Philosophy of religion Books

Book SynopsisA comprehensive introduction to the life and thought of one of the Islamic intellectual tradition''s most original and profound authors.Inrushes of the Heart delves deeply into the life and thought of ''Ayn al-Quat Hamadani (d. 525/1131), a major Muslim philosopher, Sufi master, and religious judge who was executed by the Seljuq government at the age of thirty-four. Mohammed Rustom presents nearly eight hundred passages in translation (most of which appear here for the first time in English) from ''Ayn al-Quat''s Arabic and Persian writings alongside a step-by-step commentary that outlines every major theme that guides his worldview. Contextualizing ''Ayn al-Quat''s life, influence, and self-perception as a teacher and scholar extraordinaire, the book then carefully unpacks his highly original teachings on God, cosmology, human agency, spiritual practice, imagination, death, knowledge, scripture, beauty, and love.

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Book SynopsisThe world we engage with is a vibrant collage brought to consciousness by language and our creative imagination. It is through the symbolic forms of language that the human world of value is revealedthis is where religious scholar Michael Fishbane dwells in his latest contribution to Jewish thought. In Fragile Finitude, Fishbane clears new ground for a theological life through a novel reinterpretation of the Book of Job. On this basis, he offers a contemporary engagement with the four classical types of Jewish Scriptural exegesis. The first focuses on worldly experience, the second on communal forms of practice and thought in the rabbinical tradition, the third on personal development, and the fourth on transcendent, cosmic orientations. Through these four modes, Fishbane manages to transform Jewish theology from within, at once reinvigorating a long tradition and moving beyond it. What he offers is nothing short of a way to reorient our lives in relation to the divine and our felloTrade Review“Fragile Finitude is replete with strong readings of scripture . . . [which] stand out as a tour de force that rewards rereading . . . in this learned and often beautiful book.” * Theological Studies *"Perhaps no scholar has exerted a more decisive influence on the study of Jewish thought and theology over the past half century than Michael Fishbane. Continuing his recent engagement with Jewish theology, in Fragile Finitude: A Jewish Hermeneutical Theology, Professor Fishbane articulates a four-fold matrix of theological thought and inquiry that addresses the modern person in all her complexity and perplexity, charting a path toward deep encounter, and deep meaning, to be found through engagement with life, text, and life as text." * New Books Network *"How can you write about a spiritual force you understand to pervade all of existence and provides meaning to your daily life yet ultimately is invisible? And yet, if you’re a teacher and a writer and a thinker, how can you not? That’s the paradox confronting theologians. And it’s the paradox at the heart of Dr. Michael Fishbane’s latest book." * New Jersey Jewish News *"Fragile Finitude extends the fourfold model of interpretation, offering it as a method for hearing the divine voice and for making sense not only of canonical texts but of personal experience. . . Fragile Finitude is a demanding work that asks a great deal from the reader, but it is also me’irat eynayim — illuminating and eye opening — awakening its readers to the Jewish — and human — task of living in the presence of the sacred." * Jewish Review of Books *“Fragile Finitude is a groundbreaking work of post-critical Jewish theology—a tour de force of rigorous thinking, commanding erudition, and genuine wisdom. With the book’s musicality of style, reading it becomes an inspiring spiritual practice that sweeps the reader into various modes of consciousness. It is a vital gift to a world in need of spiritual replenishment.” -- Elie Holzer, Bar-Ilan University, Israel “Fishbane’s profound meditations on life, language, and the connection between them constitute a vital text for today’s religious seeker. The deep piety and unflagging humanity of his words constantly reinforce one another, giving birth to a remarkable wholeness of vision.” -- Art Green, author of Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Tradition“In this eloquent book, Fishbane re-interprets traditional Jewish theological thinking, providing us with a guide to a complex and humane hermeneutical process for our time. Closely reading biblical and rabbinic texts, he evokes deepening intensities of meaning-making and limns forth a path of spiritual growth. It is a profound reading experience.” -- Avivah Zornberg, author of Moses: A Human Life“In explicating with poetic grace the spiritual wisdom of Judaism’s ever-evolving hermeneutic theology, Fishbane provides a veritable ‘Guide of the Perplexed’ for contemporary Jewry befuddled by the cognitive and existential challenges of modernity. This masterful meditation on the fragile finitude of humanity addresses all faith communities.” -- Paul Mendes-Flohr, University of Chicago and Hebrew University of Jerusalem"Fishbane’s work is to recover and exhibit the wondrous daring of rabbinic interpretation and to show how such engagement can yield fresh faith amid our contemporary life... While Fishbane’s work is wholly Jewish, non-Jewish readers can be instructed by the awareness that our best certitudes are provisional, and that good work in interpretation of the sacred text may yield access to the holy mystery that is beyond us. Fishbane’s idiom of expression is poetic and finally prayerful." * Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology *Table of ContentsProloguePart One: Introduction Interlude OnePart Two: Peshat Interlude TwoPart Three: Derash Interlude ThreePart Four: Remez Interlude FourPart Five: Sod Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Book SynopsisPeter Adamson presents an engaging and wide-ranging introduction to two great intellectual cultures: Byzantium and the Italian Renaissance. First he tells the story of philosophy in the Eastern Christian world, from the 8th century to the 15th century, then he explores the rebirth of philosophy in Italy in the era of Machiavelli and Galileo.Trade ReviewEach brief chapter immediately captures the interest of the reader in a way that is entertaining, informative, and a genuine pleasure to read. Excellent notes and bibliography of further reading. * P. A. Streveler, CHOICE *The understanding that philosophy is a purely rational endeavor is a form of presentism that arises out ofmodern rationalism and, more generally... we should be grateful to Adamson for addressing the issue and for providing students of Byzantine and Renaissance philosophy with an accessible overview of the respective material. * Speculum 98/4 *Table of ContentsPreface Philosophy in Byzantium 1: The Empire Strikes Back: Introduction to Byzantine Philosophy 2: On the Eastern Front: Philosophy in Syriac and Armenian 3: Don't Picture This: Iconoclasm 4: Behind Enemy Lines: John of Damascus 5: Collectors' Items: Photius and Byzantine Compilations 6: Consul of the Philosophers: Michael Psellos 7: Hooked on Classics: Italos and the Debate over Pagan Learning 8: Purple Prose: Byzantine Political Philosophy 9: Elements of Style: Rhetoric in Byzantium 10: Past Masters: Byzantine Historiography 11: Queen of the Sciences: Anna Komnene and her Circle 12: Wiser than Men: Gender in Byzantium 13: Just Measures: Law, Money, and War in Byzantium 14: Made by Hand: Byzantine Manuscripts 15: Georgia on My Mind: Petritsi and the Proclus Revival 16: People of the South: Byzantium and Islam 17: Do the Math: Science in the Palaiologan Renaissance 18: Through His Works You Shall Know Him: Palamas and Hesychasm 19: United We Fall: Latin Philosophy in Byzantium 20: Platonic Love: Gemistos Plethon 21: Istanbul (not Constantinople): the Later Orthodox Tradition The Italian Renaissance 22: Old News: Introduction to the Renaissance 23: Greeks Bearing Gifts: Byzantine Scholars in Italy 24: Republic of Letters: Italian Humanism 25: Literary Criticism: Lorenzo Valla 26: Difficult to be Good: Humanist Ethics 27: Chance Encounters: Reviving Hellenistic philosophy 28: We Built This City: Christine de Pizan 29: More Rare Than the Phoenix: Italian Women Humanists 30: All About Eve: the Defense of Women 31: I'd Like to Thank the Academy: Florentine Platonism 32: Footnotes to Plato: Marsilio Ficino 33: True Romance: Theories of Love 34: As Far as East from West: Jewish Philosophy in Renaissance Italy 35: The Count of Concord: Pico della Mirandola 36: What a Piece of Work is Man: Manetti and Pico on Human Nature 37: Bonfire of the Vanities: Savonarola 38: The Sweet Restraints of Liberty: Republicanism and Civic Humanism 39: No More Mr Nice Guy: Machiavelli 40: Sense of Humors: Machiavelli on Republicanism 41: The Teacher of Our Actions: Renaissance Historiography 42: No Place Like Home: Renaissance Utopias 43: Greed is Good: Renaissance Economics 44: Town and Gown: Italian Universities 45: I'd Like to Thank the Lyceum: Aristotle in Renaissance Italy 46: Of Two Minds: Pomponazzi and Nifo on the Intellect 47: There and Back Again: Zabarella on Scientific Method 48: The Measure of All Things: Mathematics and Art 49: Just What the Doctor Ordered: Renaissance Medicine 50: Man of Discoveries: Girolamo Cardano 51: Spirits in the Material World: Telesio and Campanella on Nature 52: The Men Who Saw Tomorrow: Renaissance Magic and Astrology 53: Boundless Enthusiasm: Giordano Bruno 54: The Harder They Fall: Galileo and the Renaissance

