The Heroic Heart
Greatness Ancient and Modern
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Encounter Books,USA
Published:24th Sep '15
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What does it mean to be a hero? In The Heroic Heart, Tod Lindberg traces the quality of heroic greatness from its most distant origin in human prehistory to the present day. The designation of "hero" once conjured mainly the prowess of conquerors and kings slaying their enemies on the battlefield. Heroes in the modern world come in many varieties, from teachers and mentors making a lasting impression on others by giving of themselves, to firefighters no less willing than their ancient counterparts to risk life and limb. They don't do so to assert a claim of superiority over others, however. Rather, the modern heroic heart acts to serve others and save others. The spirit of modern heroism is generosity, what Lindberg calls "the caring will," a primal human trait that has flourished alongside the spread of freedom and equality. Through its intimate portraits of historical and literary figures and its subtle depiction of the most difficult problems of politics, The Heroic Heart offers a startlingly original account of the passage from the ancient to the modern world and the part the heroic type has played in it. Lindberg deftly combines social criticism and moral philosophy in a work that ranks with such classics as Thomas Carlyle's nineteenth-century On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History and Joseph Campbell's twentieth-century The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
"The classical hero who kills and often dies for a larger cause of freedom and liberty may have become passe in the postmodern egalitarian West. But in this learned survey of 'slaying' and 'saving' heroes, from the Greeks to 9/11, Tod Lindberg reminds us why we moderns would be doomed without such brave hearts to keep evil outside the gates and remind the complacent within that there is no end to history. An absorbing paean that weaves together exacting scholarship and the personal voice, in a style that is both engaging and accessible." -Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow in classics and military history at The Hoover Institution, Stanford University "I know few thinkers as simultaneously erudite and engaging as Tod Lindberg. The Heroic Heart takes us from Achilles to Afghanistan, from the fact of death to what makes some of us larger than life. How we define and choose our heroes offers a penetrating glimpse into the heart of the modern human condition." -Marie Slaughter, president of the New America Foundation and author of Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family "In an age when virtue and heroism are often seen as relics of a bygone era, The Heroic Heart brings to bear a historically informed challenge, one relevant to our times. With a refreshing voice, Tod Lindberg gives enlightened heroism its due, while highlighting the purpose for strength of character in an often malevolent world awash in change. This book is a moral tonic in the face of today's dilemmas and a reminder of the timeless value of strong, selfless character." -Gen. James Mattis, USMC-ret., former commander, CENTCOM "The Heroic Heart is full of insight on the way that our heroes have changed since the time of the ancient Greeks up through the present. In the process, it raises fundamental questions about political leadership and the morality that underlies community, now and in the past." -Francis Fukuyama, author of The End of History and the Last Man and Political Order and Political Decay "At the heart of geopolitics rests a mystery, the willingness of men to die for their country. Tod Lindberg's The Heroic Heart is a superb attempt to unravel this mystery with both personal insight and command of the history of philosophy." -George Friedman, founder of Stratfor and author of The Next 100 Years
ISBN: 9781594038235
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 496g
240 pages