A Preface To Morals
Restored Classics to Go EditionBy Walter Lippmann
Length9h 58m
About this audiobook
This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design. Walter Lippmann's "A Preface to Morals" delves into the crisis of belief in modern society, exploring how the erosion of traditional religious values has left individuals grappling with a profound sense of vacancy and existential uncertainty. Lippmann examines the impact of modernity on personal morality and societal norms, highlighting the disconnection that arises when ancestral values dissolve. In "Golden Memories," Lippmann contrasts the approaches of freedom and restraint, emphasizing the challenge of achieving a balanced life amidst moral dilemmas. This section underscores the importance of maturity and self-reflection in the quest for meaning, suggesting that high religion can guide individuals through the complexities of modern life. Lippmann reflects on the failure of liberalism to deliver true freedom and happiness, noting historical tendencies to seek refuge in idealized pasts. He critiques the paradox of modern freedom, where liberation from traditional constraints often results in feelings of emptiness and confusion. Despite the promise of self-determination, many struggle to forge meaningful lives, highlighting the persistent human need for meaning and belonging. The book addresses the plight of modern individuals caught between the absence of authoritative belief and societal pressures. It explores the futility of seeking a new, stable orthodoxy amid the breakdown of established beliefs, leaving individuals in existential uncertainty. Lippmann critiques rebellion against authority, illustrating how it can lead to disillusionment and emptiness once traditional idols are destroyed. Lippmann also critiques oversimplified moral judgments, advocating for a nuanced understanding of human behavior. He emphasizes the value of combining intuitive insight with scientific psychology to navigate the complexities of human nature. By focusing on psychological development, Lippmann suggests that humanism, grounded in individual progress, can offer a meaningful alternative to traditional beliefs, providing a foundation for understanding human nature and the art of living.
Audiobook details
GenrePhilosophy
Length9 hrs 58 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 14, 2025
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1A PREFACE TO MORALS
482. Freedom and Restraint
2PART I THE DISSOLUTION OF THE ANCESTRAL ORDER
493. The Ascetic Principle
3CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM OF UNBELIEF
504. Oscillation between Two Principles
41. Whirl is King
515. The Golden Mean and Its Difficulties
52. False Prophecies
526. The Matrix of Humanism
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63. Sorties and Retreats
537. The Career of the Soul
74. Deep Dissolution
548. The Passage into Maturity
8CHAPTER II GOD IN THE MODERN WORLD
559. The Function of High Religion
91. Imago Dei
56CHAPTER X HIGH RELIGION AND THE MODERN WORLD
102. An Indefinite God
571. Popular Religion and the Great Teachers
113. God in More Senses Than One
582. The Aristocratic Principle
124. The Protest of the Fundamentalists
593. The Peculiarity of the Modern Situation
135. In Man’s Image
604. The Stone Which the Builders Rejected
14CHAPTER III THE LOSS OF CERTAINTY
61PART III THE GENIUS OF MODERNITY
151. Ways of Reading the Bible
62CHAPTER XI THE CURE OF SOULS
162. Modernism: Immortality as an Example
631. The Problem of Evil
173. What Modernism Leaves Out
642. Superstition and Self-Consciousness
18CHAPTER IV THE ACIDS OF MODERNITY
653. Virtue
191. The Kingly Pattern
664. From Clue to Practice
202. Landmarks
67CHAPTER XII THE BUSINESS OF THE GREAT SOCIETY
213. Barren Ground
681. The Invention of Invention
224. Sophisticated Violence
692. The Creative Principle in Modernity
235. Rulers
703. Naive Capitalism
24CHAPTER V THE BREAKDOWN OF AUTHORITY
714. The Credo of Old-Style Business
251. God’s Government
725. Old-Style Reform and Revolution
262. The Doctrine of the Keys
736. The Diffusion of the Acquisitive Instinct
273. The Logic of Toleration
747. Ideals
284. A Working Compromise
75CHAPTER XIII GOVERNMENT IN THE GREAT SOCIETY
295. The Effect of Patriotism
761. Loyalty
306. The Dissolution of a Sovereignty
772. The Evolution of Loyalty
31CHAPTER VI LOST PROVINCES
783. Pluralism
321. Business
794. Live and Let Live
332. The Family
805. Government in the People
343. Art
816. Politicians and Statesmen
35CHAPTER VII THE DRAMA OF DESTINY
82CHAPTER XIV LOVE IN THE GREAT SOCIETY
361. The Soul in the Modern World
831. The External Control of Sexual Conduct
372. The Great Scenario
842. Birth Control
383. Earmarks of Truth
853. The Logic of Birth Control
394. On Reconciling Religion and Science
864. The Use of Convention
405. Gospels of Science
875. The New Hedonism
416. The Deeper Conflict
886. Marriage and Affinity
427. Theocracy and Humanism
897. The Schooling of Desire
43PART II THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMANISM
90CHAPTER XV THE MORALIST IN AN UNBELIEVING WORLD
44INTRODUCTION
911. The Declaration of Ideals
45CHAPTER VIII GOLDEN MEMORIES
922. The Choice of a Way
46CHAPTER IX THE INSIGHT OF HUMANISM
933. The Religion of the Spirit
471. The Two Approaches to Life
94APPENDIX ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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