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewReviews for the 1984 edition of Action: “Blondel’s masterwork, Action, remains a philosophical classic. It is a book that should be read by every mature philosopher and theologian.” —International Philosophical Quarterly “This translation by Oliva Blanchette is very welcome and quite readable. . . . [His] introduction is excellent and provides a clear and thorough preparation for the uninitiated reader.” —Philosophy of Religion “This translation of Blondel’s critique of life, [his] guide to living, is the best introduction to the man and his important kind of thinking, with a special eloquence and moving force in the reading of the whole.” —Religious Studies Review

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Book SynopsisPlantinga examines the nature of epistemic warrant; whatever it is that when added to true belief yields knowledge. This volume surveys current contributions to the debate and paves the way for his owm positive proposal in Warrant and Proper Function.Trade Review'Alvin Plantinga makes important contributions to a tradition of discussion which has dominated recent epistemology. Warrant: the Current Debate provides a critical survey of the most recent controbutions to American epistemology ... Plantinga discerns a pattern in their failure, and this is exploited in the second volume where he develops an original and important contribution of his own. Warrant and Proper Function undertakes to succeed where Roderick Chisholm, John Pollock, Louis BonJour, Alvin Goldman and others have failed ... Plantinga's books will provide a focus for much future research in these areas, as well as providing invaluable reading for students taking courses in epistemology.' Christopher Hookway, University of Birmingham, The Philosophical Quarterly, 1995impressive...Not only is the scale of the work more ambitious than the earlier papers, but the doctrine is as well. * Religious Studies Vol 31 *

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Book SynopsisThis classic and controversial book examines the roots of the idea of virtue, diagnoses the reasons for its absence in modern life, and proposes a path for its recovery.Trade Review“After Virtue is a striking work. It is clearly written and readable. The nonprofessional will find MacIntyre perspicuous and lively. He stands within the best modern traditions of writing on such matters.” —New York Review of Books“MacIntyre’s arguments deserve to be taken seriously by anybody who thinks that the mere acceptance of pluralism is not the same thing as democracy, who worries about politicians wishing to give opinions about everything under the sun, and who stops to think of how important Aristotelian ethics have been for centuries.” —The Economist“After Virtue is a rigorous, ambitious, and original book. It is a reinterpretation of the entire history of Western moral philosophy, as decline, fall, and—possibly—rebirth.” —The Village Voice“MacIntyre has reconsidered and extended his ideas since the 1981 and 1984 editions, but retains his central thesis that it is only possible to understand the dominant moral culture of advanced modernity adequately from a standpoint external to that culture. He is still an Aristotelian, he says, but has come to believe that Thomas Aquinas expressed Aristotle's views better than the old man himself did.” —Reference and Research Book News“If MacIntyre’s admittedly bleak diagnosis of our times is not accepted, the rivalry it sparked surely has some benefit for the interface between competing traditions. And where it is accepted, it will also be because those who accept it have not give up on our capacity, despite everything else, to be virtuous.” —Catholic Books Review"Alasdair MacIntyre in After Virtue has written one of the most important books of the decade… a stunning critique of current moral philosophy and moral practice." — Commonweal MagazineMaIntyre’s After Virtue is one of the most widely read books of moral philosophy to appear in recent years. It is written with little of the technical arguments that limits the readership of many philosophy works and has drawn considerable response from readers outside academe.” —The Chronicle of Higher Education

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Book SynopsisThis collection of Weil’s later writings captures her insightful philosophical explorations of the nature of value, moral thought, and the relation of faith and reason.Trade Review"This is an important and much-needed collection of Simone Weil’s later philosophical reflections, which is introduced, edited, and translated by two of the very best Weil scholars in the English-speaking world. Weil is too often excluded from conversations occurring within and around the academic discipline of philosophy, and as Eric O. Springsted carefully explains in his introduction, this omission may be a result of how Weil herself understood good philosophy—as a patient contemplation of irreducible problems, rather than as system-building that ends in a discrete set of positions and prescriptions. Springsted’s curation sheds new light on Weil, the philosopher, who attentively feels the rough patches of human existence so that she may inhabit, think, and act in the world more honestly." —Rebecca Rozelle-Stone, president, American Weil Society, University of North Dakota "[Simone Weil] was above all a thinker, and Eric O. Springsted has gathered a wonderful collection of 10 essays by her on just that. The essays are not merely Weil at her most speculative, but her reflections on the process of thinking itself. Taken together, they 'take up what she thought thinking is and ought to be and hence what she thought she was doing in writing all that she did.' In that alone, the book casts aside our habitual ways of remembering Weil and clears entirely fresh ground. . . . Each of the 10 essays is relatively short but packs a punch, as Weil’s writing tends to do. They were all written in the last three years of her life, from 1940 to 1943, a feverishly productive and intensely experimental time for Weil. She was living for the most part in Marseilles, where she had gone to work in the resistance after fleeing Paris, just as the Germans descended." —America"Springsted edits this collection of Simone Weil's works on her conception of philosophy, consisting of a short introduction and ten translated essays. . . . Though unpolished, these pieces offer substantive analysis and insight into key topics in philosophy, such as the nature of the discipline, value, personal identity, character, and morality. . . . An excellent resource for philosophers interested in metaphilosophy, metaethics, and free will." —Library Journal “In this welcome book, Springstead presents the philosophical thought of Simone Weil during the final three years of her life . . . All of the essays reveal both the interdisciplinary nature of Weil’s thought and the extent to which her way of philosophizing goes beyond the limits of academic philosophy.” —Choice“Springstead’s passion for Weil and his extraordinary expertise in her multidisciplinary contributions to intellectual life make him uniquely qualified to edit this philosophical testament. . . . Some of the essays have been unavailable for years, and several are presented for the first time in this welcome assortment of philosophical literature. Those who are admirers of Weil will appreciate these classic texts and be inspired by the newer contributions.” —Catholic Library World "This is an excellent book by one of the world's leading Simone Weil scholars. Eric O. Springsted has gathered Simone Weil's writings that focus explicitly on her conception of philosophy and its relation to both value and the transcendent. In doing so, he has provided a conceptual framework for understanding Weil's oeuvre as a whole, which challenges readers to reinvestigate their views on the nature of philosophy and value." —Mario Von Der Ruhr, Swansea University "This book makes an important contribution to Weil studies, studies which are by their very nature interdisciplinary. Because Weil died so young, much of her work was haphazardly collected into various volumes by friends and colleagues after her death, often with very little attention paid to theme, coherence, or consistency. Springsted has done a great service over the years to Weil scholars in his attempts to address these problems; this volume is a welcome continuation of his efforts." —Vance Morgan, Providence College “Springsted has selected several essays—some rather developed and others possibly drafts—that provide the reader with enough material to get a sense of ‘what she thought thinking is and ought to be and hence what she thought she was doing in writing all that she did.’ . . . Because the essays in this book capture her thinking within a very specific time period (1940-1943) and because many of their themes are related, the reader is able to get a certain sense of who she was and what she was about.” —CatholicBookReview.org“This careful selection of essays, the manner in which each is set up and put into context, and the very useful index, provide an excellent contribution to the existing Weil publications. Together with Springsted’s clear-sighted reflections on Weil’s understanding of philosophy in the introduction, this volume is to be highly recommended not only for Weil scholars but for all readers who have an interest in Weil’s philosophy.” —Irish Theological Quarterly

