Philosophy of religion Books

Book SynopsisIn Simone Weil Robert Chenavier explores the work of Simone Weil and demonstrates how she brought together spiritual life and the human struggle for solidarity.Trade Review“Robert Chenavier gives us in fewer than one hundred pages a wonderful chronological introduction to Weil’s thought. . . . The book will inspire more writing on Weil’s thought . . . [and] help in the preservation of the important contributions to twentieth century philosophy. This book is highly recommended for all academic libraries.” —Catholic Library World“For those somewhat acquainted with Weil’s work or in possession of an introduction . . . Chenavier’s book could be very valuable in representing Weil’s intellectual and spiritual project as organized and focused. It succeeds in structuring her work around two big ideas: work and the spiritual.” —Theology“Having been given a central thread to trace through Weil, one is better equipped to apply her insights to other scholarly work. Simone Weil: Attention to the Real is not an introduction as much as it is a platform from which one can independently dig deeper into Weil’s life and thought. Along with philosophers, environmentalists, ethicists and political thinkers may find this book a valuable addition to their Weil collection.” —Journal for Peace and Justice Studies"Bernard Doering's translation of Robert Chenavier's Simone Weil: Attention to the Real makes this unusually concise and authoritative introduction to the thought of Simone Weil available in English . . . this brief essay, which is the fruit of a rigorous and sustained engagement with Weil's work, provides a dense and coherent introduction to Weil's philosophy, and manages to unify the diverse strands that make up this unique intellectual trajectory." —International Journal for Philosophy of Religion"Bernard Doering has crafted a very fine translation of Robert Chenavier's comprehensive but brief introduction to Simone Weil's philosophical project. It provides an excellent English introduction to the social philosophy of Simone Weil with due attention to her understanding of the importance of work in learning to attend to the real. Doering's translation will be of interest to both a religious and secular readership, both inside and outside the academy." —Lawrence Schmidt, University of Toronto"This is an excellent introduction to the thought of Simone Weil. Chenavier understands Weil as a philosopher and in one hundred pages is able to give a succinct presentation of her, from her earliest writings to her extraordinary later ones. This sophisticated presentation can serve both as an introduction to Weil for the nonspecialist and as an introduction to Chenavier's own take on Weil for the reader who knows Weil and is interested in Chenavier’s contribution." —Eric O. Springsted, president, American Weil Society

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Book SynopsisPresent the first English editions of collected works of the Catholic Thomist philosopher Charles De Koninck (1906–1965). Trade Review“Charles De Koninck, perhaps because of his untimely death, is not as well known to English-speaking readers as Etienne Gilson and Jacques Maritain, but his work belongs to that same world-class scholarship as his notable contemporaries. It is almost an understatement to say that his contribution to the philosophy of science remains timely. Readers are fortunate that his former student, Ralph McInerny, has seen fit to collect and to translate, where necessary, some of De Koninck's most important work for this volume.” —Jude P. Dougherty, The Catholic University of America“Ralph McInerny is doing us the incalculable good of making available to a general public the writings of Charles De Koninck. This volume, the first of many to come, begins a chronological presentation of the books, articles, essays, and addresses of one of the strongest and most penetrating thinkers of the last century, who was at once an extraordinary philosopher and theologian, with the profound and simple faith of the proverbial peasant. May we continue now to learn from the great De Koninck, and include in our prayers the intentions of his gracious disciple, who is so felicitously discharging the office of piety to a revered and unforgettable master.” —Ronald P. Mc Arthur, President Emeritus, Thomas Aquinas College“This is a book for the philosophy aficionado. Scholastic thinkers who have appreciated the thoughts of Catholic Thomist philosopher Charles de Koninck (deceased 1965, Univ. of Laval, Quebec City) on the relationship of scientific thinking and religious thinking to the familiar world around us will immediately realize that this first volume of a planned three-volume set is a superb selection of his writings. Writings include his dissertation on the philosophy of Sir Arthur Eddington and his unpublished work 'the Cosmos.' His well-known considerations of indeterminism, statistical laws, and causality will trigger questions about consciousness, imagination, and the ability to comprehend the cosmos for decades to come.” —Choice“By translating these writings into English, Professor McInerny has done a great service to those who are interested in this period of philosophy, and he has made more accessible the writings of a philosopher who deserves a great deal more attention than he has received to date.” —Catholic Library World“DeKoninck's argument here goes well beyond what can be established in experimental science, but it is a great merit of his work that he is careful to distinguish what we know from experimental science, what philosophical reflection on science might contribute, and what further speculation from metaphysics and theology might add to our understanding of the cosmos.” —First Things

