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aztec
B06=Sebastian Purcell
Category1=Non-Fiction
Category=HBJK
Category=HBLA
Category=HPQ
Category=NHC
Category=NHK
Category=NHKA
Category=QDTQ
collectivity
community
COP=United States
Delivery_Delivery within 10-20 working days
elders
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
ethics
happiness
indigenous american cultures
Language_English
latin american philosophical text
mexico
morality
nahuatl
PA=Available
philosophy
Price_€20 to €50
PS=Active
softlaunch
translation
wisdom
Product details
- ISBN 9781324020585
- Weight: 391g
- Dimensions: 147 x 218mm
- Publication Date: 29 Aug 2023
- Publisher: WW Norton & Co
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
- Language: English
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The Aztecs of central Mexico had a rich philosophical tradition, recorded in Latin script by Spanish clergymen—one of the earliest transcripts being Huehuetlatolli, or Discourses of the Elders, compiled by Fr Andres de Olmos circa 1535.
Novel in its form, the Discourses consists of short conversations between elders and young people on how to achieve a meaningful and morally sound life. These conversations bring to light the Aztec ethical landscape in brilliant clarity. Their core values relied on collective responsibility and group wisdom, not individual thought and action, focused on a person’s actions in this realm rather than expectations of an afterlife.
Never before translated into English in its entirety, and one of the first works to be translated from the original Nahuatl, the Discourses proves that philosophy can be active, communal and grounded not in a “pursuit of happiness” but rather pursuit of a meaningful life.
Sebastian Purcell is an award-winning associate professor of philosophy at SUNY-Cortland in New York, where he researches ethics, Aztec philosophy, and mathematical logic. He resides in Binghamton, New York.
