The Art of Living

by Dietrich von Hildebrand

A book of everyday ethics by a man whom Pope St. John Paul II called “one of the great ethicists of the twentieth century,” The Art of Living is Dietrich von Hildebrand’s essential guide to the moral life.

In just over one hundred pages, Dietrich von Hildebrand, with his wife Alice, presents a distinctive view of the virtuous life that begins with reverence, “the mother of all virtues,” and includes chapters on “Faithfulness,” “Goodness,” “Hope,” “The Human Heart,” and many others.

The essays that make up this book began as a popular series of radio lectures in 1930s Germany, and their conversational tone comes through in this new edition, which maintains Alice von Hildebrand’s original translation, and updates this beloved work for a new generation of readers.

The Art of Living promises to provide clarity, hope, and fresh insights for those seeking to live life more fully, faithfully, and beautifully.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Christian, Christianity, Theology, Catholic, Nonfiction

132 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Dietrich von Hildebrand was a German Catholic philosopher and theologian who was called (informally) by Pope Pius XII "the 20th Century Doctor of the Church."

Pope John Paul II greatly admired the work of von Hildebrand, remarking once to von Hildebrand's widow, Alice von Hildebrand, "Your husband is one of the great ethicists of the twentieth century." Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has a particular admiration and regard for Dietrich von Hildebrand, whom he already knew as a young priest in Munich. In fact, as young Fr. Ratzinger, he even served as an assistant pastor in the church of St. Georg in Munich, which von Hildebrand frequented in the 1950s and 1960s. It was also in St. Georg that Dietrich and Alice von Hildebrand were married.

The degree of Pope Benedict's esteem is expressed in one of his statements about von Hildebrand, "When the intellectual history of the Catholic Church in the twentieth century is written, the name of Dietrich von Hildebrand will be most prominent among the figures of our time." Von Hildebrand was a vocal critic of the changes in the church brought by the Second Vatican Council. He especially resented the new liturgy. Of it he said "Truly, if one of the devils in C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters had been entrusted with the ruin of the liturgy, he could not have done it better."

Von Hildebrand died in New Rochelle, New York, in 1977.

Reviews

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just brilliant from start to finish. Hildebrand always gets me to see things more deeply or to see things for the first time. I am still thinking about what he had to say.

The two essays by his wife Alice von Hildebrand were also brilliant. I had read her biography and her biography of her husband, but never one of her own works in philosophy. I was always impressed by her, but even more so now.

[Lieutenant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that will change one’s life, capture one’s attention to the details, reflect over how we are living, and potentially improving. It is much better than typical self-help books with profound insights about the nature of the interior life.

These are among the best and beautiful things I have ever read in my life without question, if I were sentenced to keep only 10 books and no more this would be there because of how important I consider it.

[Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole book was excellent, but the last 4 chapters (the first two Alice's, Communion and Hope, and the last two Dietrich's, Virtue Today and The Human Heart) were particularly brilliant. Will need a reread though, maybe several -- some words were foreign to me although understandable when read in context or when derived from Latin, such as "extramoral". So much to ruminate on.

[David Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally like a 2.8, but Alice von Hildebrand’s chapters were spectacular and brought this up to a 4. Her explication and meditation on communion, love, and hope has me wanting to not only revisit her thought, but it makes me want to teach a lecture for my undergraduates based on it.

The book as a whole is taken from radio broadcasts that Hildebrand made in the 1930s. So it was for a broad audience. I think my main critique is that while Hildebrand and I arrive at the same conclusions morally speaking, I just don’t really get the phenomenological method. Well, it’s not quite that. It’s that it just seems so easy. The argumentation just cheaply gets us the conclusions we want. At least that’s how it appears to me. I’m probably fundamentally misunderstanding what’s going on.

I know Hildebrand comes from the realist and personality method/approach of phenomenology. So it’s at least not totally subjectivity. There is something real about our phenomenology such that is can be analyzed and it can tell us about reality as such. But other than that, phenomenology eludes me. I still love Hildebrand though.

