The other side of virtue

By Brendan Myers

Published by O Books, £12.42

Review by Bryn Colvin

According to Brendan Myers, “Virtue is the ancient idea that excellence in human affairs is the foundation of ethics, spirituality, self-knowledge, and especially the worthwhile life.” In ‘The Other Side of Virtue” Myers explores the philosophy of virtue – what it means to live well and to be satisfied with life. He considers how virtue has been portrayed by various western cultures through time and offers some very interesting material for thought. As philosophy books go, this is really quite accessible without being patronising. Myers clearly knows his subject and has some interesting and provocative points to make. He writes with a personable voice, never overbearing or authoritarian, posing questions rather than imposing solutions. The result is a very enjoyable text laden with material that obliges you to think about your own approach to life.

This is such a rich book, that I think I’m going to need to read it again before I come close to getting all the points and ideas raised in it. I found it absolutely inspiring, and I will be taking out some time to rethink my own philosophy in response to some of the points this book raises. I may well be going to change how I relate to myself, and the rest of the world, as a consequence of what I’ve read, and I had thought my world view was fairly coherent, so that’s no small thing.

If the philosophical aspect of Druidry speaks to you, then this book is a must have. While it’s not overtly Druidic, it’s laden with relevant concepts and ideals. For anyone who hasn’t dabbled in philosophy and would like a place to start, ‘The Other Side of Virtue’ is definitely recommended as a way in.

On the downside, there are some spoilers for the Harry Potter series, which Myers uses to illustrate some of his points.

The official release day for the book is 25th July, but it's available for pre-order now.

Available from Amazon.co.uk

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