Individualism and Community

“Individualism and Community is bold and provocative yet diplomatic and nuanced. Belliotti refines the concepts of honor and authenticity to produce a highly engaging and original synthesis of ideas about how to live a meaningful life.”
—William Irwin, Professor of Philosophy, Kings College, USA

“The reader is offered a path toward a more meaningful and purposeful life . . . An original contribution to the field . . .Belliotti has earned a reputation as a philosopher and professor of honor and integrity. His expertise and scholarship render this work significant and authoritative.”
—Kimberly Blessing, Professor of Philosophy, SUNY Buffalo State, USA

This book is a philosophical investigation of the concepts of honor and authenticity, informed by the paradoxes of the individual-community continuum. To achieve this difficult balancing act, the author refines our concepts of both honor and authenticity. Raymond Angelo Belliotti begins by investigating honor as a moral and social framework, analyzing its historical significance, particularly within the Roman aristocracy, and its portrayal in The Godfather. He then turns to military honor codes, exploring their ethical implications and challenges. From there, the discussion transitions to existentialist notions of authenticity as articulated by Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus, assessing both their insights and limitations. Ultimately, the work argues for a revised understanding of authenticity. Marrying the notions of authenticity and honor, the reader is offered a path toward living a more meaningful and purposeful life.

Raymond Angelo Belliotti is SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Philosophy Emeritus. Belliotti is the author of 26 other books, including Dante’s Inferno: Moral Lessons from Hell (Palgrave, 2020).