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THE GREAT IDEAS ONLINE A Syntopical Approach to the Great Books
IS HUMILITY A VIRTUE? Dear Dr. Adler, Religious leaders are always preaching the virtue of humility to us. It is supposed to be wrong to push ourselves forward or to think too much about ourselves and about what we have coming. But is this really a virtue? Shouldn't an adult have a realistic sense of his qualities and attainments, and not be ashamed to claim whatever rewards rightfully belong to him? Paul Lewis - Miami, FL
The different evaluations placed on pride and humility by classical antiquity and by the Judaeo-Christian religions afford an instructive example of the difference between philosophical and religious ethics. Aristotle, in his famous work on ethics, says that the noblest type of human being is the magnanimous, or "great souled," man. Such a man is justifiably proud of the virtues of character and mind that he possesses. He is secure in his own proper self-esteem and self-respect. The magnanimous man welcomes honor as "the prize of virtue," provided it is rightly bestowed by men who are worthy to judge virtue. He despises the good opinion of inferior men -- popular acclaim or "fame." In this view, justifiable pride is a virtue and undue self deprecation is a vice. Vanity and humility are, for Aristotle, the two extreme vices opposed to the virtue of magnanimous pride. A vain man wants more honor than he deserves. A humble man does not think enough of himself; he seeks less honor than he deserves, or none at all. Hence the humble man is just as odious and ridiculous as the vain man. He lacks proper self-respect, which, for Aristotle, is essential to a noble human life. Now, if we turn to the Bible and to Christian moral teachings, everything seems to be turned upside down. Pride, self esteem, self-sufficiency -- these are the worst sins. Humility, a sense of unworthiness, and dependence -- these are the supreme virtues. The Psalms teach that we are to trust in God alone as the eternal rock and security. The Gospels teach that "the poor in spirit" -- not those who are justifiably proud of their own worth -- are the blessed among men. Jesus preaches that men should avoid honors and privileges, even the title of teacher. The highest model for the Christian is the servant or slave, not the lord or master. The Christian does not seek high place or honor. "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." This preaching is concretely exemplified in Jesus' washing the disciples' feet. The Biblical view does not deprecate human virtue, but it ascribes it, like all good things, to God. It is always God that is magnified or glorified, not one's self or one's virtues. The Song of Mary, the "Magnificent" in the Gospel of Luke, is a model of the Biblical attitude. So, likewise, is the Jewish memorial service, which glorifies God, not the dead person or his virtues. In the Biblical view, only God is good or great. The modern writer who most vividly expresses the Christian idea of humility is Feodor Dostoyevsky. His novels try to show the redemptive value of humility and self-sacrificing love. The modern writer who most cogently opposes Christian humility is Friedrich Nietzsche. He considers Christian ethics a subversive revolution which turned things upside down, a "slave morality" which expresses the revenge of the weak and lowly against the strong and great. Thomas Aquinas attempts to reconcile the virtues of magnanimity and humility. He holds that a Christian rightly practices magnanimity when he considers himself "worthy of great things" because of the virtues he possesses -- as a gift of God. The "great things" are perfect works of virtue, in fulfillment of the nature which God has bestowed on man. Similarly, the Christian practices humility when he considers him self unworthy because of weaknesses inherent in his nature, or his failure to fulfill God's gifts. Humility leads him to honor and esteem others as better than himself insofar as they embody the God-given virtues.
GREAT IDEAS FOR HOLIDAY GIVING We are pleased to announce that the Center now can offer a video and audio library of Mortimer Adler's THE GREAT IDEAS Television Series, (A Retrospective 1953-54). The gift of learning: The ideal donation to your favorite institution, school, or library. Your order helps to support the Center's work, and is most appreciated.
RESCUED TREASURES: THE GREAT IDEAS A Relatively Unknown Story About Mortimer Adler The story begins 45 years ago in the San Francisco Bay area when an extraordinary educational event took place -- Mortimer Adler made his television debut. Unbeknownst to most of us, in the years 1953 and 1954 Mortimer Adler hosted a live, half-hour, weekly television series comprised of 52 programs entitled THE GREAT IDEAS. These programs were produced by the Institute for Philosophical Research and were carried as a public service by the American Broadcasting Company, presented by (NET) National Educational Television, the precursor to what is now PBS. Unfortunately, only Bay-area residents were privileged to see and hear Dr. Adler deliver these highly instructive and penetrating programs. Were it not for the forethought of Dr. Adler and his colleagues to film each telecast (as this was a time before videotape) they would have been lost. Sadly, since that time, these films have rested undisturbed in the Institute's storage room in Chicago. Then the building that housed the Institute was going to be razed forcing Dr. Adler and his staff to move into the Encyclopaedia Britannica headquarters. Fortunately during the move, these films were found and rescued. I am pleased to report that Dr. Adler has graciously donated these films to the Center as it has been his wish to make these films readily available as inexpensively as possible to you, educational institutions, and the general public. The happiest ending to this story would be to carry out Dr. Adler's wish and release these programs while at the same time preserving these outstanding examples of our intellectual and educational history. In order accomplish this, we conducted a fund-raising campaign to help cover the costs of restoring and transferring these films to a video and audio format. We are pleased to announce that the campaign was successful and has provided the necessary funds to produce this retrospective. These programs will now make Dr. Adler's work available to our universities, colleges, high schools, libraries, fellow citizens, and particularly to our young people who may not be aware of his important contributions. The half-hour videos are the perfect length for use in your home, office, classrooms, or discussion groups, the audiocassettes are perfect for learning while driving, jogging, exercising, etc. We cannot begin to convey to you how profound and instructive these programs are. Although television presentation techniques have improved drastically since then, it is the content of these programs that remains timeless and relevant to our world today.
THE GREAT IDEAS LIBRARY: The entire library consists of fifty-two (52) different half-hour programs. VIDEO: Twenty-two (22) videocassettes - $495.00* (less than $10 per program) AUDIO: Eighteen (18) audiocassettes - $195.00* (less than $4 per program) * Includes FREE shipping and handling charges in US and Canada. For your convenience, you may mail, fax, phone, or (SAFELY) e-mail your credit card number and expiration date. YES! Please send me the following: ____ Copies of the twenty-two (22) videocassette library ____ Copies of the eighteen (18) audiocassette library NAME: (Unless otherwise instructed, we will ship to your home address on file) $ _________________ Total amount for the video or audio libraries $ _________________ I/We would like to support the CENTER with a gift to the Annual "Adler's Angels" Fund** ____ Please charge my account with (6) equal monthly credit card payments $ _________________ TOTAL AMOUNT Charge my ____ VISA ____ MASTERCARD ____ DISCOVER Credit Card # Expiration Date: Or send check payable to:
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Revised 7 December 1998 |