The Heart

The Heart was selected as the first work to be republished because it is an accessible yet important philosophical contribution. Von Hildebrand is here concerned with rehabilitating the affective life of the human person. He thinks that for too long philosophers have held it in suspicion and thought of it as much inferior to the intellect and will, whereas in reality the heart, the center of affectivity, is just as important a center of personal life as intellect and will. Von Hildebrand develops the idea that affectivity, rather than tending away from an objective relation to things, is in fact necessary for a fully objective relation to the world. Von Hildebrand also shows that the heart is "in many respects is more the real self of the person than his intellect or will." At the same time, von Hildebrand shows full realism about the possible deformities of affective life; he analyzes what he calls affective atrophy and affective hypertrophy. The second half of The Heart makes the philosophical analysis fruitful for our understanding of the affectivity of the God-Man. Here readers will not only find important contributions of theology and spiritually but also an illuminating re-reading of familiar Scriptural passages.