John Armstrong

Provides a look at the life of the renowned writer Goethe to show the surprising ways in which we can learn from him, whether in love, suffering, friendship or family. Meer

What is civilization? Why do we need it? And what can civilization offer us in an age of irony? This title explores the nature and aims of civilization, examining how civilizing forces from the Greeks to the Renaissance have shaped and coloured our ideas of what a good existence means. Meer

Raises one of the deepest and most puzzling questions we can put to ourselves ' What is Love?'Drawing on writers and thinkers as diverse as Plato, Tolstoy, Freud and Stendhal, John Armstrong explores how our perception of love is formed by culture and history. Meer

First Published in 1981, The Idea of Holiness and the Humane Response is a radically innovative book, presenting a critical appraisal of the concept of holiness and its effects. Meer