The Essentials of Style

Benjamin Sells encourages a radical departure from the usual introspection and self-centeredness of psychology in our time. By placing style first, Sells argues that we must turn our eyes and minds outward to the greater world. Emphasizing beauty over emotion, and appreciation over feeling, he attempts to break the stranglehold of the self so as to reconstitute our proper place among the many things of the world. From the book: “An old proverb grasps style as it is intended in this book: stylus virum arguit-style proclaims the person. According to this view, it is not we who choose among various styles according to whim or personal preference, but style that constitutes us and makes possible our choosing. We already are before we decide to be, and this immediate presence, borne by the other things of the world, is the work of style. Style proclaims a thing’s unique presence, and through its many proclamations style creates a welcoming world in which each thing has its place.” (Revised Second Edition, 2022)