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Book SynopsisIn Mind and Cosmos Thomas Nagel argues that the widely accepted world view of materialist naturalism is untenable. The mind-body problem cannot be confined to the relation between animal minds and animal bodies. If materialism cannot accommodate consciousness and other mind-related aspects of reality, then we must abandon a purely materialist understanding of nature in general, extending to biology, evolutionary theory, and cosmology. Since minds are features of biological systems that have developed through evolution, the standard materialist version of evolutionary biology is fundamentally incomplete. And the cosmological history that led to the origin of life and the coming into existence of the conditions for evolution cannot be a merely materialist history. An adequate conception of nature would have to explain the appearance in the universe of materially irreducible conscious minds, as such. No such explanation is available, and the physical sciences, including molecular biology, cannot be expected to provide one. The book explores these problems through a general treatment of the obstacles to reductionism, with more specific application to the phenomena of consciousness, cognition, and value. The conclusion is that physics cannot be the theory of everything.Trade ReviewMind and Cosmos is ... extraordinarily ambitious. Nagel proposes not merely a new explanation for the origin of life and consciousness, but a new type of explanation: 'natural teleology.' * George Scialabba, Inference: International Review of Science *Nagels book is provocative, interesting and important * Simon Oliver, Studies in Christian Ethics *Nagels arguments are forceful, and his proposals are bold, intriguing, and original. This, though short and clear, is philosophy in the grand manner, and it is worthy of much philosophical discussion. * Keith Ward, The Philosophical Quarterly *This is a challenging text that should provoke much further reflection. I recommend it to anyone interested in trying to understand the nature of our existence. * W. Richard Bowen, ESSSAT News & Reviews 23:1 *[This] troublemaking book has sparked the most exciting disputation in many years... I like Nagel's mind and I like Nagel's cosmos. He thinks strictly but not imperiously, and in grateful view of the full tremendousness of existence. * Leon Wieseltier, The New Republic *A sharp, lucidly argued challenge to today's scientific worldview. * Jim Holt, The Wall Street Journal *Nagel's arguments against reductionism should give those who are in search of a reductionist physical 'theory of everything' pause for thought... The book serves as a challenging invitation to ponder the limits of science and as a reminder of the astonishing puzzle of consciousness. * Science *Mind and Cosmos, weighing in at 128 closely argued pages, is hardly a barn-burning polemic. But in his cool style Mr. Nagel extends his ideas about consciousness into a sweeping critique of the modern scientific worldview. * The New York Times *[This] short, tightly argued, exacting new book is a work of considerable courage and importance. * National Review *Provocative... Reflects the efforts of a fiercely independent mind. * H. Allen Orr, The New York Review of Books *Challenging and intentionally disruptive... Unless one is a scientific Whig, one must strongly suspect that something someday will indeed succeed [contemporary science]. Nagel's Mind and Cosmos does not build a road to that destination, but it is much to have gestured toward a gap in the hills through which a road might someday run. * The Los Angeles Review of Books *A model of carefulness, sobriety and reason... Reading Nagel feels like opening the door on to a tidy, sunny room that you didn't know existed. * The Guardian *Fascinating... [A] call for revolution. * Alva Noe, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *The book's wider questions -- its awe-inspiring questions -- turn outward to address the uncanny cognizability of the universe around us... He's simply doing the old-fashioned Socratic work of gadfly, probing for gaps in what science thinks it knows. * Louis B. Jones, The Threepenny Review *[Attacks] the hidden hypocrisies of many reductionists, secularists, and those who wish to have it both ways on religious modes of thinking ... Fully recognizes the absurdities (my word, not his) of dualism, and thinks them through carefully and honestly. * Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution *This is an interesting and clearly written book by one of the most important philosophers alive today. It serves as an excellent introduction to debates about the power of scientific explanation. * Constantine Sandis, Times Higher Education *... reading this book will certainly prove a worthwhile venture, as it is certain to have an inspiring effect on the reader's own attitude towards mind and the cosmos. * Jozef Bremer, Forum Philosophicum *Table of ContentsI. Introduction ; II. Antireductionism and the Natural Order ; III. Consciousness ; IV. Cognition ; V. Value ; VI. Conclusion

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Book Synopsisn this book – an expanded version of his 2014 University of Dallas Aquinas Lecture – Father Robert Spitzer audaciously combines the intellectual legacies of two Catholic priests, St. Thomas Aquinas and Monsignor Georges Lemaître. Living in the thirteenth century, Thomas Aquinas ardently believed that, as he wrote in the Summa contra gentiles, “truth which human reason is naturally endowed to know cannot be opposed to the truth of the Christian faith.” But human reason has made many advances since Thomas’s days. One of them is the Big Bang theory, which Georges Lemaître, professor of physics at the Catholic University of Louvain, discovered in 1927. According to this theory, the universe as we know it began billions of years ago with an unimaginably powerful explosion. Is Thomas’s metaphysical vision of the universe, which includes the existence of a Creator who made and ordered the cosmos, compatible with contemporary cosmology? That is the question which Father Spitzer addresses in this book.Table of ContentsForeword Introduction Section I: Physical and Metaphysical Method: Can Science Indicate Creation? Section II: Georges Lemaître, the Big Bang Theory, and the Modern Universe Section III: Space-Time Geometry Proofs and the Beginning of Physical Reality Section IV: Entropy and the Beginning of our Universe Section V: From Physics to Metaphysics: From the Beginning to Creation Section VI: Fine-Tuning ““for Life”” at the Big Bang: Implications of Supernatural Intelligence Section VII: Richard Dawkins’s Objection and a Thomistic Metaphysical Response 1. Richard Dawkins’s Objection 2. An Eight-Step Thomistic Proof of God 3. A Response to Richard Dawkins 4. A Metaphysics of Restricted Being Conclusion: Combining the Physical and Metaphysical Evidence Endnotes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis remarkable work offers an analytical exploration of the nature of divine eternity and God's relationship to time.

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Book SynopsisIn 1993, archaeologists unearthed a set of ancient bamboo scrolls that contained the earliest known version of the Dao de jing. Composed more than two thousand years ago, this life-changing document offers a regimen of self-cultivation to attain personal excellence and revitalize moral behavior. Now in this luminous new translation, renowned China scholars Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall bring the timeless wisdom of the Dao de jing into our contemporary world.In this elegant volume, Ames and Hall feature the original Chinese texts of the Dao de jing and translate them into crisp, chiseled English that reads like poetry. Each of the eighty-one brief chapters is followed by clear, thought-provoking commentary exploring the layers of meaning in the text. This new version of one of the world’s most influential documents will stand as both a compelling introduction to Daoist thought and as the classic modern English translation.

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Book SynopsisOne of the most remarkable philosophical works of the nineteenth century, The Sickness Unto Death is also famed for the depth and acuity of its modern psychological insights. Writing under the pseudonym Anti-Climacus, Kierkegaard explores the concept of ''despair'', alerting readers to the diversity of ways in which they may be described as living in this state of bleak abandonment - including some that may seem just the opposite - and offering a much-discussed formula for the eradication of despair. With its penetrating account of the self, this late work by Kierkegaard was hugely influential upon twentieth-century philosophers including Karl Jaspers, Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. The Sickness unto Death can be regarded as one of the key works of theistic existentialist thought - a brilliant and revelatory answer to one man''s struggle to fill the spiritual void.Table of ContentsThe Sickness Unto Death Translator's NoteIntroductionThe Sickness Unto DeathPrefaceIntroductionPart One: The Sickness Unto Death Is DespairPart Two: Despair Is SinNotes

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Book SynopsisSUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERNUMBER ONE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERFrom one of our greatest voices in modern philosophy, author of The Course of Love, The Consolations of Philosophy, The Art of Travel and The School of Life''A serious and optimistic set of practical ideas that could improve and alter the way we live'' Jeanette Winterson, The Times''A beautiful, inspiring book... offering a glimpse of a more enlightened path'' Sunday Telegraph''Smart, stimulating, sensitive. A timely and perceptive appreciation of how much wisdom is embodied in religious traditions and how we godless moderns might learn from it'' Financial Times''There isn''t a page in this book that doesn''t contain a striking idea or a stimulating parallel'' Mail on SundayAlain de Botton takes us one step further than Dawkins or Hitchens ventured - into a world of ideas beyond the God debate...All of us, whether religious, agnostic or atheist, are searching for meaning. And in this wise and life-affirming book, non-believer Alain de Botton both rejects the supernatural claims of the major religions and points out just how many good ideas they sometimes have about how we should live.And he suggests that non-believers can learn and steal from them.Picking and choosing from the thousands of years of advice assembled by the world''s great religions, Alain de Botton presents a range of fascinating ideas and practical insights on art, community, love, friendship, work, life and death. He shows how they can be of use to us all, irrespective of whether we do or don''t believe.

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Book SynopsisBelief: surely it?s a relic from the past, a hangover from a superstitious age that is totally out of sync with today?s rational, science-led culture? ''A timely, often bracing and always highly stimulating book.'' Tom Holland, author of Dominion and co-host of The Rest is History In today?s science-driven, rational world, belief is dismissed as an artefact of a bygone era ? something absurd at best, harmful at worst. The prevailing narratives paint belief as primitive, weird, even dangerous. But as life grows ever more confusing and our societies more atomised, contemplating something bigger than ourselves has never been more vital. Alister McGrath offers a fresh perspective on belief, presenting it not as a weakness of rational thought but as an essential tool for navigating uncertainty. Elegant and thought-provoking, Why We Believe reveals how belief provides meaning in the face of existential despair, how it fosters community and offers solace. As society moves beyond the dismissive rhetoric surrounding people of faith, here is a powerful manifesto for the re-enchantment of the Western mind. ''Scholarly, compulsively readable and with gems of information on every page... a must read.'' Revd Fergus Butler-Gallie, author of A Field Guide to the English Clergy

