Handbook of Worldly Wisdom

Józef Maria Bocheński O. P. (1902–1995) held the chair of modern and contemporary philosophy in the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. His interests ranged over the history of European philosophy, with special focus on logic, as well as research in Soviet philosophy. A colourful and resourceful personality, he served actively during the two European wars; was an advisor to statesmen (Adenauer in Germany; the Swiss Federal Council); negotiated the release of hostages in the Polish Embassy in Bern; and became a passionate pilot flying across Europe and beyond. Because Bocheński considered himself to be among the ‘hardest’ of the ‘hard’ analytic philosophers, who examine theoretical questions with the tools of contemporary formal logic, it came as something of “surprise” to those familiar with his work that close to the end of his life he turned to the question of how to pursue a long and good life. The result of his reflections is this easily accessible, small volume, a handbook of practical recommendations (and warnings!) for anyone intent on living long and well. Bocheński aimed both to underscore the value of a tradition with roots in Antiquity and to demonstrate how wisdom’s precepts for the long and good life display an inherent logical order. Originally appearing in Polish, the Handbook has already attracted the attention of French, German, and Spanish translators. The present edition is the first English translation of the Handbook. It features a detailed 50-page preface by the translator, Prof. E. M. Świderski, who studied under and collaborated with Bocheński. Prof. Świderski illuminates the background of Bocheński’s thinking about the human condition and identifies key issues about the scope of wisdom in relation to ethics and morality.