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TIM press published a new book by the French author Frédéric Lenoir called A brief discussion about the inner life.
"Of all my books on philosophy and spirituality, this is certainly the most accessible, as well as the most useful. Through it, I am not trying to convey theoretical knowledge, but practical, which is much more important: how to live a good, happy life in harmony with oneself and with others. What I say in this book with simple words and examples, as in a conversation with a friend, is the result of thirty years of research and experiments. My testimony would have no weight were it not supported by the philosophy of the great sages who have marked my life: Buddha, Confucius, Socrates, Aristotle, Epicurus, Epictetus, Jesus, Montaigne, Spinoza, Schopenhauer, Levinas and others.
Existence is a fact, life is art. The purpose of a life is a path from ignorance to knowledge, from fear to love.
I will add something more important, something that in this short debate might not be sufficiently emphasized. As Spinoza says in Ethics, the essence of life is a profound joy. The joy is there, and we must learn to see it, accept it and allow it to appear. Psychological or philosophical work helps remove barriers that often prevent the burst of joy. It is because we have tasted the joy, even if only for a moment, that we will truly be involved in the search for truth, goodness, beauty. And because we will frequently try it, this searchich for wisdom will continue to grow. Just as we learn to love because we have tasted love, so we, precisely because we have tasted bliss, desire to advance in virtue. To the denial leads joy, and not vice versa."
Frédéric Lenoir (1962) is a French philosopher, sociologist and historian of religions. He received his PhD at the School of High Studies of Social Sciences (EHESS) and is a research associate at the Center for interdisciplinary religious studies in Paris. Since 2004, he is the editor of the magazine Le Monde des religions. He has published thirty books that have been translated into more than twenty languages. His most famous works are: Christ philosopher (2007), A brief discussion of the history of religion (2008), How Jesus became God (2010), A brief discussion on the internal life (2010), God (2011), Soul of the world (2012) and About happiness. A philosophical journey (2013).
- ISBN: 978-953-8075-03-2
- Year of the edition: 2015
- Number of pages: 176
- Cover: paperback
- Original title: Petit traité de vie intérieure
- Original language: French
- Translation: Divina Marion
- Dimensions: 128x200 mm
Questions about life and the good life intrigue philosophers and ordinary people since the dawn of humanity, and Lenoir summarizes what kind of answers were in this regard given throughout the history, but also he is original in the selection of topics and examples, as well as in interpretations of the thoughts of other authors and in steady, but strong emphasis on their own thesis.
The foundation in the tradition of philosophy and culture with a view to "here and now" in his work leads to a double effect: readers will in short units dedicated to specific topics gain a full and deep insights into a particular problem, and again will be intrigued to investigate further, as Lenoir's book is full of references to philosophers and thinkers from antiquity to the present, which in the author's perspective become our contemporaries. Prof.
dr. sc. Hrvoje Jurić
By this philosophical discussion Lenoir does not want to expose any theory, but based on his own thirty years of research and experience, and the experience the world's sages to speak of the value of life, trust, faith, responsibility for our own lives, actions and inaction, the meaning of silence and meditation in human life, the importance of knowing and power of discernment, on the need to introduce ourselves to the acquisition of virtues and becoming free, the love of self and inner healing, the golden rule - keeping the "golden mean", about love for each other, on nonviolence and forgiveness, the difficulties that life can bring and about death and its acceptance, humor and beauty.
The book offers a model of how to realize the value of one's life, how to deal with life's disabilities, accept them and move on, that despite all the problems that accompany us we need to be happy and satisfied, to build and to love ourselves and others, to be a friend.
Prof. dr. sc. Ivan Markeši
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