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Book SynopsisThe One and the Many presents metaphysics as an integrated whole, drawing on on Aquinas' themes, structure, and insight.Trade Review“Both students and teacher will benefit from a highly readable account of major themes in Aquinas’ metaphysics. The material is presented in a way accessible to those unfamiliar with the formidable Aristotelian apparatus usually presumed in textbook presentations of Aquinas. Clarke divides his book into short, easily digestible chapters.” —Theological Studies“This is the book that many of us have long been waiting for: the systematic exposition of the Thomistically inspired but creative metaphysical system of one of the foremost philosophers in the Thomistic tradition. The work is not a recapitulation of standard Thomistic metaphysics so much as a re-creation, on Thomistic principles, of a contemporary metaphysical view that pushes Thomas’ principles to new developments and applications. Clarke stresses participation in the act of existence, substance as dynamic, system as a new metaphysical category, philosophic ramifications of evolution and relativity, and the great circle of being embodied in the universe. The book is well suited to both as a text in a course in metaphysics and as an historically conscious source of insights for the professional philosopher.” —James W. Felt, S.J., John Nobili Professor of Philosophy, Santa Clara University“This book is rich in metaphysical insight and suggestiveness. At the same time it manages to be a rigorous presentation of Thomistic metaphysics suitable to contemporary life.” —Encounter"Clarke has written a very interesting and provocative book, one that is likely to inspire future students to study metaphysics in the Thomistic tradition. We are especially indebted to Clarke for his willingness to engage modern science and his contribution to the revival of metaphysics as a systematic study." —The Thomist“W. Norris Clarke is one of the giants of North American Thomism. For over fifty years he has been a learned and illuminating interpreter of the metaphysics of Aquinas . . . in this book he provides the most comprehensive presentation to date of his distinctive philosophical and metaphysical thinking. Overall, Clarke had produced a most stimulating and thought-provoking book on the subject of metaphysics. It is replete with insights and written with a rare generosity of spirit which is most uplifting to read.” —The Heythrop Journal“[A] masterly account of the metaphysical system which he has worked out over a lifetime of historical research, teaching, and writing. Those who have been waiting for this account will not be disappointed. The One and The Manyis a very important book and its contribution to speculative metaphysics and to the Thomistic tradition is outstanding.” —Maritain Notebook“...crisp, clear and easy to understand metaphysical arguments. It presents a well-justified Thomistic metaphysical theory. The importance of this book goes far beyond that of a good Thomistic textbook. Its ahistorical approach should enable The One and the Many to become a voice in contemporary discussions of metaphysical issues.” —The Review of Metaphysics“After a lifetime in the study and teaching of philosophy, especially to undergraduates at Fordham University, Norris Clarke has produced a valuable textbook of metaphysics, inspired by St. Thomas, and adapted to issues of the present day. It does not just repeat what St. Thomas said, but retrieves it, completes it, appropriates it, and systematises it.” —Australasian Catholic Record“Norris Clarke is a master of metaphysics, and one to whom others can well appretice themselves, since he is himself so astute an apprentice of classical figures in philosophy. This intended advanced text for systematic metaphysics is just that: advanced yet pedagogically planned; systematic yet suffused with heart. A sterling example from an exemplary oeuvre.” — David Burrell, C.S.C.

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Book SynopsisIn his reflections on Christianity, Saint Thomas Aquinas forged a unique synthesis of ancient philosophy and medieval theology. Preoccupied with the relationship between faith and reason, he was influenced both by Aristotle's rational world view and by the powerful belief that wisdom and truth can ultimately only be reached through divine revelation. Thomas's writings, which contain highly influential statements of fundamental Christian doctrine, as well as observations on topics as diverse as political science, anti-Semitism and heresy, demonstrate the great range of his intellect and place him firmly among the greatest medieval philosophers.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanTrade Review"There are readers of Aquinas's works, but Penguin's surpasses all by its sheer size, the very representative choice of texts, the excellent translations, and scholarly, informative introductions." —Albert E. GunnTable of ContentsSelected Writings - Thomas Aquinas IntroductionChronologyA Note on the TextsPart One: Student (1245-56)1. The Inaugural Sermons (1256)2. On the Principles of Nature (1252-6)3. On Being and Essence (1252-6)4. The Nature of Theology. Commentary on Sentences I, Prologue (1252-4)5. The Work of the Six Days of Creation. Commentary on Sentences 2.2, d. 12 (1252-4)Part Two: Master at Paris (1256-9)6. Theology, Faith and Reason. On Boethius On the Trinity, 1-2 (1257)7. How are Things Good? Exposition of On the Hebdomads of Boethius (1257)8. The Meanings of Truth. Disputed Question on Truth, I (1256-9)9. On the Teacher. Disputed Question on Truth, II (1256-9)10. On Conscience. Disputed Question on Truth, 17 (1256-9)Part Three: Italy (1259-68)11. Proof of God's Existence. Summa contra Gentiles, I, 9-14 (1259)12. The Human Good. Summa contra Gentiles, 3 (1259-65)13. On the Divine Simplicity. Disputed Question of the Power of God, 7 (1265-6)14. On Goodness and the Goodness of God. Summa theologiae, 1, 5-6 (1268)15. On Creation. Summa theologiae, 1, 44 (1268)16. On Angelic Knowledge. Summa theologiae, 1, 54-8 (1268)17. Definitions of Soul. On Aristotle's De anima, 2, 1-3 (1268)18. Platonism and Neoplatonism. Preface to Exposition of On the Divine Names (1265-8)Part Four: Paris (1269-72)19. The Range of Natural Philosophy. Expositions of Physics, 1, 1, Preface to On the Heavens, Preface to On Sense and the Sensed Object (1269)20. How Words Mean. Exposition of On Interpretation, 1-5 (1270-71)21. On the Ultimate End. Summa theologiae, 1-2, 1-5 (1271)22. On Human Choice. Disputed Question on Evil, 6 (1266-72)23. What Makes Actions Good or Bad? Summa theologiae, 1-2, 18-20 (1271)24. On Law and Natural Law. Summa theologiae, 1-2, 90-94 (1271)25. The Virtues. Summa theologiae, 1-2, 55-7 (1271-2)26. The Active and Contemplative Lives. Summa theologiae, 2-2, 179-81 (1271-2)27. On the Eternity of the World (1271)28. The Love of Wisdom. Exposition of Metaphysics, Preface and 1, 1-3 (1271)Part Five: Naples (1272-4)29. The Logic of the Incarnation. Summa theologiae, 3, 16 (1273)30. What is a Sacrament? Summa theologiae, 3, 6 (1273)31. The Exposition of the Book of Causes, 1-5 (1272)32. Exposition of Paul's Epistle to Philemon (1273)33. Exposition of the Angelic Salutation (Ave Maria) (1273)Glossary

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringWhat is faith? It usually means religious belief, and sometimes diverse religions are grouped together as ''faiths'', with reference to ''faith leaders'' or ''faith schools''. What we have faith in matters, and that involves our reason, involving claims to truths that affect everyone. Faith is not just a personal attribute, like tastes, but should be open to public examination and debate. In this Very Short Introduction, Roger Trigg argues that all faith needs reason. He puts contemporary discussions into historical perspective, particularly in the context of Christianity. The author argues that faith also involves a commitment to action and that matters for all social life. Because religion is typically directed at what is seen as of crucial importance for human life, faith should not be marginalized or privatized. It will permeate every idea of how people should behave, and has a role in the public square, however respectful it should be to competing views within a democracy. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

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Book SynopsisThis classic companion to The World''s Religions articulates the remarkable unity that underlies the world''s religious traditions

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Book SynopsisExploring the first-person narratives of three figures from the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic mystical traditions - St Teresa of Avila, Rabbi Dov Baer, and Ruzbihan Baqli, this title provides a phenomenology of mysticism based in the Abrahamic religious traditions.Trade ReviewSteinbock embarks on a full explication of three central dimensions of human experience; in doing so, he takes up and embodies the phenomenological project envisioned by Edmund Husserl. * Choice *Phenomenology and Mysticism stands out as an original work in a genre too often reduced to commentaries on classical figures. Steinbock is an acute phenomenologist in his own right, and this work sets a new standard for the interaction between phenomenology and theology/religious studies.VOLUME 35.1 MARCH 2009 -- Andreas Nordlander * Lund University, Sweden *. . . an incredibly rich book about the phenomenology of mystical experience in the Abrahamic traditions, a book that will certainly be required reading for anyone working in the areas of religious experience and the intersection between theology and philosophy, especially in the continental tradition.Vol. 31 2009 -- Andreas Nordlander * Pneuma Jrnl Society for Pentecostal Studies *A single short review of this treatise suggests a light approach which does not [do] justice to this profound work. The thoughts and insights gathered and proposed by Steinbock provoke an equally concerted response and offer topics for discussion on many different disciplinary levels. * Philosophy in Review *Broader contributions from Phenomenology and Mysticism rest in careful engagement with philosophical phenomenology, not simply as a descriptive method, but as a coherent disciplinary field with potential theoretical resources to address ranges of phenomena beyond those that are typically evoked.Vol. 9 December 2008 -- Janet Borgerson * University of Exeter *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Vertical Givenness in Human Experience1. The Religious and Mystical Shape of Experience2. St. Teresa of Avila and Mysticism of Prayer3. Rabbi Dov Baer and Mysticism of Ecstasy4. Rūzbihān Baqlī and Mysticism of Unveiling5. Matters of Evidence in Religious Experience6. Epiphany and Withdrawal7. On Individuation8. IdolatryEpilogue: On the De-Limitation of the Religious and the MoralGlossary of Main Hebrew and Arabic TermsNotesBibliographyIndex

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A witty and accessible dissection of the failure of Intelligent Design creationism, showing its inability to explain many basic features of human anatomy and highlighting its origins as a political rather than a scientific movement.

