Wisdom of the Heart: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful at the Center of Us All, Paperback

No word in our language is more misunderstood than the word "heart.' And almost no word is more important, for it refers to what is at the very center of our soul. We have mapped the outer world, in fact the whole universe, with amazing exactness . . . but we have neglected the world within. This new book by venerable Catholic thinker Peter Kreeft offers a map of that inner world, of the self.

In it, he takes up the mantle of Dietrich von Hildebrand and plumbs the depths of that most misunderstood (by the world) and overlooked (by philosophers and theologians) part of the human being.

In Wisdom of the Heart, Kreeft examines the two common understandings of the heart's purpose and shows how they are not at odds, but rather different (and essential) facets:

Feeling and emotion: can reduce us to action without thinking, but also drives us to compassion, empathy, and gratitude
Love: An act of the will, designed so that we can follow Jesus' commandment to love God and others

This book, therefore, is a psychological aid to understanding the philosophy behind St. John Paul's "Theology of the Body" while exploring the three dimensions of persons: the will, the mind, and the emotions, and their three loves: the good, the true, and the beautiful.

A new masterwork by one of the foremost Catholic philosophers of our time, Wisdom of the Heart is essential reading for understanding ourselves, our God, and our relationship with him.

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and also at the King's College in New York City. He is a contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 80 books. Dr. Kreeft is a convert to the Catholic Church from Reformed Protestantism. He earned an A.B. degree from Calvin College, an M.A. and Ph.D. from Fordham University, followed by post-doctoral work at Yale University. He has received several honors for achievements in the field of philosophy, including the Woodrow Wilson Award, Yale-Sterling Fellowship, Newman Alumni Scholarship, Danforth Asian Religions Fellowship, and a Weathersfield Homeland Foundation Fellowship.