Philosophy of religion Books

Book SynopsisAn accessible introduction to the study of logic (parts 1 & 2), as well as an in-depth treatment of the discipline (parts 3 & 4), built on a robust Christian worldview. Includes helpful charts, diagrams, and review questions.

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Book Synopsis“By far the most profound thinker of the 19th century” — Ludwig WittgensteinOne of Soren Kierkegaard''s most important writings, Works of Love is a profound examination of the human heart, in which the great philosopher conducts the reader into the inmost secrets of Love. Deep within every man, Kierkegaard writes, there lies the dread of being alone in the world, forgotten by God, overlooked among the household of millions upon millions. Love, for Kierkegaard, is one of the central aspects of existence; it saves us from isolation and unites us with one another and with God. This new edition of Works of Love features an original foreword by Kierkegaard scholar George Pattison.Trade Review“The one book in which all these aspects of Kierkegaard’s authorship flow together into a single work. . . . Works of Love is the central work in Kierkegaard’s entire authorship . . . Be warned! Works of Love is the kind of book that can change your life.” — George Pattison, Oxford University, from the "Introduction" “By far the most profound thinker of the 19th century” — Ludwig Wittgenstein “Kierkegaard’s great contribution to Western philosophy was to assert, or to reassert with Romantic urgency, that, subjectively speaking, each existence is the center of the universe. He offered himself as a corrective to idealism, from Plato to Hegel.” — John Updike, The New Yorker “The father of existentialism, Kierkegaard asserted the primacy of the individual in all his or her raging contradiction” — New York Times

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Book SynopsisGreen Mass is a meditation on—and with—twelfth-century Christian mystic and polymath Saint Hildegard of Bingen. Attending to Hildegard's vegetal vision, which greens theological tradition and imbues plant life with spirit, philosopher Michael Marder uncovers a verdant mode of thinking. The book stages a fresh encounter between present-day and premodern concerns, ecology and theology, philosophy and mysticism, the material and the spiritual, in word and sound. Hildegard's lush notion of viriditas, the vegetal power of creation, is emblematic of her deeply entwined understanding of physical reality and spiritual elevation. From blossoming flora to burning desert, Marder plays with the symphonic multiplicity of meanings in her thought, listening to the resonances between the ardency of holy fire and the aridity of a world aflame. Across Hildegard's cosmos, we hear the anarchic proliferation of her ecological theology, in which both God and greening are circular, without beginning or end. Introduced with a foreword by philosopher Marcia Sá Cavalcante Schuback and accompanied by cellist Peter Schuback's musical movements, which echo both Hildegard's own compositions and key themes in each chapter of the book, this multifaceted work creates a resonance chamber, in which to discover the living world anew. The original compositions accompanying each chapter are available free for streaming and for download at www.sup.org/greenmassTrade Review"Michael Marder brings Hildegard's creativity to light and to life, highlighting what is unique about her and, especially, what makes her such a needed voice that should be heard today."—Willemien Otten, University of Chicago Divinity School"A brilliant meditation on viriditas, where materiality and spirituality meet, and truly a 'resonance chamber' of themes that explore the full range of Hildegard's thinking, from roots to flowers."—Charles M. Stang, Harvard Divinity School"The wordviriditas is important to understand here. The author explains that it literally means 'the greening green,' and figuratively it means 'a self-refreshing vegetal power of creation ingrained in all finite things.' That's a mouthful, but it's also rich and beautiful. Take a moment to ponder such a world. This is St. Hildegard of Bingen's vision of what we inhabit, whether we realize it yet or not... Michael Marder points to the transformational quality of such teachings, for Christians and everyone who seeks to integrate the physical and the spiritual in their lives."—Jon M. Sweeney, Spirituality & Practice"I consider this to be one of the—if not the—most significant books of ecotheology to have appeared in recent years... Rather than attempt to explain Hildegard's many-layered analogies between divine spirit and vegetal mattering, Marder seeks to narrate the conditions under which those analogies could be true. The result is a book that is at once faithful to Hildegard's words (Green Mass is a close reading that cites source texts in detail, and dispenses with footnotes) and promiscuous in hermeneutic."—Simone Kotva, Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology"This is an extraordinary work of ecotheology. Not only is it a book, it is also a meditation at the meeting point of materiality and spirituality, a resonance chamber of Peter Schuback's musical compositions, and an invitation to encounter the present world through medieval mindsets."—Luke Penkett, The WayTable of ContentsPrelude Verges Analogies Resonances Missives Ardencies Anarchies Kisses Postlude

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Book SynopsisThe Catholic University of America Press is honoured to announce the publication of the first volume of the critical English edition of The Collected Works of Karol Wojtya/John Paul II. The inaugural volume of this collection is Person and Act which is in many respects constitutes Wojtya's most profound and well-known philosophical work.

