George Santayana - The Life Of Reason: Volume One (3/4) Introduction to all volumes
Channel: Books: Volume Two
Date: 30/03/2024

THE LIFE OF REASON: VOLUME ONE
Subtitled "the Phases of Human Progress", is a book published in five volumes from 1905 to 1906, by Spanish-born American philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952). It consists of Reason in Common Sense, Reason in Society, Reason in Religion, Reason in Art, and Reason in Science. The work is considered to be the most complete expression of Santayana's moral philosophy [...]. Santayana's philosophy is strongly influenced by the materialism of Democritus and the refined ethics of Aristotle, with a special emphasis on the natural development of ideal ends. The Life of Reason is sometimes considered to be one of the most poetic and well-written works of philosophy in Western history. 

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY.....
Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruiz de Santayana y Borrás (December 16, 1863 – September 26, 1952), known as George Santayana  was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. A lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States and identified himself as an American, although he always kept a valid Spanish passport. He wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters.  At the age of forty eight, Santayana left his position at Harvard and returned to Europe permanently, never to return to the United States. His last wish was to be buried in the Spanish pantheon in Rome. Santayana is known for famous sayings, such as "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" and "only the dead have seen the end of war." (a quotation often wrongly attributed to Plato). Santayana is broadly included among the pragmatists with Harvard University colleagues William James and Josiah Royce. He said that he stood in philosophy "exactly where he stood in daily life.

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