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Book SynopsisAbraham Joshua Heschel was one of the most revered religious leaders of the 20th century, and God in Search of Man and its companion volume, Man Is Not Alone, two of his most important books, are classics of modern Jewish theology. God in Search of Man combines scholarship with lucidity, reverence, and compassion as Dr. Heschel discusses not man''s search for God but God''s for man--the notion of a Chosen People, an idea which, he writes, signifies not a quality inherent in the people but a relationship between the people and God. It is an extraordinary description of the nature of Biblical thought, and how that thought becomes faith.

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Book SynopsisCarol Zaleski''s book is the first objective, comprehensive survey of the mass of evidence surrounding near-death experiences: the extraordinary visions and ecstatic feelings reported by people who have survived a close brush with death. Comparing recent near-death narratives with those of a much earlier period she finds both profound similarities and striking contrasts.Trade Review' An extremely interesting piece of work, and one that offers many shrewd insights.' New York Times'one of those books which ... has elegance and readability in direct proportion to its historical and anthropological learning ... whether one is wired to accept a religious or a hardcore naturalist interpretation of the constancy of such intimations, it is good to know they may be there.' City Limits

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Book SynopsisPaine''s years of study and reflection on the role of religion in society culminated with this, his final work. An attack on revealed religion from the deist point of view embodied by Paine''s credo, I believe in one God, and no more its critical and objective examination of Old and New Testaments cites numerous contradictions.

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Book Synopsis''Commit it then to the flames: for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion.'' Thus ends David Hume''s Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, the definitive statement of the greatest philosopher in the English language. His arguments in support of reasoning from experience, and against the ''sophistry and illusion'' of religiously inspired philosophical fantasies, caused controversy in the eighteenth century and are strikingly relevant today, when faith and science continue to clash.The Enquiry considers the origin and processes of human thought, reaching the stark conclusion that we can have no ultimate understanding of the physical world, or indeed our own minds. In either sphere we must depend on instinctive learning from experience, recognizing our animal nature and the limits of reason. Hume''s calm and open-minded scepticism thus aims to provide a new basis for science, liberating us from the ''superstition'' of false metaphysics and religion. His Enquiry remains one of the best introductions to the study of philosophy, and this edition places it in its historical and philosophical context. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World''s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford''s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

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Book SynopsisThe view that good will overcome evil and lead to a perfect world is held by many religions and races. This work investigates the origins of this belief through the world views of Egypt, Mesopotamia and India, through Iranian and Jewish prophets, to early Christian beliefs.Trade Review"Learned, fascinating and readable... Norman Cohn combines scrupulous scholarship with readability in a unique way... This book will become a classic." Anthony Storr, Independent on Sunday "A cool draught of wise and intelligent scholarship." J. D. F. Jones, Financial Times "This is an exciting as well as a learned book, not only for those students of ancient religion but for those with any interest in modern apocalyptic faith." Jasper Griffin, New York Review of Books "Anyone concerned with the history of apocalypticism and millennial cults, whether ancient, medieval, or modern, should read this book carefully." E. Randolph Daniel, Church History "[A] rich tapestry encompassing history, archaeology, popular culture, mythology and religion.... Cohn's depth and breadth of knowledge is marvelous, his enthusiasm for the subject is infectious. Well-documented and extremely readable, this is highly recommended for religion, history, and seminary collections." - Library Journal "An incisive study of ancient religion and the rise of belief in an impending apocalypse.... A tight, intelligent study." - Kirkus Reviews "Cohn's lucid writing style and his detailed notational listings will make Cosmos, Chaos, and the World to Come an interesting read and a useful tool for students of ancient history and religion." - Charles Odahl, Historian "The author has given us a panorama of beliefs about the driving forces of good and evil in the universe, extending back to the earliest settled communities in the Near East. He has shown the value of the comparative study of religion in understanding the origins of some of the most important among traditional Christian beliefs.... A stimulating work of learning." - W. H. C. Friend, Church Times

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Book SynopsisDavid Hume is the greatest and also one of the most provocative philosophers to have written in the English language. No philosopher is more important for his careful, critical, and deeply perceptive examination of the grounds for belief in divine powers and for his sceptical accounts of the causes and consequences of religious belief, expressed most powerfully in the Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion and The Natural History of Religion. The Dialogues ask if belief in God can be inferred from the nature of the universe or whether it is even consistent with what we know about the universe. The Natural History of Religion investigates the origins of belief, and follows its development from harmless polytheism to dogmatic monotheism. Together they constitute the most formidable attack upon the rationality of religious belief ever mounted by a philosopher. This edition also includes Section XI of The Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and a letter concerning the Dialogues, as well

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Book SynopsisKierkegaard''s infamous and hugely influential philosophical work on faith, choice and sacrificeIn Fear and Trembling Kierkegaard, writing under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio, expounds his personal view of religion through the scene in Genesis in which Abraham prepares to kill his son at God''s command. Kierkegaard believed Abraham''s unreserved obedience to be the essential leap of faith needed to make a full commitment to his religion. The conviction shown in this polemic - that an individual can have an exceptional mission in life - informed all his later writings, and was also hugely influential for both Protestant theology and the existentialist movement.Translated with an Introduction by Alastair HannayTable of ContentsFear and Trembling IntroductionFear and TremblingPrefaceAttunementSpeech in Praise of AbrahamProblemataPreamble from the HeartProblemata IProblemata IIProblemata IIIEpilogueNotes

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Book SynopsisIn Method in Theology, Vol. 14, Lonergan's intention was to provide a set of methods that would guide a collaborative community in the ongoing construction of a theology that would move from recovery of the data through resolution of conflicts to contemporary formulations and applications.Table of ContentsPart 1: Background The Human Good Meaning Religion Functional Specialties Part Two: Foreground Interpretation History History and Historians Dialectic Foundations Doctrines Systematics Communications The Church and the Churches

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Book SynopsisHe argues that religionis a construction of European modernity, a construction that authorizes-for Westerners and non-Westerners alike-particular forms of history making.Trade ReviewThis eloquent, lucid, and complex work is the product of remarkable intelligence and erudition; it is a profound contribution to the understanding of the cultural hegemony of the West. -- Ralph M. Coury Religious Studies Review All articles are extremely well written, exhibit impressive scholarship, and are thoughtful and are thoughtful and stimulating. Asad's criticisms are neither judgmental nor self-righteous but are generally driven by the will to understand. -- James R. Wood Contemporary SociologyTable of ContentsPart 1 Genealogies: the construction of religion as an anthropological category; toward a genealogy of the concept of ritual. Part 2 Archaisms: pain and truth in medieval Christian ritual; on discipline and humility in medieval Christian monasticism. Part 3 Translations: the concept of cultural translation in British social anthropology; the limits of religious criticism in the Middle East. Part 4 Polemics: multiculturalism and British identity in the wake of the Rushdie affair; ethnography, literature and politics - some readings and uses of Salmon Rushdie's "Satanic Verses".

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Book SynopsisThis work explores the unrepeatability of persons, drawing out the worth and dignity of each individual person. It also explores interpersonal relation, giving an account of how persons can achieve empathic understanding of others, and where the limit of empathy is reached.

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Book SynopsisWhen the author wrote it in the immediate aftermath of World War II, most scholars outside Germany viewed Nietzsche as part madman, part proto-Nazi, and almost wholly unphilosophical. This title offers an account of his life and works, and of the uses and abuses to which subsequent generations had put his ideas.Trade Review"Illuminating."--New York Times "Mr. Kaufmann has produced what may be called the definitive study of Nietzsche's life and thought-an informed, scholarly, and lustrous work."--The New YorkerTable of ContentsForeword by Alexander Nehamas v Preface to the Fourth Edition (1974) xi Preface to the Third Edition (1968) xiii Preface to the Second Edition (1956) xix Preface to the First Edition (1950) xxi A Note on the Citations 2 Prologue: The Nietzsche Legend 3 Part I: Background 1. Nietzsche's Life as Background of His Thought 21 2. Nietzsche's Method 72 3. The Death of God and the Revaluation 96 Part II: The Development of Nietzsche's Thought 4. Art and History 121 5. Existenz versus the State, Darwin, and Rousseau 157 6. The Discovery of the Will to Power 178 Part III: Nietzsche's Philosophy of Power 7. Morality and Sublimation 211 8. Sublimation, Geist, and Eros 228 9. Power versus Pleasure 257 10. The Master Race 284 11. Overman and Eternal Recurrence 307 Part IV: Synopsis 12. Nietzsche's Repudiation of Christ 337 13. Nietzsche's Attitude toward Socrates 391 Epilogue: Nietzsche's Heritage 412 Appendix: Nietzsche's "Suppressed" Manuscripts 424 Four Letters: Commentary and Facsimile Pages 459 Bibliography and Key to Abbreviations 483 Index 511