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Book SynopsisWhile Christ's sacrifice serves as a central tenet of the Christian faith, the mechanism of atonement - exactly how Christ effects our salvation - remains controversial and ambiguous to many Christians. In this volume, William Lane Craig conducts an interdisciplinary investigation of this crucial Christian doctrine.Table of Contents Preface 1. Introduction Part 1. Biblical Data Concerning the Atonement 2. Sacrifice 3. Isaiah's Servant of the Lord 4. Divine Justice 5. Representation and Redemption Part 2. Dogmatic History of the Doctrine of the Atonement 6. Patristic Theories 7. Medieval Theories 8. Reformation and Post-Reformation Theories Part 3. Philosophical Reflections on the Doctrine of the Atonement 9. Penal Substitution: Its Coherence 10. Penal Substitution: Its Justification 11. Satisfaction of Divine Justice 12. Redemption: Divine Pardon and Its Effects 13. Redemption: Justification and Appropriation of a Divine Pardon 14. The Moral Influence of Christ's Passion 15. Conclusion

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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 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 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 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 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 SynopsisThe "I Ching" originated in China as a divination manual more than three thousand years ago. In 136 BCE the emperor declared it a Confucian classic. This title tells the extraordinary story of how this cryptic and once obscure book became one of the most widely read and extensively analyzed texts in all of world literature.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2012 "Smith's book succeeds admirably in making the history and importance of this esoteric and enigmatic classic accessible and understandable to a wide audience. A must read for anyone interested in fathoming 'the Way' (Tao/Dao) in ancient China."--Choice "Smith's book demonstrates that if the Book of Changes is anything, it is alive."--James Carter, Los Angeles Review of Books "His biography is, at every turn, full of scholarship."--Jon Sweeney, Tablet "One of the advantages to this book is Smith's prose; not only is it clear and accessible, but he writes in a way that brings the material to life. He is an engaging writer... This 'biography' of the Yijing is an attractive and thorough resource. It should prove to be a useful addition to any library (academic or not) and a valuable help in any high school or college courses that incorporate study of the Yijing in any classroom context."--Robert Steed, Education About Asia "[N]ever before in English has the substance of this vital text been explicated with such transparency, lucidity, and--on balance--objectivity. However, even in charitably demystifying it, Smith has simultaneously retained and even enhanced the compelling attraction of this ever-tantalizing essentialist work for the would-be initiated. Such is a balancing act deftly executed, for which we should commend the author lavishly."--Don J. Wyatt, Journal of Chinese Religions "Smith's biography does what an introduction should do: encourage the reader to want to know more and provide a smooth over-arching conceptual framework, in economic fashion, through which one may understand the details. It would, therefore, be a helpful tool in a university course on Eastern or World religions and is highly recommended."--Stephanie L. Derrick, Relegere "Smith offers an unparalleled biography of the most revered book in China's entire cultural tradition, and he shows us how this enigmatic ancient classic has become a truly global phenomenon."--RSR, Buddhism Now "This work serves both as a sinologically sound exposition of East Asia's Yijing, and a fearless foray into the West's endless fixations on the Yi's malleable meanings."--Russell Kirkland, Religious Studies Review "To all [I Ching] aficionados and many others, Richard J. Smith's book, The I Ching: A Biography, will be usefully informative."--Yu Liu, European LegacyTable of ContentsList of Illustrations ix The Hexagrams xi Chronology of Chinese Dynasties xvii Preliminary Remarks and Acknowledgments xix Introduction 1 Part One The Domestic Evolution of the Yijing 15 Chapter 1 Genesis of the Changes 19 Chapter 2 The Making of a Classic 48 Chapter 3 Interpreting the Changes 75 Part Two The Transnational Travels of the Yijing 125 Chapter 4 The Changes in East Asia 129 Chapter 5 The Westward Travels of the Changes 170 Concluding Remarks 211 Notes 225 Bibliography 251 Index 265

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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 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 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 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 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 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 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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Book SynopsisOne of today''s most controversial and heated issues is whether or not the conflict between science and religion can be reconciled. In Science and Religion: Are They Compatible?, renowned philosophers Daniel C. Dennett and Alvin Plantinga expand upon the arguments that they presented in an exciting live debate held at the 2009 American Philosophical Association Central Division conference. An enlightening discussion that will motivate students to think critically, Science and Religion: Are They Compatible? opens with Plantinga''s assertion that Christianity is compatible with evolutionary theory because Christians believe that God created the living world, and it is entirely possible that God did so by using a process of evolution. Dennett vigorously rejects this argument, provoking a reply from Plantinga, another response from Dennett, and final statements from both sides. As philosophers, the authors possess expert skills in critical analysis; their arguments provide a model of dialTrade Reviewan excellent book which takes two of the top living philosophers going head-to-head over one of the most controversial (hence, interesting) subjects in Western culture. * Jim Slagle, Metascience *an interesting exchange on a very timely topic, and one which gives readers a good illustration of how this debate is often conducted today, especially from the atheistic side. * Brendan Sweetman, Philosophy in Review *Table of Contents1. Science and Religion: Where the Conflict Really Lies ; 2. Truths that Miss their Mark: Naturalism Unscathed ; 3. Reply to Dennett ; 4. Habits of Imagination and their Effect on Incredulity ; 5. Final Statement ; 6. No Miracles Needed

