Manicomio de verdades: Remedios medievales para la era moderna (Nuevo Ensayo nº 70)

by Rémi Brague, Consuelo del Val Zaballos (Translator)

In his first book composed in English, R�mi Brague maintains that there is a fundamental problem with modernity: we no longer consider the created world and humanity as intrinsically valuable. Curing Mad Truths, based on a number of Brague's lectures to English-speaking audiences, explores the idea that humanity must return to the Middle Ages. Not the Middle Ages of purported backwardness and barbarism, but rather a Middle Ages that understood creation--including human beings--as the product of an intelligent and benevolent God. The positive developments that have come about due to the modern project, be they health, knowledge, freedom, or peace, are not grounded in a rational project because human existence itself is no longer the good that it once was. Brague turns to our intellectual forebears of the medieval world to present a reasoned argument as to why humanity and civilizations are goods worth promoting and preserving.

Curing Mad Truths will be of interest to a learned audience of philosophers, historians, and medievalists.

Genres: Philosophy, History

168 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 12, 2021

About the author

French historian of philosophy, specializing in the Arabic, Jewish, and Christian thought of the Middle Ages. He is professor emeritus of Arabic and religious philosophy at the Sorbonne, and Romano Guardini chair of philosophy (emeritus) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Brague is the recipient of numerous awards, including honors by both the French National Centre for Scientific Research and the Academy of Moral and Political Science. In 2009, he received both the Josef Pieper Prize and the Grand prix de philosophie de l'Académie française, and he was awarded the 2012 Ratzinger Prize for Theology alongside Brian E. Daley. In 2013, he was named a Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Légion d'honneur.

Reviews

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that has convinced me I need to read more classics and more Chesterton. Quite dense (overly so at times) and clearly written by a non-English speaker (the sentence structure is clunky) but a phenomenal book with much to teach.

[Bjørn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of R. Brague before a guy working at the bookstore recommended this book to me. I took his advice and bought it. It was a entertaining read and for being a mainstream Catholic author his objections to "The Modern Project" was quite spot-on. The most annoying part of the book was his stereotypical treatment of paganism as a religion that worships Divine Nature alone, which I think is a totally false assumption. I also think it was unnecessary to list up what is wrong-in-principle with parliamentarism, but feels the need to call the system "excellent" to avoid being called a fascist. I can't think of any other reason to throw in such pointless sentences that don't contribute to the text at all. I still think the rest of the book was so enjoyable that it deserves 5 stars. I am really looking forward to reading his "The Wisdom of the World" next.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book with interesting points on what may be seen as self-destructive/nihilistic trends in modern society and how Medieval Catholic thought provides perspectives and ways of thinking to resolve/undermine these trends. Though it is a bit dense and unclear for me, who only has minimal experience with philosophy. I do think the author distracts from the larger point in the last two chapters where his political/personal perspectives erupt through his arguments without adding to the arguments.

Overall, recommend to those interested in a critical thinking approach to 'modern' Western/European society.

[Ardelean Simona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Textele din această carte au fost prezentate în diverse publicații sau susținute ca prelegeri nepublicate până acum.
Autorul ne zgândărește nebunia rațiunii suficiente cu o mulțime de întrebări ,deci merită citită.

[Jean Crous · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short book and was very disappointed when I realised it was about to end! Brague refences a lot of familiar writers and ideas. In a way the book (or lectures) is itself a conversation with the past which is also part of what it advocates the modern world needs.

I personally enjoyed some references to books I recently read and have included many of th referenced works to my must read list.

I read a review of this book here that provides a great summary and introduction: https://www.faith-theology.com/2019/0...

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise & witty. Brague uses excellent examples to illustrate the failure of modernism. He shows how the transcendent truths of God, the goodness of creation, the importance of the family & culture are necessities for human beings.

[CR · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited when this one showed up. And I dived in but shortly after I started it I realized that this just was not the book for me. It was bogged down by technical terms that I didn't understand and I just felt very bored with it. So unfortunately this one would be better suited to someone who knows the terms and is very VERY interested in this subject matter. It is not one of those books you are going to get through pretty quickly. It's one to take your time with. I could see this being used for a class about the subject. But not something you curl up with a cup of coffee to read.

[Agustin Estrada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este libro no es fácil. Ni por el estilo, ni por el ritmo. Brague exige mucho del lector: referencias filosóficas, humor seco, ironía erudita y una estructura que avanza en espiral. Hay que leerlo con calma y a ratos. Pero vale la pena. Lo que propone es provocador: mirar al mundo moderno con ojos medievales. No como nostalgia, sino como crítica. Frente a una cultura que ha perdido el sentido de la verdad, Brague rescata categorías olvidadas que, curiosamente, podrían sanar algo de nuestro extravío actual. Una de sus frases resume bien el espíritu del libro: “Lo moderno no es lo nuevo. Es lo que ya no quiere deber nada a nadie.”

No es un libro amable. Es como una medicina amarga. Pero quien se anime, encontrará ideas que sacuden, incomodan y, en más de un momento, iluminan- AE

[Ricardo Vela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesantísima y aguda reflexión sobre la vigencia de los valores medievales para el cristianismo en el mundo contemporáneo