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Book SynopsisPresent the first English editions of collected works of the Catholic Thomist philosopher Charles De Koninck (1906–1965).Trade Review“Volume Two of The Writings of Charles De Koninck reveals a Thomist at home not merely in the deepest questions of natural science and natural philosophy, but also in the highest reaches of ethical and political philosophy, and in the most wonderful realm of revealed theology. De Koninck combines a justified confidence in his wisdom about the highest things with humility and gratitude for the gift of that wisdom. The series edited by Dr. McInerny is taking shape as a recovered treasure of a philosopher who labored to receive, and to pass on, the gift of wisdom.“ —David Quackenbush, Thomas Aquinas College“This is the second volume of a . . . series of the collected works of the Catholic Thomist Charles de Koninck. He was on the faculty of Quebec’s Laval University and director of Laval’s Philosophy Faculty from 1939 to 1956. His works belong to the same class of Thomistic writings of such individuals as Etienne Gilson and Jacques Maritain.” —Catholic Library World

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Book SynopsisThis is an accessible and informative introduction to the basic facts of religion and to the ways scholars and other people have dealt with religion over the centuries. Bolle's purpose is to provide a serious study that makes sense of religion and religious events in the world.Trade Review“Aptly titled, this is a scintillating and intellectually satisfying survey of centuries of serious religious study focusing less on the specifics of different traditions than on the question why we worship. Drawing on the varied disciplines of philosophy, theology, anthropology, and history and the expertise of past masters of the history of religion—Ibn Khaldun, Max Müller, G. van der Leeuw, Raffaele Pettazzoni, Mircea Eliade, and countless others—Bolle is eager to provide a hermeneutics for the 21st century, offering an updated explanation and understanding of what religion is and why we should know about it. Bolle covers both Eastern and Western traditions, and because his first rule is that ‘you should listen to the people whose religion you try to comprehend,’ readers cannot help but to have their view of religions deepened and broadened. Extensive bibliographies at the end of each chapter will fuel interest and authoritatively guide librarians seeking to build their own collections. Recommended for all academic libraries and large public libraries.” -- Library Journal

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Book SynopsisMost moral philosophers and psychologists have missed something crucial in the work of Lawrence Kohlberg (192787), best known for his theory of stages of moral development. In Following Kohlberg: Liberalism and the Practice of Democratic Community, Donald R.C. Reed clearly illustrates how the Kohlbergian project has much to offer the crucial debate about moral psychology and how to revivify our society''s jaded sense of fairness and responsibility. Psychologists, philosophers, theologians, educators, and therapists will find here a comprehensive guide to Kohlberg''s life work, a clear presentation of both theory and practice, and an understanding of moral maturity which encompasses both justice and responsiveness. All who care about nurturing and preserving a democratic community are well-advised to read this book.Trade Review“Reed’s most original contribution resides in his articulation of distinct conceptions of liberal and democratic thinking.” —Philosophy in Review

