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Radical Hope

Ethics in the Face of Cultural Devastation

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Radical Hope

Written by: Jonathan Lear
Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
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Shortly before he died, Plenty Coups, the last great Chief of the Crow Nation, told his story - up to a certain point. "When the buffalo went away the hearts of my people fell to the ground", he said, "and they could not lift them up again. After this nothing happened."

It is precisely this point - that of a people faced with the end of their way of life - that prompts the philosophical and ethical inquiry pursued in Radical Hope. In Jonathan Lear's view, Plenty Coups' story raises a profound ethical question that transcends his time and challenges us all: How should one face the possibility that one's culture might collapse?

This is a vulnerability that affects us all - insofar as we are all inhabitants of a civilization, and civilizations are themselves vulnerable to historical forces. How should we live with this vulnerability? Can we make any sense of facing up to such a challenge courageously? Using the available anthropology and history of the Indian tribes during their confinement to reservations, and drawing on philosophy and psychoanalytic theory, Lear explores the story of the Crow Nation at an impasse as it bears upon these questions - and these questions as they bear upon our own place in the world.

©2006 the President and Fellows of Harvard College (P)2019 Tantor Americas Philosophy Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Psychotherapy Social Sciences United States Native American Health
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Lear's book is short and brilliant. The ideas and influence behind the life of the great Crow Chief, Plenty Coups, are explained in a way that is meaningful to us all. Lear's concept of 'radical hope' is definitely not just being optimistic. It is having a concept of how to proceed even when we are unsure of the outcome.

In spots, it's a bit difficult because of the philosophical aspect but Paul Heitsch's narration is dynamic and always keeps up the interest level.

This book is great example, in my opinion, of why listening to a book can be better than reading. I'm sure the slower philosophical passages would have made me stop reading. Not so when I was listening.

Fascinating and important; brilliantly narrated

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