The Life of Reason or the Phases of Human Progress ─ Reason in Society

Santayana's Life of Reason, published in five books from 1905 to1906, ranks as one of the greatest works in modern philosophical naturalism. Acknowledging thenatural material bases of human life, Santayana traces the development of the human capacity forappreciating and cultivating the ideal. It is a capacity he exhibits as he articulates a continuityrunning through animal impulse, practical intelligence, and ideal harmony in reason, society, art,religion, and science. The work is an exquisitely rendered vision of human life livedsanely.

In this second book, Santayana analyzes several distinctive forms of humanassociation, from political and economic orders to forms of friendship, to determine whatpossibilities they provide for the life of reason. He considers, among other topics, love and theaffinity for the ideal, the family, aristocracy and democracy, the constituents of genuinely freefriendship (including that of husband and wife), patriotism, and the ideal society of kindredspirits.

This Critical Edition, volume VII of The Works of GeorgeSantayana, includes a chronology, notes, bibliography, textual commentary, lists ofvariants, and other tools useful to Santayana scholars. The other four books of the volume includeReason in Common Sense, Reason in Religion, Reason in Art, and Reason inScience.

George Santayana (1863--1952) was a philosopher, poet, critic, and novelist. He is the author of The Last Puritan, Persons and Places (both published by the MIT Press), and many other works. The MIT Press has recently completed publication of eight books of Santayana's letters.