The Faith of a Heretic: Updated Edition

by Walter A. Kaufmann, Stanley Corngold (Foreword by)

Overview

Originally published in 1959, The Faith of a Heretic is the most personal statement of the beliefs of Nietzsche biographer and translator Walter Kaufmann. A first-rate philosopher in his own right, Kaufmann here provides the fullest account of his views on religion. Although he considered himself a heretic, he was not immune to the wellsprings and impulses from which religion originates, declaring it among the most vital and radical expressions of the human mind. Beginning with an autobiographical prologue that traces his evolution from religious believer to "heretic," the book touches on theology, organized religion, morality, suffering, and death—all examined from the perspective of a "quest for honesty." Kaufmann also subjects philosophy's faith in truth, reason, and absolute morality to the same heretical treatment. The resulting exploration of the faiths of a nonbeliever in a secular age is as fresh and challenging as when it was first published.

In a new foreword, Stanley Corngold vividly describes the intellectual and biographical milieu of Kaufmann’s provocative book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691165486
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	06/09/2015
Edition description:	Updated Edition
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Walter Kaufmann (1921–1980) was the Stuart Professor of Philosophy at Princeton University, where he taught for more than thirty years. His many books include Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist and Critique of Religion and Philosophy (both Princeton).

Table of Contents

Foreword Stanley Corngold xi

Preface xxvii

I Prologue 1

II The Quest for Honesty 14

III Philosophy and Revolution 39

IV Commitment 66

V Against Theology 90

VI Suffering and the Bible 137

VII The Old Testament 170

VIII Jesus vis-à- vis Paul, Luther, and Schweitzer 207

IX Organized Religion 250

X Morality 280

XI Freud and the Tragic Virtues 332

XII Death 355

XIII Trilogue on Heaven, Love, and Peace 380

XIV Epilogue 399

Bibliographical Index 411

Acknowledgments 419

Editorial Reviews

"An honest, uplifting, learned and highly readable argument against conformism. People who tend toward any conceivable form of heresy are likely to find it worth ten volumes of standard inspirational pap."

Life

"The case against organized religion has seldom been so cogently put."

Newsweek

"The book is a demonstration of Kaufmann's high spirits as well as his learning and cogency. He wants, he says, to make the reader feel his own faith is at stake, and whether that reader puts his faith in philosophy or popular religion, he will feel the sting of Kaufmann's wit."

The Progressive

"An honest, uplifting, learned and highly readable argument against conformism. People who tend toward any conceivable form of heresy are likely to find it worth ten volumes of standard inspirational pap."

Life

"The case against organized religion has seldom been so cogently put."

Newsweek

"The case against organized religion has seldom been so cogently put."—Newsweek

"An honest, uplifting, learned and highly readable argument against conformism. People who tend toward any conceivable form of heresy are likely to find it worth ten volumes of standard inspirational pap."—Life

"The book is a demonstration of Kaufmann's high spirits as well as his learning and cogency. He wants, he says, to make the reader feel his own faith is at stake, and whether that reader puts his faith in philosophy or popular religion, he will feel the sting of Kaufmann's wit."—The Progressive

From the Publisher