[Gracie Muraski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good spiritual read. Content is 10/10 but writing style is a bit too philosophical for my taste to really hit home for me personally. Biggest takeaways came from sections on communion, hope, and gratitude. We are good for who we BE not for what we DO. Relationships are the most important things in life. Have hope in God who is all good and merciful, not in particular outcomes. Everything is a GIFT and gratitude is the secret key to happiness ✨

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A difficult read for its language and concepts, but a solid, intellectually-stimulating collection about faith, morality, and living more fully. One, I think, that would be more beneficial after a second (or third...) read.

[Tikvehle · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A man who would say "I love you now, but how long it will last, I cannot tell" does not truly love; he does not even suspect the very nature of love. Faithfulness is so essentially one with love, that everyone, at least as long as he loves, must consider his devotion an undying devotion. This holds good for every love, for parental and filial love, for friendship, and for spousal love. The deeper a love, the more it is pervaded by fidelity."

Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889-1977) was a brilliant German Catholic philosopher. His historical opposition and denouncement against National Socialism puts him aside from many of his time. The Art of Living (originally Lebensgestaltung) was written during the Weimar Republic.

Even if I do love reading theological books from different religious background, I tend to give attention mostly to technical and historical books. However, there's something about Lebensgestaltung that is different from most Christian "moralist" books, its structure and language. Even as non-christian, I took something out of it, anyone that reads this book can take something from it. The work was written in a society that was broken while still arguing in favour of love and communion, and its background makes it even more admirable. Von Hildebrand must become an example for his contemporaries and to the world. May his memory always be a blessing.

[Joseph Yue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This phenomenological exposition on virtue ethics contains exactly what a good jolly Thomist would expect, namely, honesty to intuitions, grudge against structure, and, most tragically, obsession with ambiguities. Worse still, every essay in this collection is written in a dry and technical tone typically observed in emotionally paralysed German analytical philosophers who, after much deliberation, accurately lost just over two thirds of their sanity. Some say phenomenologists are artists, and I do not deny that some are. But if Dietrich von Hildebrand can be considered an artist, he would be nothing other than the epitome of Soviet brutalism. Phenomenology embodied by such a rhetoric style presents strangely the worst of both worlds: you are not only wrong, but also ugly, figuratively speaking. That being said, as terrible as the methodology and language are, it cannot be denied that he reached right conclusions on most issues he touched on. But this again demonstrates that a phenomenologist can only be correct accidentally, when he works within the confinement of Catholic dogmas and philosophical traditions.

So much on Dietrich, but these criticisms are in no way extended to his lovely wife Alice, whose two essays included in this book were most beautifully and elegantly written. Maybe it comes down to this, that only women are allowed to approach philosophy phenomenologically, provided that they are well guided by their Thomist husbands.

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Art of Living
Dietrich von Hildebrand

"Instead of desperately trying to solve these illusory problems, we should rather revise our dogmatic presuppositions concerning the alleged non-spirituality of affectivity by exploring reality without any prejudice "

Esta obra reúne 9 ensayos, 7 de Dietrich y 2 de Alice, su esposa, von Hildebrand que reflexionan sobre la naturaleza, importancia, peligros, sustitutos e incorporación de virtudes esenciales a las cuales los von Hildebrand asignan un rol elemental para el pleno desarrollo del ser humano en toda su capacidad convidándonos a adoptarlas a través de una detallada, y a veces bastante densa, argumentación con un amplio panorama que nos muestra su impacto al adquirirlas, ignorarlas o confundirlas.

Reverencia, Fidelidad, Responsabilidad, Veracidad, Bondad, Comunión y Esperanza son los títulos de los primeros ensayos con un enfoque específico en cada uno de estos valores. De una manera magistral, los autores entretejen y dejan en cada capítulo los cimientos sobre los cuales desarrollan los siguientes temas, al tiempo que cada uno mantiene su independencia, la cual se fortalece dada la naturaleza esencial que se contiene cada uno de estos ellos.