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Book SynopsisA compelling defense of the sacred from acclaimed philosopher Roger ScrutonIn The Soul of the World, renowned philosopher Roger Scruton defends the experience of the sacred against today''s fashionable forms of atheism. He argues that our personal relationships, moral intuitions, and aesthetic judgments hint at a transcendent dimension that cannot be understood through the lens of science alone. To be fully aliveand to understand what we areis to acknowledge the reality of sacred things. Rather than an argument for the existence of God, or a defense of the truth of religion, the book is an extended reflection on why a sense of the sacred is essential to human lifeand what the final loss of the sacred would mean. In short, the book addresses the most important question of modernity: what is left of our aspirations after science has delivered its verdict about what we are?Drawing on art, architecture, music, and literature, Scruton suggests that the higheTrade ReviewOne of The Times Literary Supplement's Books of the Year 2014, chosen by Jonathan Clark One of Flavorwire's 10 Best Books by Academic Publishers in 2014 One of the Scotsman's Books of the Year 2014, chosen by Alexander McCall Smith "The interest of his project lies not so much in the conclusions themselves, but rather in the way he attempts to establish them. Most conservatives place great weight on contingent features of the human condition. They emphasize our cognitive limitations, our anti-social impulses and the sheer extent of our ignorance, or they delve into the details of human history in order to establish that the old ways cannot be abandoned so quickly. Scruton's conservatism is more rationalistic."--David Owens, Times Literary Supplement "[A] stately and often beautiful journey through various areas of human experience... [W]ide-ranging and intellectually impassioned."--Sarah Bakewell, Financial Times "[I]n no previous work has he woven together so successfully his thoughts on aesthetics, personhood, politics, and religion... [A] book that--for its richness, scope, and beauty--may be remembered as among his best."--Spencer Case, National Review Online "Reading Scruton is to take delight in his clarity of expression and linguistic economy, and it's to feel as though you're in the hands of a guide who is unafraid of doubts and uncertainties."--Laura Keynes, Standpoint "[F]ascinating."--Christopher Hart, Sunday Times "[C]onvincing."--Jonathan Derbyshire, Prospect "The Soul of the World is a rich and rewarding work, one composed by a scholar clearly possessing exceptional depth and broad learning."--Jerry Salyer, Catholic World Report "[T]he English conservative philosopher ... really is a gift and a wonder."--Rod Dreher, American Conservative "Once again drawing on insights offered by his conservatism he inquires into the nature of intimacy, relatedness, inter-subjectivity, moral intuitions and the capacity for aesthetic appreciation, and their implications for the sacred and transcendent in a society besotted by an arrogant scientism unprepared to accept its own profound limitations."--Mervyn Bendle, Quadrant Magazine "[A] small but elegant volume which brings to the fore Scruton's central themes of art, music, and mystery, built on the interlocking, though unfashionable, notions of beauty and truth."--Joe Gelonesi, ABC Radio National's "The Philosopher's Zone" "Scruton as usual mounts broad challenges to the conventional wisdom about nearly everything."--Steven Hayward, Power Lines "It is immensely entertaining to see Scruton run the reductionists to ground, then eviscerate them with the appetite of a hungry beagle. The Soul of the World is worth reading for the blood sport alone; but Scruton is after bigger game. His ultimate objective is the philosopher's trophy: meaning. And that, Scruton believes, lies in our experience of the sacred... The Soul of the World is a highly personal vision of a reconstructed Lebenswelt. In a series of cogent, fascinating chapters, he explains why we should set our sights on the beautiful horizon."--Dominic Green, Weekly Standard "The beginning of Scruton's book is exciting because he immediately acknowledges the emotional core of religion... Scruton gives us a welcome refocusing of the religion debate on the personal level rather than the genetic and group-selection levels... This territory--the phenomenology of religion--is where Scruton is most interesting and nuanced."--Stephen T. Asma, Chronicle Review "There is a crying need for Scruton's sort of attitude that understands that everything rests on human subjectivity."--Angus Kennedy, Spiked Review of Books "For a vigorous, challenging, at times infuriating essay at recovering the order for human existence in its full dimensions from what can seem to be the overwhelming successful technological and scientistic culture we all live in, Scruton's extended meditation can hardly be bettered."--Brendan Purcell, VoegelinView "Scruton's range of learning is truly remarkable."--Thomas D. Senor, Philosophers' Magazine "Scruton's strongest ideas prove intriguing and thought-provoking in this relatively short book... In the end, he has done both philosophy and religion a great service."--Arlice Davenport, Wichita Eagle "Roger Scruton is one of the most lucid articulators of this discomfort at a purely materialist account of human origins."--Nick Spencer, Tablet "Scruton is on particularly strong form on music: for instance, on how necessity and freedom function in it. On this territory, he is as worthy of attention as anyone currently writing on music."--Andrew Davison, Church Times "[R]efreshing... The Soul of the World is a short book that contains many insights about classic religious concerns. Clearly written and carefully argued, the text is rich and subtle, well worth reading and rereading."--Dennis O'Brien, Christian Century "The Soul of the World is a stimulating read and will be helpful to anyone who wants some original insights into the emptiness of Naturalism. I anticipate, however, that the solution Scruton offers will not satisfy the Evangelical reader."--Thom Atkinson, Churchman "For a vigorous, challenging, at times infuriating essay at recovering the order of human existence in its full dimensions from what can seem to be the overwhelmingly successful technological and scientific culture we all live in, Scruton's extended meditation can hardly be bettered."--Brendan Purcell, VoegelinView "[A] beautifully written, elegant, and exceptional essay... The essay is essentially an extended reflection on why a sense of the sacred is integral to human life... Scruton's essay calls for a level of spiritual attentiveness to our surroundings."--Martyn Percy, Journal of Contemporary Religion "An erudite ... book... Recommended for its scope, ingenuity, and Scruton's inimitable style."--Charles Taliaferro, Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies "The Soul of the World is stimulating for the mind and nourishing for the soul."--William J. Meyer, SophiaTable of ContentsPreface vii 1 Believing in God 1 2 Looking for People 27 3 Looking at the Brain 51 4 The First-Person Plural 76 5 Facing Each Other 96 6 Facing the Earth 115 7 The Sacred Space of Music 140 8 Seeking God 175 Index of Names 199 Index of Subjects 203

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A brilliant analysis."--Marvin Olasky, World MagazineTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Note on Text and Translation xi Introduction: The Emergence of Politics 1 1 The Grip of Power 17 2 Two Faces of Political Violence 67 3 Dynasty and Rupture 100 4 David's Will and Last Words 144 Conclusion 163 Notes 175 Index 207

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Book SynopsisDesiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) was a Dutch humanist, scholar, and social critic, and one of the most important figures of the Renaissance. The Praise of Folly is perhaps his best-known work. Originally written to amuse his friend Sir Thomas More, this satiric celebration of pleasure, youth, and intoxication irreverently pokes fun at the pieties ofTrade Review"There is no more joyous and delightful bit of forensic jugglery than Desiderius Erasmus's The Praise of Folly and a debt of gratitude is owed Professor Hoyt Hopewell Hudson for translating the old Latin of 1511 into lively, vivid, contemporary English, at once lucid and free... Like all great minds Erasmus has the faculty of being perennially contemporary, and The Praise of Folly is a gay, witty revelation of the subtleties and intricacies of the scholarly mind of the Renaissance."--Edward Larocque Tinker, New York Times "The scholarship and grace of Hudson's translation and introduction assure that the book will be accepted as the standard English version."--Modern Language Quarterly "[Hudson] has spared no pains to provide whatever might increase the general reader's appreciation and enjoyment of this world-famous, perennially humane satire."--John Archer Gee, Journal of English and Germanic Philology "Erasmus's Praise of Folly is certainly one of the most characteristic and delightful pieces of Renaissance literature and has rightly enjoyed a wide popularity... This handsome volume will certainly please the student as well as the general reader."--Journal of PhilosophyTable of ContentsA Prelude to The Praise of Folly: Foreword to the Princeton Classics Edition vii Acknowledgments xxiii The Folly of Erasmus: An Essay xxv Preface: Desiderius Erasmus to His Friend Thomas More 1 Moriae Encomium, That Is, The Praise of Folly 7 Analysis 129 Notes 143 Index of Proper Names 155