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Book SynopsisSince the nineteenth century, many philosophical and theological commentators have sought to trace lines of continuity between the Trinitarian thought of Augustine of Hippo (354430) and G. W. F. Hegel (17701831). Many contemporary Christian theologians have also criticized Augustine''s Trinitarian theology generally and his doctrine of the Holy Spirit more specifically through this historical lens. At the same time, Hegelian Trinitarian conceptual dynamics have come to exert a strong influence over contemporary Trinitarian theology.In Life in the Spirit, Douglas Finn seeks to redress several imbalances with respect to Augustine, imbalances that have one of their hermeneutic causes in a Hegelian-influenced theological tradition. Finn argues that common readings of Augustine focus too much on his De Trinitate, books 815, betraying a modernand to some extent Hegelianprejudice against considering sermons and biblical commentaries serious theological work. This broadTrade Review"Life in the Spirit is a timely work filling a real need in contemporary theological and philosophical thought. Douglas Finn shows that Augustine's Trinitarian theology is one fully engaged with God's work in history. It will completely reorient discussions on the Trinity in Christian theology and help to engage that discussion with contemporary continental philosophy." —Anthony C. Sciglitano, Seton Hall University"This book importantly challenges the negative view of Augustine and the positive predeliction for Hegel among some contemporary thinkers, and most especially in relation to the Trinity. Douglas Finn has made commendable efforts to master two briefs, that is, the primary works of two major, challenging thinkers, as well as informing himself well of significant currents of secondary commentary on the works of each. This is an important contribution to the scholarship. Its importance is particularly evident in its willingness to call into question the claimed superiority of the Hegelian Trinitarianism and to offer a picture of Augustine that rehabilitates his Trinitarian thought, sometimes against hostile interpretations." —William Desmond, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and Villanova UniversityDouglas Finn’s Life in the Spirit makes an important contribution to the on-going ‘renaissance of Trinitarian theology in recent decades’ by considering how two of Christian theology’s mot influential and controversial figures depict the Holy Spirit. . . . This book is strongly recommended to any working on Hegel or Augustine, and beyond this to those working more broadly within historical Trinitarian thought." —Reviews in Religion & Theology"In his excellent new book Life in the Spirit, Douglas Finn of Boston College compares Hegel and Augustine on much more than just the topics of love and reason. With pneumatology as his key concern, and all of Hegel and Augustine’s works before him, Finn does more than just provide a comparison of contrasting views—although this is a strong part of the book. Reading Augustine’s sermons and commentaries as well as his more widely known works, Finn describes the shared concern for the spoken logos in the christologies of Hegel and Augustine, while emphasizing their differences." —Reading Religion“Finn has a knack for taking complex ideas about the Trinity or ecclesiology and translating them into a series of digestible parallels, showing the reader where Augustine and Hegel converge and—perhaps more crucially—where they diverge.” —Journal of Religion“Life in the Spirit is a rigorous and important contribution across the fields of Hegel and Augustine studies, with concrete bearing on the meaning and nature of the ongoing ‘Trinitarian renaissance,’ provoked in theology in the mid-twentieth century by Karl Barth and Karl Rahner.” —Modern Theology

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Book SynopsisEmploying tools of analytic, Continental, and Thomistic philosophy, Godfrey offers a wide-ranging reflection on the nature of trust.Trade Review"Anyone interested in the concept of trust and its role in human relationships, religious experiences, and the nature of knowledge, among other related topics, cannot afford to ignore Joseph Godfrey's extensive study. This book will have wide appeal, not only in the areas of phenomenology and existentialism, but also in theology, religious studies, and literature." —Brendan Sweetman, Rockhurst University"In one situation after another we find ourselves asking: how can I trust? Whom can I trust? Joseph Godfrey directs decades of reflection to explore these conundrums both critically and reverently. The argument moves us away from believing to show how 'trusting is something that is done; it is an activity that at its core is receptive: To trust is to be receptive to enhancement.' In the process he canvasses a wide spectrum of philosophical views, so as to learn from each how to parse this pervasive yet elusive subject, 'to show how trusting may be understood, and practiced, and reasoned about, in analogous . . . ways.' Withal, a sturdy faith shapes his analysis, making it the more subtle and inclusive, to lead us to an enhanced understanding." —David Burrell, C.S.C., Tangaza College, Nairobi, and the University of Notre Dame"This is the most comprehensive and sophisticated discussion of the subject to date. Godfrey’s book is well-written, the product of enormous erudition, supported by a wide range of sources, and covers several different philosophical and religious traditions. It is indispensable for anyone seeking to understand trust, whether practically or conceptually, and will surely change the way we think about the subject." —Robert P. Crease, Stony Brook University“The subjects of trust and hope have occupied Godfrey nearly since he began teaching philosophy at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia in 1976. The present book emerged, he says, from dissatisfaction with his treatment of trust in his 1987 A Philosophy of Human Hope, and the realization that available treatments are not serviceable in religious contexts, where trust is uniquely important.” —Choice“Joseph Godfrey offers something unique in this extensive work. . . . [He] focuses on what trusting well looks like rather than advocating which religion or what God is truly worthy of trust. . . . Trust of People, Words, and God is a mature work, demonstrating years of thought and research. It is a necessary work for anyone interested in the concept of trust, regardless of religious affiliation.” —Philosophy in Review“Godfrey’s treatment of his topic is deeply learned . . . . He excels at synthesis, finding connections between social scientists, analytic philosophers, phenomenologists, and theologians who approach the concept of trust in different ways.” —Journal of Religion