El penúltimo capítulo comprende una reflexión sobre la virtud vivida al día de hoy y lo que implica hacernos conscientes de esto, con lo cual no podemos permanecer indiferentes ante la manera en la que navegamos el mundo con todas las consideraciones éticas y morales que ello implica, siendo a la vez un llamado a la Congruencia en la toma de decisiones en la vida, virtud que se ve claramente trazada en el texto aunque no se mencionada de manera específica.

Finalmente, el último capítulo nos revela un tercer elemento en las propiedades que componen la Moral en sí misma. Si bien, nos dice el autor, desde los albores de la filosofía se han reconocido dos como los criterios necesarios e inherentes a ella: la Voluntad y la Inteligencia; por mucho tiempo se ha menospreciado el elemento Afectivo que caracteriza las respuestas en su dimensión más alta, aquellas que no solamente son racionales y volitivas, sino que además consigue ser sentidas, alcanzando así su más perfecta realización.

Un libro que pese a su corta longitud, poco más de 100 páginas que componen los ensayos, es sumamente denso y que tuve que leer a pautas, no atreviéndome a ir más allá de un capítulo al día para poder reflexionar de mejor manera las ideas que presenta. Admito que los ensayos de Alice los disfruté sobremanera por su prosa más amena, no por ello menos sustanciosa, que se da a la tarea de explicar y construir con ejemplos y autores ideas que Dietrich presenta yendo directo al axioma sin más. Sin lugar a dudas son temas y escritos que espero revisitar más adelante, más cuando me doy cuenta que este el el libro en que más marcas he dejado por párrafo.

Abro un pequeño paréntesis aquí para hacer mención de algo que, quizás no debería, pero no quisiera que mi reseña suene a catfishing. La filosofía de los von Hildebrand se encuentra sumamente desarrollada en un contexto católico, del cual ellos formaban parte y pertenecen a esa "nueva ola" del catolicismo de mitades de los años XX que buscaban reivindicar la complementariedad que existe entre la Fe y la Razón. Espero esto no resulte en un prejuicio que aleje a las personas de tales autores que resultaron sumamente influyentes durante el siglo pasado en cuestiones filosóficas y teológicas, en un grado más allá que la mera teoría. Vamos que en su momento Dietrich fue declarado por Hitler como el enemigo público número 1 en Alemania.

Sin lugar a dudas una lectura que recomiendo hacer en silencio, con una buena bebida caliente y con todo el enfoque que sea posible, así como la disposición de entrar a temas que en si llegan a ser controvertidos, como suele suceder cada que se habla de ética y moral, pero que vale mucho la pena tenerlos y reflexionar sobre ellos, ya que son definitivamente las guías sobre las que se mueve la sociedad y, en un sentido más íntimo, uno mismo, sabiéndolo o no.

"Moral goodness ranks so high in God's eyes that He did not shun the risk included in freedom"

[Kyle McManamy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful introduction to Hildebrand's work (a good summary of some of his larger thoughts). Also, as Kreeft says in the introduction, Alice von Hildebrand's two essays are worth the price of the book.

[Paula Boyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I like and agree with the concepts in this book, I found the reading to be too dense. It was very philosophical with a few relatable examples sprinkled throughout. I had to reread parts of it over again because I wanted to be sure I was understanding the messages being explained.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but I really enjoyed the 2 chapters written by Alice. As Peter Kreeft says in the foreword, “Alice was... a fine philosopher in her own right.”

[Reinhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem of a book - a dense, small, high-value object. Not dense in the sense of hard to read, but weighty. The writing (or translation) is wonderfully clear and lucid.

In this book, Hildebrand looks at the kernel of morals. And the title suggests that the way of living the good life is to ground life on morals. That sounds so shallow when I write it, but the book makes a compelling case. Not morals in the sense of don’t do this, etc. Morals in the sense of what is the highest good.

