Humility: The Secret History of a Lost Virtue

By Christopher M. Bellitto

This cultural history of humility reveals this lost virtue as a secret defense against arrogance and incivility

History demonstrates that when the virtue of humility is cast aside, excessive individualism follows. A person who lacks humility is at risk of developing a deceptive sense of certitude and at worst denies basic human rights, respect, and dignity to anyone they identify as the enemy.

Humility, a cultural history and biography of the idea of humility, argues that the frightening alternative to humility has been the death of civility. In this book, Bellitto explores humility in Greco-Roman history, philosophy, and literature; in the ancient and medieval Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scriptures and sermons; in the Enlightenment; and in contemporary discussions of education in virtue and citizenship. The author encourages readers to recover and reclaim this lost virtue by developing a new perspective on humility as an alternative to the diseases of hubris, arrogance, and narcissism in society.

This book offers a fresh perspective on this lost virtue for readers interested in finding a path to renewed civility.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1647123763
• ISBN13: 9781647123765
• Release Date: September 2023
• Publisher: Georgetown University Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.2" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 18 years and up