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Book SynopsisDialectic and Narrative in Aquinas investigates the intent, method, and structural unity of Thomas Aquinas''s Summa Contra Gentiles. In this innovative study Thomas S. Hibbs goes against the grain of most traditional interpretations of the work, which claim it serves a missionary or apologetic end, and argues that the intended audience is Christian and that its subject is Christian wisdom. In the process of making his argument, Hibbs also demonstrates that the Summa Contra Gentiles is the most important of Aquinas''s texts on the relationship between faith and reason, theology, and philosophy.Since the prologue to the Summa Contra Gentiles has been the focus of nearly all the debates over the work, Hibbs begins with an examination of it and the controversies it has provoked, and tests various interpretations of the prologue in light of the actual text. He then goes on to suggest that the method of the Contra Gentiles is dialectical and that Trade Review“Thomas Hibbs has produced the definitive book on Summa Contra Gentiles, a book destined to become a permanent part of Thomistic studies." —International Studies in Philosophy"One does not find in this book still another effort to explain what Aquinas was really about in the SCG; instead [Hibbs] interprets the text in a way that remarkably imitates Aquinas's own cogitatio fidei, his thinking about the truth of Catholic faith. The result is so brilliantly accomplished that one is led to ponder whether Hibbs works here as a philosopher or as a theologian. Whatever the answer, he renders a tremendous service to the world of Roman Catholic theology." —Theological Studies“[Hibbs] make[s] a signal contribution to the discussion of Thomas’s intellectual project by emphasizing the ‘narrative’ at least as much as the ‘dialectic’ and by writing with a view to chastising those who would neglect the former in preference for the latter.” —Religious Studies Review[A] provocative and engaging new study . . . " —The Review of Metaphysics

