Pride: The Seven Deadly Sins

Τα Επτά Θανάσιμα Αμαρτήματα #6

by Michael Eric Dyson

Of the seven deadly sins, pride is the only one with a virtuous side. It is certainly a good thing to have pride in one's country, in one's community, in oneself. But when taken too far, as Michael Eric Dyson shows in Pride, these virtues become deadly sins.
Dyson, named by Ebony magazine as one of the 100 most influential African Americans, here looks at the many dimensions of pride. Ranging from Augustine and Aquinas, MacIntyre and Hauerwas, to Niebuhr and King, Dyson offers a thoughtful, multifaceted look at this virtuous vice. He probes the philosophical and theological roots of pride in examining its transformation in Western culture. Dyson discusses how black pride keeps blacks from being degraded and excluded by white pride, which can be invisible, unspoken, but nonetheless very powerful. Dyson also offers a moving glimpse into the teachers and books that shaped his personal pride and vocation. Dyson also looks at less savory aspects of national pride. Since 9/11, he notes, we have had to close ranks. But the collective embrace of all things American, to the exclusion of anything else, has taken the place of a much richer, much more enduring, much more profound version of love of country. This unchecked pride asserts the supremacy of America above all others--elevating our national beliefs above any moral court in the world--and attacking critics of American foreign policy as unpatriotic and even traitorous.
Hubris, temerity, arrogance--the unquestioned presumption that one's way of life defines how everyone else should live--pride has many destructive manifestations. In this engaging and energetic volume, Michael Eric Dyson, one of the nation's foremost public intellectuals, illuminates this many-sided human emotion, one that can be an indispensable virtue or a deadly sin.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Psychology, Essays, Religion, Cultural

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Michael Eric Dyson is an American academic, author, and radio host. He is a professor of sociology at Georgetown University.

Reviews

[Gabriel Conroy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is part of a poorly executed series of books written by seven of the "brightest minds of our time" to bring seven deadly sins up to date for modernity or whatever. The series is poorly executed because the contributing authors neglect--as in fail to address--the more traditional theological approaches to these sins and because these authors' attempts to bring these sins up to date often end up in either diluted versions of the original theological approach or they veer off into irrelevant, other meanings that are attached to the words. So, "lust" is not inordinate sexual attraction, but merely an outdated prudery. "Gluttony" is merely succumbing to junk food.

Michael Eric Dyson makes a similar mistake when discussing pride. First, he offers only a cursory--and dismissive--discussion of the standard Christian notion of "pride" and then wanders off into insisting that it's okay to have pride in oneself.

He then goes on to explain why black pride is good and white pride is bad, without noting that his use of "pride" is different from the more standard theological uses. Even in this limited and equivocal discussion, Dyson does a poor job, not acknowledging the shortcomings of the one and not recognizing at least the irony behind the other. Dyson identifies the constructive functions of black pride, does not admit to its potential pitfalls. Dyson rightfully condemns white pride for the racist conceptualization that it is, but he does not discuss why people resort to that identity in the first place.

This book is not about "pride." and the series this book is a part of is not about the seven "deadly" sins. It's poorly done social commentary. Therefore, on one level, any critique ought to take into account that the author(s) don't wish to really address the theological issues. At the same time, all these sins carry such heavy baggage that a respectful discussion of that baggage is at least de rigueur.

A good rough draft.

[Paulo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too slanted. Reads more like a manifesto of afro-american civil struggles, which is a pity. It should have been more about the follies of society on the whole.

[Courtney (Life as a Convert) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I typically just leave my stars and move on, but since I am giving this book such a low rating, I thought I better explain.

I was expecting this book to be about society's struggle with Pride. Instead, all I am getting is that white pride is bad and black pride is good and that black people who "do good" are trying to be like white people. I gave up after this sentence "Rick black folk can be every bit as coy, sophisticated, snobbish, high-handed, mean-spirited, self-concerned, and pretentious as rich white folk." Wait! So, in other words when black people act like ANY of these things, they are simply acting like white people? What about people of other races? Are Asians simply "trying to be white" too? Please!

Dyson also suggests that (young) black people who look up to white people are suffering from an inferiority complex. His writing suggests that he suffers from the same.

