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On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs: Teaching, Writing, Playing, Believing, Lecturing, Philosophizing, Singing, Dancing Hardcover – January 1, 2002

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 8 ratings

In this wise and witty book, acclaimed author James Schall illuminates a fundamental truth that will shock ceaselessly busy and ambitious Americans: human affairs are unserious.

Following Plato, Schall shows why singing, dancing, playing, contemplating, and other "useless" human activities are not merely forms of escape but also indications of the freedom in and for which men and women were created. The joy that accompanies leisure, festivity, and conviviality, he demonstrates, give us a glimpse of the eternal.
On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs offers a vital message that is truly countercultural.
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although Schall's title might seem to promise a romp through the Elysian Fields with Epicurus and Nietzsche, nothing could be further from the truth. Recruiting philosophy and literary theory into an inspirational narrative, Father Schall (A Student's Guide to Liberal Learning), who teaches at Georgetown University, contends that "unseriousness" derives from the realization that while humankind is not the highest thing in existence, human beings are good. Humanity's joy, then, comes in its celebration of being-in-the-world; those enjoyable activities, which might seem like wasting time, are in fact related to "our transcendent destiny," our spirituality. Taking passages from Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, Dante and Chesterton, Schall argues that our lives have a particular gravity, but that they are unserious compared to the seriousness of God. Our lives are merely, then, responses to an order that exists beyond us, and Schall demonstrates through readings of philosophers ranging from Aristotle to Peanuts' Charlie Brown that various unserious behaviors playing, dancing, singing, writing provide the skills to connect to that transcendent order. For example, he observes that "[e]ssays keep us alert to the wonder of things," and "[l]etters keep us in touch when we are not literally before those whom we would see face to face." Schall weaves together his meditations with theological interludes in which he explores briefly such topics as redemption, salvation and eschatology. Although these reflections do not break any new ground or open up any radically different channels of discussion, Schall's book will appeal to fans of C.S. Lewis, Chesterton and Peter Kreeft.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Letters and essays are Schall's favorite reading, and the leisurely concentration characteristic of those forms distinguishes his own writings, which both entrance and infuriate. What is entrancing about them stems from the religiously informed perspective suggested by the book's title--that the most human actions (see the subtitle) aren't necessary but recreational--and from Schall's citing and reciting of ideas that his career as a teacher has verified, such as the observation of Saint-Exupery's Little Prince that the only time that counts is the time we "waste" with friends. His essays infuriate when they don't seem to come to the point; "On the Teaching of Political Philosophy," for instance, Schall talks little about statecraft but much about ascertaining the truth--the object of philosophy per se. They also infuriate by recommending self-discipline, rejecting moral relativism, holding with Samuel Johnson that the highest truths "are too important to be new," and taking other positions that bespeak Schall's status as a priest as well as a professor. On the other hand, they delight for the same reasons. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ISI Books (January 1, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 205 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1882926633
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1882926633
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 0.65 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 8 ratings

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James V. Schall
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2013
    The book was even better that described. I was also impressed with how it was packaged-- sealed in plastic to prevent any potential water damage.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2003
    The Unseriousness of Human Affairs is a title almost certainly written to give the modern reader a jolt-what, is not everything I work for pretty serious? Our country, my job, my family, these are not serious?
    Prof. Schall shows us how leisure and play is in fact crucial to our nature as human beings, that our learning and growth develops through something that is spontaneous, as he demonstrates by pointing out that the Greek and Latin terms for school (skole and otium, respectively) can also mean "leisure". So begins an intellectual romp that includes Jesus, Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Aquinas and G.K. Chesterton along with some more unlikely companions, like Robert Pirsig's _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance_ (good book, by the way), Charlie Brown, and Friederich Nietzsche. The latter, while a powerful voice in his own right, is not someone you would expect a rather cheerful Christian like Prof. Schall to cite, but in fact he makes great use of Nietzsche's observation that dissipation is the result not of joy but of joylessness, which is a key point in the book.
    The result is a Christian humanism that is intelligible to people of all walks of life and beliefs, and points to a learning that is engaged with the classics and the great, hard questions of life, but does so in a pleasurable, positive way. Many modern figures have commented that Christians (or perhaps religious folk in general) are distracted from solving this world's problems by the promise of an afterlife in Paradise. John Lennon's song "Imagine" is a good example of this thinking. Prof. Schall shows, however, that the very transcendence in the Judeo-Christian worldview in fact gives us what needed to handle those problems that Lennon et al. rightfully rail against.
    In the middle of this book, Prof. Schall pays tribute to the teachers he never met, such as Augustine and Hilaire Belloc, and I must say that he has become a teacher that has touched my life, though I have not met him. God willing, perhaps I shall, but this book is profoundly enriching and inspiring, and I trust he will influence many more lives through it.
    35 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2007
    This is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a while. In a collection of essays, Schall synthesizes the philosophy of the greats within the Western tradition, including Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, St. Augustine, Aquinas, Chesterton, and even some twentieth-century figures such as Voegelin, Strauss and Arendt. These thinkers teach us to be skeptical of the purported wisdom and sophistication of humanity and to rather focus our deepest selves on the highest things, namely the things of God. The surprising twist of this book is that Schall shows that we are at our best in focusing on the highest things when we are engaging in activities most of us would consider inherently unserious, such as dancing, singing, playing sports, writing letters, looking at art, praying, or talking with friends. Unlike work, even the most noble work, these activities don't exist for a purpose, but are rather an end unto themselves, just like God. And because it is through these seemingly unserious activities that we best approach an authentic understanding of God they become, in a sense, the most serious things we do.

    I highly recommend this book for anyone who is a "serious" thinker about the highest things. Schall's style is very fun to read and his authentic self is easy to grasp in the words. This book is an intellectual challenge, to be sure; there is a ton in this book that I know I didn't quite understand, though I hope I will some day. This book tells of what is dignified, wonderful, and beautiful about the Western/Classical Christian tradition. Enjoy!
    18 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2009
    This is a very enjoyable excursion with a warm and engaged teacher into the realm of "the higher things." It is a book to read a bit and then stop and ponder. Certainly the young would be well served in reading this fine work - very valuable for the college student. But graybeards could find it irresistible too. That is if their minds are not hardened against self-examination because Schall can cause you to look closely at your life and how you are living it.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2007
    There are certain books that can simply be described as enlightening. This is one of them. I was a philosophy student when I read this book. And it brought the subject alive. It is an enjoyable read. Highly recommended.
    6 people found this helpful
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