Dietrich von Hildebrand wrote the main part of the book in the 1930s in Germany, but parts were also written (2 chapters by Alice) in the 1960s.

He writes that the beginning of the moral or good life is reverence. Without reverence, no other good can be recognized. Reverence for the transcendent and also for the image of God in others is the ground of moral living. It is the soul and attitude of all other morals. A man failing reverence “splits apart and disintegrates the community.” One can see how the lack of reverence is harming attitudes today.

Reverence is built on by faithfulness–staying loyal to the truth you have. Rather than ‘living in the moment, the faithful person holds fast to truths grounded in his soul. He “masters every moment from the depths.” A person without faithfulness cannot change–every fleeting impression takes him in a new direction. What is love without fidelity? Faithfulness is not clinging to habit - that is laziness. The faithful person responds to today’s problems out of the good of unchanging, intrinsic value.

The third step is responsibility. The responsible person recognizes that he is not his own judge. He is subject to and makes decisions based on the objective demands of higher values.

To responsibility, add veracity. Some liars deceive themselves without guilt, and others know they are lying. The knowing liars are morally bankrupt, but the self-deceiver is harder to change.

Then follows the heart of moral values, goodness. Goodness is a willingness to sacrifice, being generous, and being filled with compassion. Love is the core of goodness. Lacking goodness makes one a hard man unmoved by compassion or makes one a cold man filled with indifference and too preoccupied with his concerns to think of others.

Then follows two chapters by Alice. One on communion and one on Hope. In short, the moral life has its goal in communion. We are not to be alone, but together. Together with God and others. In contrast to lower animals, we can be alone while with other people. Shallow relationships don’t fulfill.

The chapter on hope deal with despair, especially the despair that is unconscious of itself. This type of despair gloats over small enjoyment and seeks them again tomorrow. One pleasure pushes onto the next. The constancy of pleasure can bring despair into consciousness. This conscious despair often gives way to irrationality, the rejection of reason. Hope is not optimism - that is pure wishful thinking. Hope is nothing but hope ‘in’. Hope is not self-deception, but admitting the situation is grave, but hopes ‘in’ the goodness of God.

The book closes with two final chapters on Virtue Today and the Human Heart. What often substitutes for moral value is chosen values. Values that are not directly related to moral goodness. Diligence is a value that can be used for moral good or evil. He also talks about the indissolvable unity of moral goodness. One cannot decide to be just, and leave purity to others. Moral values cannot be parcelled and picked at will. In these chapters, he also talks about humility as the mark of Christian virtue. A virtue that seemed strange to the Greeks. Humility transforms all of the natural virtues.

He closes with a chapter on the Human Heart. Moral growth should shift one’s affections. Morality is not pure duty but affection as well.

This is the kind of short weighty book that deserves an annual reading.

Very highly recommended.

[Dan Kaczmarek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very inspiring read despite the fact that it was a little tough to read, but that is not on the author but me.

I was particularly struck by Dietrich von Hildebrand's two essays: Reverence and the Human Heart, and Alice von Hildebrand's essay: Communion.

In Reverence, DVH teaches that the fundamental disposition in the moral life (simply just living well) is reverence. Reverence is the opposite to the 'egospasm,' which is the vicious growth of our ego, making us small and narrow in the confines of our self. No true experience of reality can be had when we are spiritually trapped inside ourselves, because there is more to reality than ourselves. When we break free from the 'ego spasm,' we enter into a disposition of reverence towards the reality (composed of objects, people and the supernatural). "It is from reverence that there flows the willingness of a lover to grant the beloved the spiritual space needed to express his own individuality." Rather than controlling the outcome of things, of people, and imposing our will upon God in the life possessed by the egospasm, in a spirit of reverence we are free to encounter things, people and God as they are, and as a result, more deeply participate in the truth of reality.

