Presenting: Candice Brearley Vignette
"THE PHILOSOPHICAL BIOGRAPHY OF A GODDESS"
written by Jonathan Sanford Saul
Candice Brearley Vignette presents my claim, that Candice is a Goddess.
I set out scientifically to prove what initially might appear to be purely romantic.
However, the Goddess theme is simply a metaphor for the widespread and aggressive devaluation of the concept of value these days, and a plea for all to consider how each will handle this challenge.
Jonathan Sanford Saul
In the book, I focus on Truth, Beauty and Goodness, those vaunted Greek ideas that have guided our civilization. I use Candice's life as the framework for this exploration of the contemporary struggle to recognize value - that truth is real, that beauty exists, and that goodness can be experienced. Relative truth, relative beauty and relative goodness are, of course, our modern understanding of these ideals. However, just as up can only be understood in relation to down, one must have a standard, even a relative standard of one's own, in order to have a concept of Truth or Beauty or Goodness.
Candy circa 1963
Photograph by William Carlton Roof
That's what the book is about. I tell the story of Candice from my perspective, intending to reveal to the reader how and why I love her. All the while, however, I am arguing for the significance of ideals and the valuable roles that such concepts play in our lives. Oh yeah, there are lots of beautiful pictures as well!
This is not a left-wing or right-wing book. It is neither liberal nor conservative, democratic nor republican, but it definitely raises controversial thoughts.
I do not prescribe, but I do describe, the current threat to ideals that is inevitably the result of the mass society in which we live and the even more massive society to come, ultimately charging the readers to decide for themselves how they will choose to live. If these ideas are of interest to you, and if you would enjoy reading about such issues in a book chock full of interesting, funny and sometimes even witty vignettes (if I may say so myself), then please buy it, read it and let me know what you think!