Cities of Words : Pedagogical Letters on a Register of the Moral Life

Since Socrates and his circle first tried to frame the Just City in words, discussion of a perfect communal life--a life of justice, reflection, and mutual respect--has had to come to terms with the distance between that idea and reality. Measuring this distance step by practical step is the philosophical project that Stanley Cavell has pursued on his exploratory path. Situated at the intersection of two of his longstanding interests--Emersonian philosophy and the Hollywood comedy of remarriage--Cavell's new work marks a significant advance in this project. The book--which presents a course of lectures Cavell presented several times toward the end of his teaching career at Harvard--links masterpieces of moral philosophy and classic Hollywood comedies to fashion a new way of looking at our lives and learning to live with ourselves. This book offers philosophy in the key of life. Beginning with a rereading of Emerson's "Self-Reliance," Cavell traces the idea of perfectionism through works by Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche, and Rawls, and by such artists as Henry James, George Bernard Shaw, and Shakespeare. Cities of Words shows that this ever-evolving idea, brought to dramatic life in movies such as It Happened One Night , The Awful Truth , The Philadelphia Story , and The Lady Eve , has the power to reorient the perception of Western philosophy. Since Socrates and his circle first tried to frame the Just City in words, discussion of a perfect communal life -- a life of justice, reflection, and mutual respect -- has had to come to terms with the distance between that idea and reality. Measuring this distance step by practical step is the philosophical project that Stanley Cavell has pursued on his exploratory path. Situated at the intersection of two of his longstanding interests -- Emersonian philosophy and the Hollywood comedy of remarriage -- Cavell's new work marks a significant advance in this project. The book -- which presents a course of lectures Cavell gave several times toward the end of his teaching career at Harvard -- links masterpieces of moral philosophy and classic Hollywood comedies and melodramas to fashion a new way of looking at our lives and learning to live with ourselves.This book offers philosophy in the key of life. Beginning with a rereading of Emerson's "Self-Reliance," Cavell traces the idea of perfectionism through works by Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche, and Rawls, and by such artists as Henry James, George Bernard Shaw, and Shakespeare. Cities of Words shows that this ever-evolving idea, brought to dramatic life in movies such as It Happened One Night, The Awful Truth, The Philadelphia Story, and The Lady Eve, has the power to reorient the perception of Western philosophy. "Since Socrates and his circle first tried to frame the Just City in words, discussion of a perfect communal life - a life of justice, reflection, and mutual respect - has had to come to terms with the distance between that idea and reality. Measuring this distance step by practical step is the philosophical project that Stanley Cavell has pursued on his exploratory path. Situated at the intersection of two of his longstanding interests - Emersonian philosophy and the Hollywood comedy of remarriage - Cavell's new work marks a significant advance in this project. The book - which presents a course of lectures Cavell presented several times toward the end of his teaching career at Harvard - links masterpieces of moral philosophy and classic Hollywood comedies to fashion a new way of looking at our lives and learning to live with ourselves."--Jacket Preface Introduction 1. Emerson 2. The Philadelphia Story 3. Locke 4. Adam's Rib 5. John Stuart Mill 6. Gaslight 7. Kant 8. It Happened One Night 9. Rawls 10. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town 11. Nietzsche 12. Now, Voyager 13. Ibsen 14. Stella Dallas 15. Freud 16. The Lady Eve 17. Plato 18. His Girl Friday 19. Aristotle 20. The Awful Truth 21. Henry James and Max Ophuls 22. G. B. Shaw: Pygmalion and Pygmalion 23. Shakespeare and Rohmer: Two Tales of Winter Themes of Moral Perfectionism Bibliography Acknowledgments Index Emerson The Philadelphia story Locke Adam's Rob John Stuart Mill Gaslight Kant It happened one night Rawls Mr. Deeds goes to town Nietzsche Now, Voyager Ibsen Stella Dallas Freud The Lady Eve Plato His Girl Friday Aristotle The Awful Truth Henry James and Max Ophuls G.B. Shaw: Pygmalion and Pygmalion Shakespeare and Rohmer: Two Tales of Winter Themes of moral perfectionism in Plato's Republic.