Josef Pieper is a German Roman Catholic philosopher in the German romantic idealist tradition. His specialty is Thomas Aquinas. This book is a selection from his writings selected by Pieper himself. The collection is remarkably coherent, each small unit leading into the next. He engages with ancient through modern philosophy, all from the standpoint of the Christian in dialog with Reality and Truth. What is the nature of human existence? How does theology and philosophy (or, better, theologians and philosophers) relate to one another? What is hope, happiness? How does hope relate to the future and the past? He is a clear and direct thinker and writer, reminding me at times of C. S. Lewis in his style. My one criticism is that sometimes, especially in the section on human existence, he leaves me wondering if I'm to accept his propositions as self-evident, when they are not self-evident to me! He's more "mystical" than I am, and some of his rhetoric leaves me cold. Nevertheless, he is profoundly thought-provoking and his ideas demand engagement and response. I'm going to leave this book alone for a while, and then reread it. Highly recommended.

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