasizes that, since the world and humans are not necessary to God, the fact that we and the universe exist should make us relax, enjoy life, and take it less seriously - though not to the point that we consider life and material reality meaningless. The universe is a work of art, and human activity is only meaningful when reflected back to God. Read this book, read the books he recommends, and take the time to walk around and enjoy life.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

If unseriousness is not a word, it deserves to be.  A great deal of that which is worthwhile in life is unserious, and our contemporary world does a good job at reminding us that if we take ourselves too seriously, there will always be people who view us as worthy of insults and ridicule, regardless of our own opinion in the matter.  Perhaps the most notable success of this book is simply the way he praises that which is not necessary and that which is consequently not serious [1].  Even the way the book is constructed helps to reinforce the author's points about the celebration of that which does not have to be taken seriously, about that which can and should be enjoyed in life, and about the way that we can be too consumed about seeking utilitarian use and not nearly interested enough in questions of pleasure and beauty and ultimate importance.  By and large I found this a very likable book, more than a little bit eccentric, and filled with the author's characteristic Thomism and love of Peanuts cartoons.  

The structure of this almost 200 page book is something very odd but also very intriguing.  For one, the author manages to write eleven chapters that are broken up by five smaller chapters that are called interludes.  After beginning with an introduction the author talks about the unseriousness of human affairs and the importance of contemplation in play (1).  After that there is a discussion on the importance of being teachable so that one may learn (2).  Then comes the first interlude on the fate of academic men (I-1).  Following this there are chapters on the relationship between truth and one's choice of college (3) and the education of young men and women (4), a subject of importance, to be sure, if one that also involves a good deal of pleasure (hopefully).  After another interlude on the Thomist belief in sharing one's knowledge with others (I-2), there is a chapter showing gratitude for teachers the author has never met, largely because he learned about them in books (5) and the importance of order (I-3).  There are chapters on intellectual poverty (6), wasting the best years of our lives (7) and the importance of self-discipline (I-4).  After this there are chapters on the teaching of political philosophy (8) and the pleasure of walking about Derby (9), followed by the final interlude on the end of all things (I-5), and two final chapters on essays and letters (10) and why what is useless--namely philosophy--is the best thing about us (11).

It is clear that this author is a firm believer in Hellenistic Christianity and the alliance between Athens and Rome/Jerusalem.  I must admit that while I am a student of philosophy and am deeply interested in theological matters, that I am less sanguine about the closeness between Socrates and Christ, even if both of them were legitimately martyrs of an unjust political system.  All too often this book seems to praise the idea that philosophy gives one an inside track when it comes to salvation, and although this book is a much-needed praise of not being serious--something that needs to be emphasized in our overly serious age--the author's approach is a bit too different from my own to be entirely congenial.  I get the feeling the author would make a great teacher and would likely be a fun conversation partner, but the author's arguments and the basis for his positions are just one ones I can get fully on board with, although this book is an enjoyable one and well worth reading, especially if you are a Thomist and/or a Catholic.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...

[Ben Smitthimedhin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schall's On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs is a really worthwhile collection of essays on leisure and education, especially as it relates to how these things reflect the "unseriousness" of human life. Schall's basic premise is that since God created us out of his pleasure and not out of necessity, and He will ultimately bring all things to completion, we ought not to take ourselves so seriously.

Of course, Schall is not advocating a form of hedonism even though our lives are unserious; he repeatedly shows how valuable the good, the true, and the beautiful are. Rather, he is showing how life should be lived pleasantly with a mind that's attentive to what is and how these "unserious" things ultimately reveal something about the personality of God. He is advocating for doing things not simply for utilitarian purposes, but to do them for their own sake.

These essays cover broad topics like liberal education, philosophy, great authors, wasting time, and letter-writing. Nonetheless, Schall masterfully unites them under the theme of how "useless" and "unserious" everything is. His last chapter on philosophizing gave me an appreciation for heady subjects that might not ultimately be practical, and Schall doesn't view these things as unimportant. "Prayer," Schall says, "is a kind of wasting time with God," and that, I believe, is what makes prayer, along with any other "useless" thing, so important.

[Dan Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find myself coming to similar conclusions as Schall, but for very different reasons. It's also worth noting that the essays get better as the book goes on. Nonetheless, there are some real gems in here:

"The letter is a claim against time and distance."

And also:

"Two of the most significant words in the English language are nearly homophonic--to 'wonder' and to 'wander.'"

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me rethinking the way I view my time, success, and identity. His focus on leisure as an outcome of accepting and acknowledging the dominion of God and our dependence on Him changed how I view leisure and leisure activities. I have also added numerous books to my TBR list thanks to all of his references!

[Chris J · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fine book, well worth "wasting" the time reading.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding books by accident is truly one of the greatest joys of the reading life and that was certainly the case with James Schall's On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs. Stumbling upon this writer from an Amazon thread, I ordered a few titles by Schall, but this was my first encounter with his writing. As a writer who discusses the joys of discovering writers by supposed happenstance--in used books, by recommendations--I'm pleased that my interaction with his work came in this fashion.

