On Germans & Other Greeks : Indiana University Press : 9780253338686 : 0253338689 : 19 Sep 2001 : On Germans and Other Greeks Tragedy and Ethical Life Dennis J. Schmidt What Greek tragedy and German philosophy reveal about the meaning of art for ethical life. "Schmidt's investigation of tragedy is a highly significant, powerful work, one with far-reaching consequences. It bears on our understanding of the role of the arts and of philosophical thinking in our culture." ?Rodolphe Gasché In this illuminating work, Dennis J. Schmidt examines tragedy as one of the highest forms of human expression for both the ancients and the moderns. While uncovering the specifically Greek nature of tragedy as an exploration of how to live an ethical life, Schmidt's elegant and penetrating readings of Greek texts show that it was the beauty of Greek tragic art that led Kant and other German thinkers to appreciate the relationship between tragedy and ethics. The Germans, however, gave this relationship