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Book SynopsisAugustine and the Cure of Souls situates Augustine within the ancient philosophical tradition of using words to order emotions. Paul Kolbet uncovers a profound continuity in Augustine's thought, from his earliest pre-baptismal writings to his final acts as bishop, revealing a man deeply indebted to the Roman past and yet distinctly Christian. Rather than supplanting his classical learning, Augustine's Christianity reinvigorated precisely those elements of Roman wisdom that he believed were slipping into decadence. In particular, Kolbet addresses the manner in which Augustine not only used classical rhetorical theory to express his theological vision, but also infused it with theological content. This book offers a fresh reading of Augustine's writingsparticularly his numerous, though often neglected, sermonsand provides an accessible point of entry into the great North African bishop's life and thought.Trade Review“In Augustine and the Cure of Souls, Paul R. Kolbet . . . reminds us how deeply Augustine was shaped by the ancient world’s rhetorical tradition and shows how he both drew upon it and upended it in his long career of preaching Christ. . . . Because Kolbet’s concern is historical, we should not expect his Augustine to answer all of our questions. But as Kolbet has shown, Augustine has much more to say to us today than we might think. Augustine held that the best way to understand him was to observe his ministry in action, and by patiently doing so, Kolbet has done today’s ministers a great service.” —Christian Century“By placing Augustine in his historical and personal context, the link between his thinking and actual life is made and his sermons are situated in the cultural, philosophical, theological and liturgical context of that period. . . . This study is a new and promising step in the very recent and blooming study of Augustine’s sermons.” —Louvain Journal of Theology and Canon Law“This is a highly readable study on ‘Augustine’s reception of classical traditions of the cure of souls and his transformation of these classical traditions in his Christian rhetoric.’ . . . the book is an admirable presentation of Augustine’s developing thought and its relation to the classical culture in which he was educated, and brings together in an illuminating manner topics previously served less well by separate treatment. It is certainly a book to recommend to students of Augustine and to would-be catechists or preachers.” —Journal of Theological Studies“Augustine and the Cure of Souls is a fine and thought-provoking book. Kolbet makes a persuasive case that Augustine’s pastoral theory and homiletical practice can be better understood when seen as part of a long line of development of the broad stream of Greco-Roman philosophico-rhetorical therapy and as a self-consciously Christian appropriation thereof.” —The Medieval Review“Kolbet’s illuminating and original study bridges a wealth of diverse Augustinian themes through the lens of rhetoric.” —Theological Studies“Kolbet does a masterful job of surveying the classical literature of ancient therapeutic practice and showing how Augustine relates to it at the various stages of his development. Focusing on this theme shows the reader a particular vision of Augustine as a pastor within his Roman and Hellenistic context.” —Anglican Theological Review“Paul Kolbet is to be congratulated on this book, which reminds us what Augustine owed to the dominant cultural force of his society. . . . a study which will be of the greatest value to all who seek a better understanding of the shaping and operation of Augustine’s remarkable intellect.” —Journal of Ecclesiastical History“. . . provides an excellent introduction for early modernists of recent developments in Augustine studies in thinking of Augustine as theological rhetor and rhetorician. . . . Augustine and the Cure of Souls is a superb disclosure of Augustinian psychagogy, one that can enable new work in Augustine’s theory and practice of the sermon.” —Sixteenth Century Journal“This lucid and thoughtful book explores the idea that ‘psychagogy’ was an important guiding theme and grounding project throughout Augustine’s life. ‘Psychagogy’ is understood in two senses: as guidance for one’s own soul and that of others. What is involved is a process that combines intellectual or scholarly and ethical or spiritual dimensions. Crucially, for Augustine, as Kolbet presents him, the process forms an ongoing, and inevitably incomplete, journey towards spiritual understanding.” —Journal of Roman Studies"Augustine and the Cure of Souls is a great read for anyone. Relative novices find here a well-integrated picture of Augustine and great examples of his adaptation of his classical inheritance, of his turning the "pagan water" into the "Christian wine." More seasoned scholars, in turn, can test some of their commonly accepted stereotypes as well as find new and important ways of seeing the well-known texts of Augustine." —The Thomist

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Book SynopsisThis text explores the intersection of the questions: ""What is human being?"", ""What is language?"" and ""What is theology?"" The text seeks to answer them by investigating problems that arise when modes of thought disagree on the relationship between experience, language and theological inquiry.Trade ReviewIn religious discourse, what are the warrants for truth-claims of statements about God or about human existence under the ordinance of God? Kelly (theology, St. Anselm Coll.) addresses this question by examining the proposals of several significant thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries, asking whether theological conversation is moving toward something or toward nothing at all. He begins with Friedrich Schleiermacher, who claimed that we experience God and then use language to mediate this human experience. Kelly next considers Wayne Proudfoot and George Lindbeck, two postmodern critics of Schleiermacher for whom language forms experience and does not simply mediate it. Kelly then turns to literary critic George Steiner, who proposes that both language and experience move the subject beyond the limits of the self to the experience of some "other," and, finally, to Karl Rahner, for whom the problems of circularity and solipsism inherent in postmodern struggles are best addressed by asserting the self-evident nature of mystery and the quotidian function of human transcendence. Because of the specialized nature of the book, it is recommended exclusively for university and seminary libraries. David I. Fulton, Coll. of St. Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ

