Radical Humility

This innovative essay collection explores the personal and civic function of humility from a range of popular and scholarly perspectives. What does humility mean and why does it matter in an age of golden escalators and billion

Humility, Pride, and Christian Virtue Theory proposes an account of humility that relies on the most radical Christian sayings about humility, especially those found in Augustine and the early monastic tradition. It argues that this was the view of humility that put Christian moral thought into decisive conflict with the best Greco-Roman moral thought. This radical Christian account of humility has been forgotten amidst contemporary efforts to clarify and retrieve the virtue of humility for secular life. Kent Dunnington shows how humility was repurposed during the early-modern era-particularly in the thought of Hobbes, Hume, and Kant-to better serve the economic and social needs of the emerging modern state. This repurposed humility insisted on a role for proper pride alongside humility, as a necessary constituent of self-esteem and a necessary motive of consistent moral action over time. Contemporary philosophical accounts of humility continue this emphasis on proper pride as a counterbalance to humility. By contrast, radical Christian humility proscribes pride altogether. Dunnington demonstrates how such a radical view need not give rise to vices of humility such as servility and pusillanimity, nor need such a view fall prey to feminist critiques of humility. But the view of humility set forth makes little sense abstracted from a specific set of doctrinal commitments peculiar to Christianity. This study argues that this is a strength rather than a weakness of the account since it displays how Christianity matters for the shape of the moral life.

Publisher Description

Feeling burnt-out from life, strung-out from social media, and put out by a society that always wants more from you? Beloved nun and social activist Joan Chittister, who appeared on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday, offers a practical, character-building, and inspirational guide to help you take control of your emotional life and redirect your spiritual destiny. Joan Chittister, whom Publishers Weekly calls "one of the most well-known and trusted contemporary spiritual authors," is a rabble-rousing force of nature for social justice, and a passionate proponent of personal faith and spiritual fulfillment. Drawing on little known, ancient teachings of the saints, Sister Joan offers a practical program to help transform our thinking and rebel against our fears, judgments and insecurities. "Freedom from anxiety, worry, and tensions at home and work, comes when we give ourselves to something greater," she argues. "We need to seek wisdom rather than simply facts, to think before speaking, and in turn create respectful communities." With a series of twelve simple rules for healthy spiritual living, Chittister not only reminds us, but pleads with us, to develop enduring values by shifting our attention to how God wants us to live. This book will teach you how to accomplish this.

Humility in its greatest demonstration was Jesus giving His life for you and me. He came down and became a servant so we could become kings and priests. With this same spirit we are commissioned to live with humility - reflecting our relationship with Christ. Humility isn't a low, unsuccessful position, but rather a fully surrendered life to the ways of the Kingdom. Learn how a life of humility is filled with the grace, promotion, and blessings that can only come from the Lord.

"A game-changing book that redefines leadership in the modern world." --Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won't Get You There When veteran executive coach, professor, and ultraendurance champion Urs Koenig signed up to be a NATO peacekeeping commander and United Nations peacekeeper in his fifties, he thought he knew a thing or two about leadership. What he discovered was a new way of thinking that replaces the top-down, "heroic" leadership of the past with a more human-centered approach that views humility as a strength and key to achieving goals in today's complex world. The deeply researched Radical Humility framework centers on making five Shifts that will help you elevate your leadership from Heroic (THEN) to Humble (NOW): » 1. Dig Deep--from blind spots (THEN) to self-awareness (NOW) » 2. Tough on Results, Tender on People--from heavy-handed (THEN) to high-touch, high standards (NOW) » 3. Lead Like a Compass--from micromanaging (THEN) to empowerment (NOW) » 4. Full Transparency--from secrecy (THEN) to open doors (NOW) » 5. Champion a Fearless Culture--from afraid to speak up (THEN) to fearless (NOW) With a flair for storytelling that has inspired teams at Amazon, Starbucks, Microsoft, and the Society of Human Resource Management, Koenig shares his own compelling leadership journey as well as those of leaders from health care, government, tech, the military, professional sports, and more. Radical Humility is packed with dozens of no-nonsense tools and practical takeaways, making it the ultimate actionable blueprint for a new type of leader for a new type of world.

The virtue of humility is a much debated subject. To many, humility is an attractive character trait in others, the opposite of pride and arrogance. Yet many philosophers, be they ancient or modern, find little value in humility as a virtue. For theAristotelian moral tradition, humility is an impediment to greatness. Modern philosophers take this sentiment further, asserting that humility only leads to unhappiness and human debasement. The Christian intellectual tradition, however, provides a contrast to these negative appraisals of humility. St Augustine of Hippo is an eloquent and robust proponent of the value of humility. Unlike the thinkers of the classical and modern philosophic traditions, Augustine asserts that humility is not onlya significant virtue; it is the indispensable foundation of human greatness. In The Greatness of Humility, Joseph J. McInerney traces how Augustine makes his argument regarding the importance of humility and shows how his position measures up to those of his philosophical rivals.

Words have enormous power. They can make us erupt into laughter or bring tears to our eyes. They can influence, inspire, manipulate and shock. They can build, and they can destroy. Some words have different effects on different people. One such word is humility. It is one of those words that are seldom in neutral gear. Some, like me, love the word and all it stands for. Some almost fear it and interpret it synonymously with lack of self-confidence or timidity. Humility is one of the virtues often mentioned in our everyday life. But what is humility? And is it a virtue? The dictionary defines humility as modesty, lacking pretence, not believing that you are superior to others. An ancillary definition includes: "Having a lowly opinion of oneself, meekness". An interesting dichotomy is that, often, the higher people rise, the more they have accomplished, the higher the humility index. Those who achieve the most brag the least, and the more secure they are in themselves, the more humble they are. There is also an understated humility of everyday people we work with who have the ability to get the job done without drawing attention to themselves. Witness the employee who is working at his computer into the late hours, purely motivated by a keen sense of duty, the executive assistant who stays after 5:30pm on a Friday night in an empty office to await a courier, or the manager who quietly cancels an important personal event to fly out of town to attend to the company's business. This is akin to the philanthropist who gives an anonymous donation. In this book, we will take a critical look at the subject matter of humility, the false assumptions people often make regarding it, and how it is an important quality for everyone to have. We will also provide you tips on how to exercise humility in your everyday life. Happy reading!