Discourses of the Elders - The Aztec Huehuetlatolli A First English Translation

The Aztecs of central Mexico had a rich philosophical tradition, recorded in Latin script by Spanish clergymen-one of the earliest transcripts being Huehuetlatolli, or Discourses of the Elders, compiled by Fr Andres de Olmos circa 1535.

Novel in its form, the Discourses consists of short conversations between elders and young people on how to achieve a meaningful and morally sound life. These conversations bring to light the Aztec ethical landscape in brilliant clarity. Their core values relied on collective responsibility and group wisdom, not individual thought and action, focused on a person's actions in this realm rather than expectations of an afterlife.

Never before translated into English in its entirety, and one of the first works to be translated from the original Nahuatl, the Discourses proves that philosophy can be active, communal and grounded not in a "pursuit of happiness" but rather pursuit of a meaningful life.

About the author

Sebastian Purcell is an award-winning associate professor of philosophy at SUNY-Cortland in New York, where he researches ethics, Aztec philosophy, and mathematical logic. He resides in Binghamton, New York.

Summary

A philosophy grounded not in a transcendent divinity, afterlife or individualism, but in a rooted communal life

Product details

• Assisted by: Sebastian Purcell (Translation)
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 19.10.2023
• EAN: 9781324020585
• ISBN: 978-1-324-02058-5
• Dimensions: 147 mm x 218 mm x 23 mm
• Weight: 391 g
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: general, reference works; Latin America, HISTORY / Ancient / General, PHILOSOPHY / Ethics & Moral Philosophy, HISTORY / Latin America / Central America, HISTORY / Latin America / General, Ethics & moral philosophy, Ancient World, Ethics and moral philosophy, Ancient History, Latin America – Mexico, Central America, South America, History of the Americas, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, History of the Americas: pre-Columbian period, Central America, Mexico and Central America, HISTORY / Latin America / Pre-Columbian Era