Beyond Hope: Philosophical Reflections
Drawing on a host of philosophers such as Arthur Schopenhauer, Gabriel Marcel, Josef Pieper, Paul Ricoeur, Viktor Frankl, Eric Voegelin, Bernard Lonergan, Roger Scruton, John Caputo, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, as well as theologians like Hans Urs von Balthasar, Karl Rahner, Hans Küng, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, this book argues passionately for the place of hope as the ‘beyond’ of both a will-o’-the-wisp, facile optimism, on the one hand, and a world-weary, fatuous pessimism, on the other. Drawing on the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta in the concluding chapter, it suggests that only by living from the Self as distinct from the ego can we know ultimate peace and experience the bliss of being that is beyond both hope and happiness. These philosophical reflections are both timely, as the publication appears amid the Coronavirus crisis, and wise. It is warmly recommended for its breadth and depth of knowledge. This book will appeal to students of both Eastern and Western philosophy, as well as spiritual seekers.
Dr Stephen J. Costello, MA, PhD, is a prominent philosopher, author, corporate consultant, practising logotherapist and existential analyst. He is also the as founder-director of the Viktor Frankl Institute of Ireland which offers online internationally accredited certificate and diploma courses (www.viktorfranklireland.com). He has addressed two parliaments on the subject of human rights and mental health, and facilitates workshops, seminars, and lectures both nationally and internationally. His publications include The Irish Soul, The Pale Criminal, The Truth about Lying, What is Friendship?, The Ethics of Happiness, Hermeneutics and the Psychoanalysis of Religion, Philosophy and the Flow of Presence, The Philosophy Clinic, and Applied Logotherapy: Viktor Frankl’s Philosophical Psychology.
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