"At the outset of his seminal work The Feast of Fools, the theologian Harvey Cox distinguishes between 'world-changers' and 'life-celebrators.' World-changers see what is wrong with the world and hope to ameliorate it. The danger is that, having lost a sense of what is beautiful in the world, they can also lose a sense of the joy of being in the world and even a vision of what they would like the world to be. On the other hand, life-celebrators are in touch with the world’s joy and beauty, but risk forgetting that there is much suffering and oppression that needs to be addressed.
McPherson's book is about something similar, even though, "in contrast to Cox, McPherson’s form of celebration involves limits," not "joyous abandon."
Humility, Reverence, Contentment, Loyalty
May explains:
The distinction McPherson draws in the first chapter, 'Existential Limits,' and the founding distinction of the book, is between the 'choosing-controlling stance' and the 'accepting-appreciating stance.'
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To embrace the 'accepting-appreciating stance,' McPherson recommends the development of four virtues: humility, reverence, contentment, and loyalty."
I learned about the review from Bob Lane's blog, Episyllogism.
You may also be interested in my essay on Medium, "Let's Make Hope."
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