All the other essays in this book seem to flow from the idea of reverence.

In the communion, Alice von Hildebrand makes that case for a deep sense of communion with others and with God. She clarifies that simply co-existing with others does not mean communion (for in her own words, Adam and Eve were exiled from garden together, but in their togetherness they were isolated from each other). In this essay she also discusses that in a society that mechanizes the human being, work takes precedence over family life, and this is backwards. She also warns of the danger of society where a human's worth is dependent upon their 'credentials' rather than their 'being.'

The last essay of the book is Dietrich's essay on the human heart. In which he sets out to explain that the traditional Greek understanding of the spiritual person, which consists of a duality of the intellect and the will is incomplete. He proposes that the spiritual person is composed of a trilogy: intellect, will and heart. The defense of the heart as something independent of the will, and its crucial necessity in the spiritual life is essence of this chapter. He argues that there is a difference between the person who simply wills the good and the person who wills the good in love.

I definitely did not understand everything in the book, but there were a lot of good points for reflection. Might be worth a read again later in life.

[autumnatopoeia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first time reading Hildebrand, and I admit I experienced his writing as somewhat dull and repetitive. Perhaps, though, he truly is the kind of philosopher who does "not seem terribly exciting at first but they get better (both clearer and profounder) every time you read them" as the introduction suggests. But Alice... I couldn't get enough of Alice! Such practical wisdom. I imagine they were a fascinating couple to sit down to dinner with.

[Brandon Daughety · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a small read, but not a short read. There is so much packed in that I would read then take time to cogitate on it all. I imagine this will be one that I will re-read every so often only to find even more that I missed. I loved the whole thing but the two chapters by Alice von Hildebrand on Communion and Hope especially stood out to me (at least this first time through).

[Kelsie Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

“This earth is not exclusively a valley of tears, but it also resonant with innumerable messages of God in all true and great values. What gifts are granted to us in this beauty; what a blessing is the gift of true love, of a happy marriage, of a deep friendship; what a delight one can find in the seeking of truth and in its contemplation once found.”

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along with the Nicomachean Ethics and Solovyov's Justification of the Good, one of the best books on philosophical ethics (but theology friendly) I've read. Hildebrand compliments both authors well by providing a phenomenological account of the basic values to respond to (gratitude, responsibility, etc.) to live a moral life. (It's short, too!)

[Julian Olbinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deep book that is well worth the read.

I will say, though, that he makes assertions about Buddhism that aren’t correct—but I think he can be forgiven for that, considering he wrote this at a time when eastern thought was just starting to become popular in the West and inter-religious dialogue wasn’t much of a thing yet.

[Elicia C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me a while to get through (much food for thought), but I'm so glad I persevered. Thought-provoking essays on the necessity of cooperation with God in order to live a meaningful, happy life. Highly recommend, and I will be re-reading.

[V Forr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read! The wisdom and insight contained in this small book is a refreshing delight. Happy reading!

[Franco Anzures · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.

[Jessica]

I love this

The Von Hildebrands never disappoint me. Beautiful book. 100% but this if you haven't already. It's absolutely worth it. Gorgeous read

[Comeoutandplay_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hard and painful read. I felt like being accused the whole time reading this. A masterpiece

[Rylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essays on Reverence and Communion were stellar

[Lourdes Lazatin · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

Clear way to live happily. She speaks from experience. She complements the work of her husband beautifully with virtue of humility.

[Lori Guerin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though most of this compilation was over my head in technical terminology, I enjoyed this book as an introduction to Dietrich von Hildebrand. I thoroughly enjoyed Alice’s chapter on communion.

[Luke Mohan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the Hildebrand Project for this edition of The Art of Living.

[Ephrem Upart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful reflection of the virtues! As much as I love Dietrich, I really appreciated and actually was more drawn to Alice von Hildebrand's reflection on Hope.

[Matt Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of essays, with good bits and pieces in them, but often they come across as muddled or incomplete.