Any serious, thoughtful book that sets joy and mirth as one of its principal themes is usually worth reading. Writing in the theme of G.K. Chesterton, Schall's aim is simply to have fun with the "highest things" in our existence that we neglect so often--the acts of contemplation, prayer, and even laughter. The collection of essays here is a paradox to its title. The tone is unserious throughout, but the mind is more stimulated than with other supposed "serious" works. Laughter and intellect are joined together in Schall's meditation. Schall has the distinct gift of provoking good thoughts without exhausting one's mind in a laborious way. Reading this book is a leisurely effort in the truest sense of the word, for acts of leisure are a "school" for the soul.

Any book that inspires one to meditate on friendship, good books, and joy is a book worth reading. There are only so many hours in a week to read good books. James Schall will not waste your time. Even more he introduces his readers to a community of writers who will never waste their readers' time. In the life of learning, one needs wise and discerning teachers. Schall is certainly one of the more reliable guides in the life of learning. I suspect any of his books are worth reading, but I'm delighted this little treasure was my first introduction to an excellent writer.

[Graychin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m guessing that the lectures Fr. Schall gives at Georgetown are better than his essays – which is not to say that the pieces collected here aren’t enjoyable, but, with a couple exceptions, they’re constructed too like lectures to satisfy as essays. Schall is not a bad writer. He’s pretty good when he gets down to it, but he wants space enough to move around the room and gesture with his hands and glance enthusiastically at his listeners.

At the same time, reading this book, I wanted to encourage Fr. Schall to get out of the classroom more often. There’s a bit too much of the cloistered academic in him. I suppose you could say he’s sticking to what he knows, but too many of these pieces focus on education. How, you wonder, might Schall’s views differ if he wasn’t a professor and a Jesuit, if he had married and maybe worked an office job? I wanted the book to be broader than it was.

These things aside, I endorse Schall's basic thesis. “For many,” he writes a little romantically, “the evil in the world overshadows the good, obscures it, and even causes its denial. But it is the fact of joy that is the real mystery of our being.” Joy and mystery, he says, are discovered in our “unserious” affairs: in the arts, in reading, writing, religion, and philosophy. You can be sure, at least, that artists, readers, writers, religious persons, and philosophers are likely to agree.

[Patrick O'Hannigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I originally reviewed this book for New Oxford Review):

James V. Schall monkey-wrenches academic pretensions: “We live in an ideological time that proudly assures us that no answers can be given, that there is only power and exploitation… No proposition is more questionable or less questioned than this.” Declaring that answers do exist, he warns us against fearing to ask questions because we fear their answers.

Late in the book, Schall recommends the work of cartoonist Charles Schulz. His praise is not gratuitous. Like Robert Short and Mark Pinsky, Schall teaches us how to think theologically about cartoons.

Remember, for example, Lucy van Pelt, Charlie Brown’s foil in Peanuts. In Schall’s view, Lucy is not just a famously crabby girl with a crush on her piano-playing neighbor. Nor is she just a sidewalk shrink with a ready store of advice. Rather, she becomes a precocious Thomist and a “theologian of the Fall.” Insights, as even (or especially) the scientist knows, can come from unlikely sources.

[Stephen Heiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps there's a secret clause involved in graduating from not one, but two Jesuit universities that I have to read something about them or written by one of them every year. However, Fr. James Schall makes this quite easy, as he's been writing pleasurable reads for quite some time.

At the heart of this book is a message of joy about existence, but Fr. Schall takes us through philosophy, essays, and reflections on the fruitfulness of the "wasting of time." He agrees with Saint-Exupery that this is only worth anything in the company of those you love.

In another way the entire (short and pleasurable) read is framed within the academy, as Fr. Schall has been a professor for many years and there is a poignancy in his stories about his students who early on figured out that life is "unserious" precisely because it is such a gift.

[Wendy Wong Schirmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The work of Fr. James V. Schall, SJ, late a professor of political philosophy at Georgetown, has been about "the truth of what is." In this book of essays, he explores philosophy and its ability to lead us to the highest things as a way of life. It would not be an exaggeration to call "On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs" a work of thanksgiving: learning-- and being "eminently teachable"-- is about being receptive, to be people capable of receiving gifts. For, "[t]he discovery of the reality beyond philosophy, or better, to which philosophy points, is not something merely left to us. If are incapable of finding it by ourselves, we cannot exclude the possibility that it is given to us."

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Schall's short book earns a rare five stars. As a Catholic scholar he touches upon many classical insights from Aristotle and Plato. He weaves these together with modern scholars such as Eric Voegelin, Walker Percy, Leo Strauss and so on. Schall is similar to another wonderful political philosopher, Peter Lawler, in that he takes seriously human things and what makes humans human. This book would probably be a good tertiary source for advanced undergraduates and graduate students should read this to order prior knowledge. It's a great "after the semester" read.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent ruminations on the calling to cultivate the life of the mind and commune with the great thinkers of the past. Sometimes reads as a namedropping session or a bibliography put in prose, but through a more favorable lens, reads as a guided tour through the great Christian humanists by an experienced and wise traveler.

[Reader2007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fugitives Spring 2011.

[Philip]

Quoted by Bradley G. Green in The Gospel and the Mind.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of essays on culture and joy. Good but not outstanding ..

[Andrew Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schall is great.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, wise book. "Unserious" pursuits lead to connection with the eternal.

[Jonathan]

None