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Book SynopsisJesus Shock is the second in a series of short works on seminal concerns of the impact that Jesus Christ made in the world. The first work, The Philosophy of Jesus (St. Augustine’s Press, 2007), explored philosophy in light of Jesus, rather than the other way around. The present work investigates the reception Jesus received both in His lifetime and continuously to the present time, not only from His enemies, but from His friends, a reception of shock, astonishment, even disgust. Perhaps a few remarks from the book best explains it:The point of the book: The point of the title: Imagine a storm has downed a telephone wire so that everyone who touches it is shocked in every cell of his body. Well, the storm of God’s crazy love has “downed” (incarnated) Jesus, and everyone who touches this “live wire” is shocked in every cell of his soul. The question of the book: Why is “Jesus” the most non-neutral, the most controversial, the most embarrassing name in the world? Why is talking about Jesus like talking about sex? This whole book is really about a single movie line, the greatest line in the greatest movie in history. Bet you know what it is. Jesus-Shock is about the Real Presence of Christ in the Gospels and in the Eucharist. It is not about the theology of the Real Presence, but about the experience of Him there, and about the experience of everyone in the Gospels who met Him. What was the bitterest controversy of the Protestant Reformation, both between Protestants and Catholics and between different Protestant denominations, the one that had both sides calling the other not just heretics but devils? Answer: It was not Justification by Faith, the hallmark of the Reformation, even though that question is about nothing less momentous than how to be saved, how to get to Heaven. It was not the relation between religion and politics, even though that was a matter of life or death (literally, on battlefields and at guillotines and hangings) and not just a matter of truth or falsity, or of good or evil. It was not about the sufficiency of the Bible, or the corruption in the Church, or the relation between the Bible and the Church. It was not about the Pope, and the governance of the Church. It was not about Mary or saints or angels or Purgatory. It was not about the Incarnation or the Trinity or the Atonement. It was about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Jesus-Shock, in addressing this controversy forcefully and faithfully, shows the reasons why to this day the name of “Jesus” stirs up controversy, even revulsion, in polite society. In the true spirit of ecumenism, it also points the way toward a true rapprochement among His modern-day disciples.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewDaniel Frank's Introduction is excellent, not just for the undergraduate reader, but, indeed, for any reader, specialist or layperson. It manages to find just the right combination of philosophy and history; it sends the reader to the right places for further reading; its judgments are quite sound. And the reissue of the Altmann translation is a wonderful idea. --Charles Manekin, University of Maryland

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Book SynopsisTrade Review[A] fine book . . . rich, literate, beautifully written. . . . Meagher puts it well in his final chapter: the great teacher is one who excites power. Plotinus is one; Augustine another. . . . and the unquestionable merit of Meagher's book is that it too excites power. --Robert J. O'Connell, Fordham UniversityMeagher's work is extremely insightful and original. . . . The Augustine he describes is the one who stands at the origin of autobiography in Western culture and at the roots of contemporary existentialism where man has became once again 'a question to himself.' --John Dunne, The University of Notre DameThat Meagher helps us to come closer to Augustine is one of the many virtues of his book. . . . Meagher's book, in a thoroughly Augustinian spirit, is a work of love, and thus kindles love in return. . . . Will be of interest to all readers who are concerned with the possibilities of spirit in our time. --William Barrett

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe most innovative and influential French thinker of the contemporary era -- Sudhir Hazareesingh * Guardian *Nearly 35 years after his death, Foucault remains a vital reference point, and his History of Sexuality remains required reading ... The appearance of the fourth volume is itself the most significant event in the world of Foucault scholarship in 20 years ... Essential * Los Angeles Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“David Bentley Hart’s You Are Gods is simply brilliant. The book is a wonderful example of Hart’s incomparable skill as an essayist, delightful writer, and profound thinker, both philosophically and theologically.” —John Behr, author of John the Theologian and His Paschal Gospel“These outstanding essays are all absolutely first-rate and crucial for current theological discussions and the emergent, most creative directions. Hart successfully shows that the manualist revival is a pathology irrelevant to those directions.”—John Milbank, author of The Suspended Middle"You Are Gods is a challenging but rewarding theological text whose contents are confessedly radical, and whose end point is to advance the idea that nature and supernature are, in reality, one." —Foreword Reviews"The debate over whether it is grace or nature that directs human beings towards the beatific vision was one of the most contentious intra-Catholic theological disputes of the twentieth century. David Bentley Hart’s You Are Gods: On Nature and Supernature shows that the debate is alive and by no means merely academic and inconsequential—pantheism, tradition, orthodoxy, and heterodoxy are all very much at stake in the argument." —Public Discourse"As you might expect, if you have read even a single paragraph of Hart’s previous writing, the essays in this collection are erudite and trenchant, and full of surprises." —Church Times"[R]eaders would do well not to cheapen Hart’s work by allowing his verbal enthusiasms to be nothing more than an exciting (or aggravating) thrill ride. Instead, there’s probably something for most readers to gain by slowing down and trying to grok the basic judgment holding the whole thing up: All created realities, but especially spiritual realities, have their being and meaning in radical and total dependent relationship to God. This, for Hart, is the necessary shape of our contingence." —The Living Church"You Are Gods has much to recommend it. The author is highly effective in his attack on two-tier Thomism, and his argument that the Gospels are shot through with non-dualist imagery is sound. . . . David Bentley Hart brings to this elegantly written book his customary verve, theological acumen and ability to communicate difficult ideas." —The Way"Another masterful essay by an essential Christian thinker." —Mayéutica"Hart’s prose is flowing, profound and often entertaining... This book will not only be of considerable interest to his followers and to students of deification, but will also be of significance for those who are intrigued to see how the classical tradition can be interpreted in such a way as to eliminate divine aloofness and detachment." —Modern Believing"Eastern Orthodox theologian and author Hart presents metaphysical meditations on his idea that nature and the supernatural are a unified whole." —Publishers Weekly"One is invited to reflect upon the metaphysical implications of revelation which hearken to the deepest secret of our created and uncreated existence… Taken as a whole, You Are Gods is by turns bold, incisive, exasperating, ultimately a penetrating exposition of the manner in which the primal root of nature, time, and grace is the eschaton that alone bestows meaning and coherence to dynamisms of heart and mind summoned from the nothing as agapeic gift." —Eclectic Orthodoxy"In its more constructive and confessedly radical aspects, the book makes a vigorous case for the all-but-complete eradication of every qualitative, ontological, or logical distinction between the natural and the supernatural in the life of spiritual creatures. It advances a radically monistic vision of Christian metaphysics but does so wholly on the basis of credal orthodoxy." —Englewood Review of Books"You are Gods is a work that would be of great interest to the student of theology, and it is also one that opens up a number of important debates which are worth having, and it already appears to have stirred up the Thomist circles which Hart scrutinises." —VoegelinView"To say that David Bentley Hart possesses brilliant theological insight is a truism newly confirmed in this beautifully written collection of essays themed around the topic of nature and supernature. The book is an engaging read that should not be missed by anyone interested in contemporary theologies of grace."—The Heythrop JournalTable of Contents Introduction 1. Waking the Gods: Theosis as Reason’s Natural End 2. The Treasure of Delight: Nicholas of Cusa on Infinite Desire 3. That Judgment Whereby You Judge: Beauty and Discernment 4. Pia Fraus: Our Words and God’s Truth 5. Geist’s Kaleidoscope: Some Questions for Cyril O’Regan 6. The Chiasmus: The Created Supernatural and the Natural Divine

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Book SynopsisAdam Kotsko makes the case for the continued relevance of Christian theology for contemporary intellectual life, demonstrating its vibrancy as a creative and constructive pursuit outside the church, rethinking its often rivalrous relationship with philosophy, and tracing the theological roots of modern models of governance and racial oppression.Table of ContentsPreface | xi Introduction: What Is Theology? | 1 PART I : THEOLOGY BEYOND THE LIMITS OF RELIGION ALONE Bonhoeffer on Continuity and Crisis: From Objective Spirit to Religionless Christianity | 27 Resurrection without Religion | 39 Toward a Materialist Theology: Slavoj Žižek on Thinking God beyond the Master Signifier | 50 PART II : THEOLOGY UNDER PHILOSOPHICAL CRITIQUE The Failed Divine Performative: Reading Judith Butler’s Critique of Theology with Anselm’s On the Fall of the Devil | 63 Translation, Hospitality, and Supersession: Lamin Sannehand Jacques Derrida on the Future of Christianity | 79 Agamben the Theologian | 94 PART III : THEOLOGY AND THE GENEALOGY OF THE MODERN WORLD The Problem of Evil and the Problem of Legitimacy | 109 Modernity’s Original Sin: Toward a Theological Genealogy of Race | 122 The Trinitarian Century: God, Governance, and Race | 143 Acknowledgments | 165 Notes | 167 Bibliography | 183 Index | 191