[Drew Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting look at pride, but falling into the error of defining pride as thinking too much of yourself, rather than thinking of yourself too much. The frame of race relations was helpful but ultimately too reductionistic.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pride by Michael Eric Dyson is an exploration of this topic recognized as one of the seven deadly sins or as perhaps a "virtuous vice" Professor Dyson begins by providing a look at pride from a philosophical and spiritual standpoint. The roots of pride go back to Evagris Pontus, a Christian thinker who was one of the first to refer to cardinal sins. There were eight of these until vainglory merged with pride to become the essential sin of pride according to Augustine. He next refers to Thomas Aquinas who sees pride as a turning away from God and making oneself a god. What follows is an explanation of how Personal Pride, White Pride, Black Pride and National Pride impact lives and the culture of the USA. The chapter entitled National Pride renders an explanation of the difference between patriotism and nationalism. Patriotism is defined as the critical affirmation of one's country in terms of its best values including correcting errors. Nationalism is the belief that one country is always better than another. It is essentially comparative, with the other being on the downward trajectory. Pride, by Michael Dyson is also replete with examples of how hubris, arrogance and other variations of pride impact the health of the USA for good or ill. Worth a deep look for those who enjoy philosophical and political though.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading this book expecting strictly a philosophical, ethical, religious discussion. I then found the author exploring unexpected areas as he spoke of the racial and national ramifications.
There are here many important reminders and lessons that are perhaps even more relevant today than back in 2006.

[Luis Chavez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not a book about pride. It was an introduction to the idea of pride and a meandering into a poorly executed social critique on the black experience. What’s most saddening is Dyson’s fervor is felt in the pages, had he published his pervasive ideals in another work they might have stood on their own merits.

[Rafael Suleiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good examination of common vice.

[Plarmon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. Got about 1/2 way thru and just gave up. Its sbout black vs white pride. More about racial strife thsn pride. Very disappointed

[Jesse Mac Dougall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was in increase to my intelligence and provided me a leadership outlook on national pride focused on humanity

[Mark Valentine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dyson steers right down the middle of PC...I'll explain later.

He opens by outlining the religious and philosophical roots of pride, vainglory, hubris, and its variations, but he settles on Aristotle's term for healthy pride: "proper pride." Proper pride has the balance of self-respect and dignity that shows maturity, depth, conscience, and responsibility.

From there, each chapter takes a different turn; first, his personal journey of pride, consisting of his personal reading list in his formative years and his obligation to write well, to write truthfully to honor his teachers and mentors. Next he writes about white pride, then about black pride, and finally, about PC pride. Not Politically Correct, but one more subtle and insidious, Patriotically Correct pride. His final chapter challenges the not-too-subtle rally 'round the flag post-9/11 kind of pride. Dyson writes that patriotism is healthy, especially since one has the freedom and obligation to criticize the Government when it is necessary. Nationalism, however, is blind and self-serving, or pride gone amok. I loved his inclusion of a Chris Rock joke about being black in America: "If you're black, America's like the uncle that paid your way through college--but molested you."

What I found moving about the short book (or long essay) is how Dyson chose to finish it; he ended with a long quote by M. L. King, Jr. I liked it because it ended on a clear tone of just what proper pride looks like. I'll let you read it for yourself. King stated, "A genuine revolution of values means in the final analysis that our loyalties must become ecumenical rather then sectional. Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies."

[Dottie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As ho-hum a reaction as I had to the earlier volume of this series ( the one on sloth) and as mixed as the reviews of Pride were, I had no idea where I would land after having read this. I'm with the praise side -- for every quibble I might have muttered under my breath, there were probably ten emphatic yeses uttered to far otuweigh the quibbles. I am sure there are plenty of passages which could be pulled out of this and one person will get livid in rebuttal and another will be nodding in agreement -- and I'm not at all sure that these adversities would break along the racial lines which Dyson frequently utilizes in his approach to this age od sin/necessity -- pride. Leaders on all sides of the religious and political spectrum should have this as required reading -- which reminds me that I found myself making a connection of this with Machievelli's The Prince in a FB conversation -- and not exactly happily so. All this to say -- there is a lot of material to mull over once a person makes their way through this slim little volume. So the series is standing at one-one as of now. which sin do I pick up next? I will see where my reading leads.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

More thought-provoking than "Sloth", from the same series. The author argues both for and against pride in a series of essays that reflect on his African-American heritage and the ways in which pride can be both necessary and damaging. If you've ever felt speechless in the face of an idea like "white pride", this will help put some form to your feelings that not all pride is healthy--nor is all humility.

[Harvey · Rating 2 out of 5]

- this is my least favorite of the Oxford Press 'Seven Deadly Sins' series that I have read so far
- Dyson, an ordained Baptist Minister and a professor of Religious Studies and African Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, heavily concentrates the book around the concepts of racial pride and black pride, almost to the exclusion of every other notion of pride
- I've read "Envy" and "Lust" from this same series - still have "Anger", "Greed", "Sloth", and "Gluttony" to go

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is different from the first that I read in this series, and was different and excellent because of its difference. Found myself many times while reading this thinking how articulate that point was regarding issues of race and pride. Particularly thought his contrasting of Denzel Washington's Oscar acceptance with Halle Berry's very helpful.

Worth a re-read at some point.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting meditation on the twin sides of pride--how it can be both a virtue and a vice--by one of my favorite social critics. Dyson uses race and nationalism vs. patriotism as his lenses.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great short examination of black pride, white pride, patriotism, and nationalism. One of the better books in this series.