Wicked pleasures

The seven deadly sins have provided gossip, amusement, and the plots of morality plays for nearly fifteen hundred years. In Wicked Pleasures, well-known philosopher, business ethicist, and admitted sinner Robert C. Solomon brings together a varied group of contributors for a new look at an old catalogue of sins: gluttony, pride, sloth, greed, anger, lust, and envy. In his pithy introduction Solomon discusses the ancient magical significance of the number seven, the lucky seven on the roll of dice, seven days in the week, seven hills of Rome, and the seven-year itch, among other notable sevens. He introduces the sins as a group, noting their popularity and pervasiveness. From the formation of the canon by Pope Gregory the Great, the seven have survived the sermonizing of the Reformation, the Inquisition, the Enlightenment, and the brief French reign of supreme reason. In modern times, the seven have survived the deification of capitalism, communism, secular humanism, and postmodernism, the writings of numerous rabbis and evangelical moralists, two series in the New York Times, and several bad movies.