{"product_id":"discourses-of-the-elders-the-aztec-huehuetlatolli-a-first-english-translation-9781324020585","title":"Discourses of the Elders: The Aztec Huehuetlatolli a First English Translation","description":"\u003cp\u003eWestern philosophers have long claimed that God, if such a being exists, is a personal force capable of reason, and that the path to a good human life is also the path to a happy one. But what if these claims prove false, or at least deeply misleading? The Aztecs of central Mexico had a rich philosophical tradition, recorded in Latin script by Spanish clergymen and passed down for centuries in the native Nahuatl language--one of the earliest transcripts being the \u003cem\u003eHuehuetlatolli\u003c\/em\u003e, or Discourses of the Elders, compiled by Friar Andr駸 de Olmos circa 1535.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNovel in its form, the Discourses consists of short conversations between elders and young people on how to achieve a meaningful and morally sound life. The Aztecs had a metaphysical tradition but no concept of \"being.\" They considered the mind an embodied force, present not just in the brain but throughout the body. Their core values relied on collective responsibility and group wisdom, not individual thought and action, orienting life around one's actions in this realm rather than an afterlife, distinctly opposed to the Christian beliefs that permeate Europe and America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSebastian Purcell's fluency in his grandmother's native Nahuatl brings to light the Aztec ethical landscape in brilliant clarity. Never before translated into English in its entirety, and one of the earliest post-contact texts ever recorded, \u003cem\u003eDiscourses of the Elders\u003c\/em\u003e reflects the wisdom communicated by oral tradition and proves that philosophy can be active, communal, and grounded not in a \"pursuit of happiness\" but rather the pursuit of a meaningful life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Sebastian Purcell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e W. W. Norton \u0026amp; Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/29\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.89lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.57h x 5.84w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781324020585","brand":"W. W. Norton \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42471424917641,"sku":"9781324020585","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_90f55eea-8953-4903-b73f-535f8a8b8438.jpg?v=1716252856","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/discourses-of-the-elders-the-aztec-huehuetlatolli-a-first-english-translation-9781324020585","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}