Philosophy professor Dr. Daniel McInerny is releasing his latest work this June, titled Beauty and Imitation: A Philosophical Reflection on the Arts. Published by Word on Fire, the book “argues for an understanding of art as a form of inquiry into truth that proceeds by way of sensible beauty.” This philosophical work draws upon the thought of Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas to show the mimetic aspect of art and how “art imitates the way human beings by nature quest for fulfillment, or happiness.”
McInerny teaches courses on the Philosophy of Art and Beauty and Ethics and Imagination at Christendom, amongst other courses. When he is not teaching and mentoring his students, McInerny has been writing fiction, nonfiction, drama, and screenplays for years, including his Kingdom of Patria series for middle-grade readers (now available on Amazon). His adult fiction novel The Good Death of Kate Montclair was released in March of last year and was a great success, gaining much acclaim in Catholic fiction spheres.
McInerny’s latest book, which launches June 3, has already gained praise from acclaimed professors and authors, such as Boston College’s Dr. Peter Kreeft.
“This is literally the best book on beauty that I have ever read,” says Kreeft, who is the famed author of numerous books, including the new series Socrates’ Children. “The most convincing, clear, and comprehensive; the most eye-opening and satisfying; the most insightful and delightful. It is a masterpiece. I do use that word lightly, but there is no other word for it. It is our experience of all the aspects and instances of beauty what sunrise is to a landscape. The ‘aha!’ experience: recognition, ‘that’s the way it is.’”
Msgr. Robert Sokolowski, Elizabeth Breckenridge Caldwell Professor of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America, also praises McInerny’s philosophical approach to beauty and art.
“Daniel McInerny’s book clarifies why we enjoy works of art—pictures, music, drama and movies, poetry and novels—and it also shows why we revere such works: not as ends in themselves, but because they place us in the truthful presence of what they depict,” says Msgr. Sokolowski. “The book reactivates Aristotle’s understanding of mimesis and Aquinas’ enhancement of it. It shows how art elevates what it displays as well as the community that experiences it, It is a metaphysical and theological reflection on the arts, written in the style and spirit of C.S. Lewis: limpid prose, abundant citations, colorful examples. A book to study and learn from, then to browse in and enjoy.”
The first part of the work “features a renewed defense of the ancient Aristotelian claim that art is mimetic and that its imitation of the human story takes the form of a moral argument.” The second part “shows how audiences are transformed by the moral arguments the mimetic arts make, and the third concludes with a guided tour of the mimetic arts, where specific arts are considered in light of the Aristotelian and Thomistic principles advanced earlier.”
McInerny recently discussed his new work on the Purposeful Universe podcast as well, digging deeper into the topic of whether art can help answer life’s big questions.
McInerny, who lives in the Shenandoah Valley, is also a frequent writer of a newsletter called “The Comic Muse,” where he imagines a renaissance in popular entertainment fueled by wonder, philosophy, and the quest for the good life. Readers can find out more here.
To preorder his newest book, visit here.
Read more about McInerny’s academic accomplishments here.
Contributed by Samia Clerico ’24.