Belliotti Dante's Deadly Sins

Moral Philosophy In Hell
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-1-118-11241-0
Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 224 Seiten, E-Book

Dante's Deadly Sins is a unique study of the moralphilosophy behind Dante's master work that considers theCommedia as he intended, namely, as a practical guide tomoral betterment. Focusing on Inferno and Purgatorio,Belliotti examines the puzzles and paradoxes of Dante's moralassumptions, his treatment of the 7 deadly sins, and how 10 of hismost powerful moral lessons anticipate modern existentialism.
* Analyzes the moral philosophy underpinning one of the greatestworks of world culture
* Summarizes the Inferno and Purgatorio, whileunderscoring their moral implications
* Explains and evaluates Dante's understanding of the'Seven Deadly Sins' and the ultimate role they play asthe basis of human transgression.
* Provides a detailed discussion of the philosophical concepts ofmoral desert and the law of contrapasso, using charactercase studies within Dante's work
* Connects the poem's moral themes to our own contemporarycondition

Autoren/Hrsg.

Belliotti, Raymond Angelo

Weitere Mitwirkende

Belliotti, Raymond Angelo

Inhaltsverzeichnis

About the Author x
Preface xii
The Rationale xii
The Origin xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction 1
The Historical Context 1
The Life of Dante 3
Later Writings 8
The Commedia 12
Dante's Death 14
Aims of this Book 15
Dante as Moral Philosopher 17
1 Inferno 19
Dante's Mission 19
The Journey Begins 20
Vestibule (Ante-Hell): The Indecisive Neutrals 21
Upper Hell: Sins of Unrestrained Desire (the Wolf) 23
River Styx, Walls of the City of Dis 28
Lower Hell: Sins of Malice Leading to Violence (the Lion) 30
Lower Hell: Sins of Malice Leading to Fraud (the Leopard) 34
Dante's Existential Lessons in Hell 46
2 Purgatorio 48
Purgatory in a Nutshell 48
The Journey Continues 50
Ante-Purgatory: Late Repentants 50
Gate of Purgatory 56
The First Three Terraces: Misdirected Love 57
The Fourth Terrace: Deficient Love of the Good 62
The Final Three Terraces: Excessive Love of Secondary Goods64
Dante's Existential Lessons in Purgatory 71
3 The Notion of Desert and the Law of Contrapasso 73
The Notion of Desert 73
The Contrapasso 81
The Problem of Proportionality 87
First Case Study: Francesca 90
Second Case Study: Brutus and Cassius 92
Third Case Study: Epicurus 99
Dante's Moral Conception 102
4 Paradoxes and Puzzles: Virgil and Cato 104
The Paradox of Virgil 105
Summary of the Paradox of Virgil 111
The Strange Case of Cato 116
"The Perfect Stoic" 117
Dante's Decision 120
Dante and Conflict 123
5 The Seven Deadly Sins 124
Historical Background 124
Superbia (Pride) 127
Invidia (Envy) 129
Ira (Wrath) 133
Acedia (Sloth) 137
Avaritia (Avarice) 138
Gula (Gluttony) 139
Luxuria (Lust) 140
The Antidote: Righteous Love 142
The Bridge to Salvation 148
6 Dante's Existential Moral Lessons 149
Dante and Existentialism 149
Jean-Paul Sartre and Hell 150
Dante's Ten Existential Lessons 157
Individualism and Community 176
Personal Strategies 179
Bibliography 185
Index 193

Über Autor(innen)

Raymond Angelo Belliotti is SUNY Distinguished TeachingProfessor of Philosophy at the State University of New York atFredonia. Belliotti's publicationsinclude Niccolò Machiavelli (2008), RomanPhilosophy and the Good Life (2009), Posthumous Harm: Whythe Dead are Still Vulnerable (2011), Shakespeare andPhilosophy: Lust, Love, and Law (2012), and Jesus orNietzsche: How Should we Live Our Lives? (2013). Belliotti hasreceived the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching,the William T. Hagan Young Scholar/Artist Award, the KaslingLecture Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship, and theSUNY Foundation Research & Scholarship Recognition Award.