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Book SynopsisApophasis has become a major topic in the humanities, particularly in philosophy, religion, and literature. This two-volume anthology gathers together most of the important historical works on apophaticism and illustrates the diverse trajectories of apophatic discourse in ancient, modern, and postmodern times.Trade Review“Any writer worth his salt knows that what cannot be spoken is ultimately the thing worth speaking about; yet most often this humbling awareness is unsaid or covered up. There are some who have made it their business, however, to court failure and acknowledge defeat, to explore the impasse of words before silence. William Franke has created an anthology of such explorations, undertaken in poetry and prose, that stretches from Plato to the present. Whether the subject of discourse is All or Nothing does not matter: the struggle of speech to name the unnameable is the same. This ambitious two-volume undertaking demonstrates a preoccupation as old as Western civilization itself: the limits of language and the virtue of being at a loss for words. How long we have been raiding the Inarticulate!” —Peter S. Hawkins, Boston University“Developments in critical theory during the past two decades have led to renewed interest in negative theology. Books like Languages of the Unsayable (1989), Negation and Theology (1992), Derrida and Negative Theology (1992), and The Otherness of God (1998) have signaled the resurgence of this ancient tradition. William Franke’s distinctive contribution is to provide the background and texts from which these recent developments have emerged.” —Mark Taylor, Williams College"These two volumes successfully realize a massive project: to propose and delineate a new field of discourse that provides a fresh approach to Western thought as a whole. In short, William Franke demonstrates the centrality of apophaticism, 'what cannot be said,' to the Western tradition, from Plato (and before) to Derrida (and beyond). . . . The first volume covers the first 'cycles' of apophasis, as the Western tradition evolves, stretching from the commentary tradition of Plato's Parmenides to Eckhart and his progenitors. . . . Franke's work is nothing short of brilliant." —Religion and Literature“. . . one of the most important and original contributions to the discussion of apophasis in recent years. . . . Franke’s historical and disciplinary range, in light of his well-written and compelling essays, provides an illuminating insight into the pervasiveness of apophatic discourse. . . . Franke’s anthology is a resource which should not be ignored. Few others, maybe no others, provide the same clarity, coherence, and scope.” —Christianity and Literature“The genius of Franke’s two-volume critical anthology on apophatic discourses is the work’s breadth and depth of engagement with the concept in variously distinct and even conflicting contexts. . . . Franke manages his sweeping and inclusive exploration of apophatic discourses by identifying a thematic lens for selecting his sources as part of a larger, conceptually-rooted genre of discourse. . . . the greatest strength of Franke’s two-volume collection resides in the sheer fact that nothing like it exists.” —Essays in Philosophy

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Book SynopsisThis is not merely the only complete summary of Christian doctrine that St. Thomas has written, but also a creative and even revolutionary work of Christian apologetics composed at the precise moment when Christian thought needed to be intellectually creative in order to master and assimilate the intelligence and wisdom of the Greeks and the Arabs.

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Book SynopsisThe volume The Many Faces of Beauty joins the rich debate on beauty and aesthetic theory by presenting an ambitious, interdisciplinary examination of various facets of beauty in nature and human society. The contributors ask such questions as, Is there beauty in mathematical theories? What is the function of arts in the economy of cultures? What are the main steps in the historical evolution of aesthetic theories from ancient civilizations to the present? What is the function of the ugly in enhancing the expressivity of art? and What constitutes beauty in film? The sixteen essays, by eminent scientists, critics, scholars, and artists, are divided into five parts. In the first, a mathematician, physicist, and two philosophers address beauty in mathematics and nature. In the second, an anthropologist, psychologist, historian of law, and economist address the place of beauty in the human mind and in society. Explicit philosophical reflections on notoriously vexing issues,Trade Review“In 2012, the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study (NDIAS) sponsored “The Many Faces of Beauty” conference, which offered a deep dive into the debate on beauty and aesthetic theory. This collection of 16 essays from prominent artists, scientists, mathematicians and critics features three Notre Dame scholars: The Huisking Professor of Theology Cyril O’Regan, the Rev. Joyce Professor of German Language and Literature Mark Roche, and J. Dudley Andrew ’67.” —Notre Dame Magazine

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Book SynopsisAvailable for the first time in the English language, this is a complete and annotated translation of a key work by the twelfth-century Muslim philosopher, Averroes (Ibn Rushd). Acknowledged as the leading transmitter of Aristotelian th ought, Averroes also held controversial views about the re lationship between faith and reason, arguing that religion should not be allowed to impose limits on the exercise of rational thought. His theory of rationality, along with others on language, justice and the interpretation of religious texts, is clearly presented here, in a work that provides the most comprehensive picture available of Averroes's great intellectual achievements.

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Book SynopsisThis is Nietzsche's last book and a fitting capstone to his career. It's succinct, biting, and encapsulates the criticisms of Christianity found in his other works. This edition contains an 8,000-word introduction by its translator, the famous iconoclastic writer H. L. Mencken.Trade Review"Bombastic, acerbic, and coldly analytical, The Anti-Christ exemplifies the muscularity of thought that surrounds the Nietzsche legend." --Cletus Nelson, Eye

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