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Book SynopsisCritical Theory and Animal Liberation is the first collection to approach our relationship with other animals from the critical or left tradition in political and social thought. Breaking with past treatments that have framed the problem as one of animal rights, the authors instead depict the exploitation and killing of other animals as a political question of the first order. The contributions highlight connections between our everyday treatment of animals and other forms of social power, mass violence, and domination, from capitalism and patriarchy to genocide, fascism, and ecocide. Contributors include well-known writers in the field as well as scholars in other areas writing on animals for the first time. Among other things, the authors apply Freud's theory of repression to our relationship to the animal, debunk the Locavore movement, expose the sexism of the animal defense movement, and point the way toward a new transformative politics that would encompass the human and animal Trade ReviewThis book breaks new ground in both critical theory and the ethics debate surrounding the mistreatment and domination of animals by humans. An indispensable collection for anyone interested in these areas of social critique, these essays sketch a comprehensive alternative to the prevailing strands of neo-Marxist and liberal philosophies. -- David Ingram, Loyola University, ChicagoSanbonmatsu has done the field of animal studies a great service by bringing together this rewarding collection of critical interventions. Just as feminist and phenomenological thinking injected needed doses of existential and hermeneutic sensitivity into the first wave of predominantly analytic animal ethics, so Critical Theory and Animal Liberation now joins pragmatism in projecting ethico-political engagement and socio-economic guidance across the new wave of animal theory. -- Ralph R. Acampora, Hofstra UniversityThis is an engaging analysis of some of the key issues in animal/human liberation, which makes it clear how connected the oppression of animals is to the oppression of other humans. All of the authors wonder how we can be sensitive to human suffering yet blind to animal suffering. The truth is, we cannot, or must not any longer. This book fulfills a long-awaited mandate demanding a deep change of view. I commend it highly. -- Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of AnimalsContributors examine how our hidden, institutionalized violence to animals, epitomized by industrial farming and laboratory experimentation, coexists with spectacles of human-caused suffering, degradation and destruction of animals in “visible but not seen” forms, such as circuses and road kill....Critical Theory and Animal Liberation looks not only at the obviously hidden suffering of animals on industrial farms and in laboratories but at the plight of animals who suffer and die openly in front of our eyes through human causation. * Karen Davis, President, United Poultry Concerns *Critical Theory and Animal Liberation, edited by John Sanbonmatsu, knits together a wide range of intersectional and interdisciplinary voices from across the spectrum of Critical Animal Studies. Nuanced and multifaceted, this text succeeds in applying critical perspectives in political and social thought to the problem of our relationship with other animals..../Critical Theory and Animal Liberation/ is an invaluable text for scholars and students of a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. In particular, this book is a must-have for anyone studying or writing within the burgeoning field of Critical Animal Studies. Perhaps the most compelling achievement of this text is its instrumental role in opening up new debates around critical, 'left' classical and contemporary Marxist and posthumanist thought all while sidestepping the popular currents in apolitical, mainstream animal studies. In addition, this book offers a first ambitious step into an uncharted territory -- moving away from the liberal ethics on which most animal 'rights' theory has, since its inception, been built. * Journal for Critical Animal Studies *Due to its exercise of deepening the critique of oppression and its potential to inspire a vision of the social world made whole, Critical Theory and Animal Liberation is a highly recommended read. * Humanimalia *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Part I. Commodity Fetishism and Structural Violence Chapter 1: Procrustean Solutions to Animal Identity and Welfare Problems Karen Davis Chapter 2: Road Kill: Commodity Fetishism and Structural Violence Dennis Soron Chapter 3: Corporate Power, Ecological Crisis, and Animal Rights Carl Boggs Part II. Animals, Marxism, and the Frankfurt School Chapter 4: Humanism = Speciesism?: Marx on Humans and Animals Ted Benton Chapter 5: Reflections on the Prospects for a Non-Speciesist Marxism Renzo Llorente Chapter 6: Thinking With: Animals in Schopenhauer, Horkheimer, and Adorno Christina Gerhardt Chapter 7: Animal is to Kantianism as Jew Is to Fascism: Adorno's Bestiary Eduardo Mendieta Part III. Speciesism and Ideologies of Domination Chapter 8: Dialectic of Anthropocentrism Aaron Bell Chapter 9: Animal Repression: Speciesism as Pathology Zipporah Weisberg Chapter 10: Neuroscience (a Poem) Susan Benston Chapter 11: Everyday Rituals of the Master Race: Fascism, Stratification, and the Fluidity of "Animal" Domination Victoria Johnson Part IV. Problems in Praxis Chapter 12: Constructing Extremists, Rejecting Compassion: Ideological Attacks on Animal Advocacy from Right and Left John Sorenson Chapter 13: "Green" Eggs and Ham? The Myth of Sustainable Meat and the Danger of the Local Vasile Stanescu Chapter 14: After MacKinnon: Sexual Inequality in the Animal Movement Carol Adams Chapter 15: Sympathy and Interspecies Care: Toward a Unified Theory of Eco- and Animal Liberation Josephine Donovan Note Index About the Editor and Contributors

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Book SynopsisA practical companion to the much-acclaimed Transforming Conflict through Insight, Practising Insight Mediation is a book about how insight mediators do their work and why they do it that way. In the book, Cheryl A. Picard, co-founder of insight mediation, explains how the theory of cognition presented in Bernard Lonergan’s Insight can be used as the basis for a learning-centred approach to conflict resolution in which the parties involved improve their self-understandings and discover new and less threating patterns of interaction with each other through efforts to better their conflict relations.Practising Insight Mediation features a wide range of valuable resources for any conflict practitioner, including in-depth descriptions of insight communication skills and strategies, a transcribed example mediation, sample documents, and a mediator’s self-assessment tool. The essential handbook for those interested in learning about aTable of ContentsCHAPTER 1: The Practice of Insight Mediation: An Introduction CHAPTER 2: Insight Mediation: Helping Parties in Conflict Learn about Themselves in Relation to Others CHAPTER 3: Interaction and Insight: The Learning Theory Underlying Insight Mediation Practice CHAPTER 4: Facilitating Change Through Learning: Conducting the Mediation Session CHAPTER 5: Ensuring Appropriate Participation and Follow-Up: Before and After Insight Mediation CHAPTER 6: Facilitating the Dialogue: Insight Mediation Skills and Strategies CHAPTER 7: The Insight Approach to Conflict: Recent Achievements & Future Hopes

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Book SynopsisFree will is a perennial theological and philosophical topic. As a central dogmatic locus, it is implicated in discussions around core Christian doctrines such as grace, salvation, sin, providence, evil, and predestination. This book offers a state-of-the-art look at recent debates about free will in analytic and philosophical theology. The chapters revolve around three central themes: the debate between theological compatibilists and libertarians, the communal nature of Christian freedom, and the role of free will in Christology. With contributions by leading scholars, the volume provides a valuable overview of current arguments as well as novel openings and ideas for further discussion.

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Book Synopsis''I don''t believe in God, but I miss Him.'' Julian Barnes'' new book is, among many things, a family memoir, an exchange with his philosopher brother, a meditation on mortality and the fear of death, a celebration of art, an argument with and about God, and a homage to the French writer Jules Renard. Though he warns us that ''this is not my autobiography'', the result is a tour of the mind of one of our most brilliant writers.Trade ReviewBoth fun and funny. It is sharp too, in the sense of painful as well as witty... Barnes dissects with tremendous verve and insight this awesome inevitability of death and its impact on the human psyche. He also tears at your heart * New Statesman *A maverick form of family memoir that is mainly an extended reflection on the fear of death and on that great consolation, religious belief... It is entertaining, intriguing, absorbing...an inventive and invigorating slant on what is nowadays called 'life writing'. It took me hours to write this review because each reference to my notes set me off rereading; that is a reviewer's ultimate accolade -- Penelope Lively * Financial Times *A brilliant bible of elegant despair...that most urgent kind of self-help manual: the one you must read before you die -- Tim Adams * Vogue *Intensely fascinating * The Times *An elegant memoir and meditation. A deep seismic tremor of a book that keeps rumbling and grumbling in the mind for weeks thereafter * Garrison Keillor *

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Book SynopsisThis is the first anthology to present the full range of the many forms evil. Amelie Rorty has assembled a collection of readings that include not only the most common forms of evil, such as vice, sin, cruelty and crime, but also some which are less well known, such disobedience and willfulness. The readings are drawn from a rich array of historical, philosophical, theological, literary, dramatic, psychological and legal perspectives. Amelie Rorty''s introductions to the readings sets each one in context and makes the anthology essential reading for anyone interested in the philosophy of evil.Table of Contents1. From Disobedience to Disorder Includes readings: The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, The Old Testament, Thucydides, Seneca, Hans Jonas, Gershon Scholem 2. From Sin to ViceSt Augustine, Abu Hamid Al-Ghazli, Peter Abelard, Moses Maimonides, Pope Innocent III, Aquinas, Dante, Chaucer 3. Evil as WilfullnessLuther, Calvin, Milton, Jonathan Edwards 4. Containing LawlessnessMachiavelli, Hobbes, Butler 5. The Irrationality of WaywardnessLeibniz, Manderille, Voltaire, Rousseau, Kant 6. The Romanticism of EvilGoethe, Blake, Hawthorne, Baudelaire, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche 7. The Banality of Evil: The Cruelty of Everday LifeDostoyevsky, Engels, Einstein, Freud, Hannah Arendt, Michael Stocker, Amelie Rorty, Amos Oz 8. Conflict, Immorality and Crime 'War and Murder', Elizabeth Anscombe; 'Political Action: The Problem of Dirty Hands', Michael Walzer; 'The Nature of Immortality', Jean Hampton

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