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SCHUMACHER, Bernard. A Philosophy of Hope: Josef Pieper and the Contemporary Debate on Hope. Translated by David C. Schindler. Moral Philosophy and Moral Theology Series, No. 5. New York: Fordham University Press, 2003. xii + 317 pp. Cloth, $60.00-Josef Pieper's philosophical work has received negligible critical attention in the Englishspeaking academy, yet translations of many of his works have appeared regularly since the mid 1950s. Few philosophers are as widely read by the thoughtful general public as is Pieper. As with Socrates in Hellenic times, Pieper's philosophy materializes in an engagement with questions of the day that preoccupy society, and like Socrates, Pieper deftly draws his reader into a consideration of basic philosophical ideas. For example, in his well-known book on leisure as the basis of culture, he insists on the rightful place of theoria-speculative thought that begins and ends in wonder-in any culture worthy of human dignity. His refashioning of this perennial insight, however, is tailored to the demands of reestablishing society in the face of the spiritual ravages of two world wars and the toll taken on several generations by totalitarian systems of government. In his approach to philosophical argument, Pieper does not set out to fashion his own special terminology or system, rather, he works within a philosophical tradition. Inquiry begins by giving an ear to Plato, Aristotle, and especially Thomas Aquinas. The subsequent appropriation or application of principles and arguments enriches contemporary discussions with a philosophical aptness and clarity that challenges the inclinations of a culture skittish of wisdom based on truths of Absolute Being. Bernard Schumacher's treatment of the philosophy of hope shows Pieper at his philosophical and dialectical best. It becomes clear how the issue of hope pervades Pieper's thought. More importantly, the book persuades us that the challenge to hope is a vital contemporary issue.