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Book SynopsisThis timely book brings together distinguished scholars who reflect on the fascination and fear that humans inevitably experience when confronted with diverse religious beliefs and practices. Contributors argue that fear of the stranger and his or her religion can only be overcome through education, and they suggest ways in which we can better understand one another and the world in which we live.The first part of the collection, entitled Talking with Strangers, explores avenues for finding common ground between religious strangers. In this set of essays Stephen Prothero examines the American reception of Hinduism, John de Gruchy analyzes the relationship between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam in South Africa, and Bhikhu Parekh imagines a dialogue between Osama bin Laden and Mahatma Gandhi. The second set of essays addresses the theme of understanding difference, with a particular focus on methodological approaches within philosophy of religion. Wendy Doniger argues for an Trade Review"As discrete lectures aimed at a broad audience, [these essays] succeed in revealing various approaches to the comparative study of religion as well as tensions endemic to the field. Even readers already familiar with religious studies will find a number of the case histories and narratives, as well as the restatements of familiar problems, of some interest." —Journal of Church and State“. . . a very readable collection. . .” —Contact

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Book SynopsisThis timely book brings together distinguished scholars who reflect on the fascination and fear that humans inevitably experience when confronted with diverse religious beliefs and practices. Contributors argue that fear of the stranger and his or her religion can only be overcome through education, and they suggest ways in which we can better understand one another and the world in which we live.The first part of the collection, entitled Talking with Strangers, explores avenues for finding common ground between religious strangers. In this set of essays Stephen Prothero examines the American reception of Hinduism, John de Gruchy analyzes the relationship between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam in South Africa, and Bhikhu Parekh imagines a dialogue between Osama bin Laden and Mahatma Gandhi. The second set of essays addresses the theme of understanding difference, with a particular focus on methodological approaches within philosophy of religion. Wendy Doniger argues for an Trade Review"As discrete lectures aimed at a broad audience, [these essays] succeed in revealing various approaches to the comparative study of religion as well as tensions endemic to the field. Even readers already familiar with religious studies will find a number of the case histories and narratives, as well as the restatements of familiar problems, of some interest." —Journal of Church and State“. . . a very readable collection. . .” —Contact

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Book SynopsisA collection of essays about character and character education by some of the top scholars in the fields of ethical theory, moral development research, and educationTrade Review"This new collection of essays on the moral education of character, edited by two distinguished contemporary theorists of moral education and including contributions by other psychologists and philosophers of reputation, would appear to mark something of a turning point in latter day theorizing about moral education. . . it represents something of a shift from the dominant Kohlbergian 'cognitive developmental' paradigm of the past half century towards the more recently emerging paradigm of character education. . . they raise profound and unresolved questions about the vexed relationship of empirical psychology to ethics in the theory of moral development and education. It is greatly to the credit of the editors and other contributors to this work that they have not shirked such hard questions, and that they have sought honestly to address them in bold and interesting ways. From this viewpoint, despite some inevitable variable quality, this volume may be regarded as something of a landmark in the contemporary theory of moral education and the questions that it raises merit attention and much further discussion." —Journal of Moral Education"Contributors have expertise in personality and developmental research as well as educational and ethical theory. Readers interested in the fields of psychology and moral education should learn from these essays. Highly recommended." —Choice". . . an impressive compendium of articles written by diverse professors of psychology and presents a critical assembly of essays offering new views on the nature of character and moral education, drawing from the disciplines of moral psychology, moral philosophy, and education." —Midwest Book Review“The thinkers contributing to Character Psychology and Character Education engage us at the crossroads of discussion and dialogue. They harmonize in one respect: the choice of character. In choosing to speak of character, they speak to moral functioning more generally and accept that a deep understanding of moral character entails deeper integration with all relevant psychological literatures. . . a rich tapestry of insights, a flourishing of emergent systems of thought, and courage to embrace the challenge.” —PsycCRITIQUES"The psychologist Kurt Lewin famously observed, 'There is nothing so practical as a good theory.' Moral educators such as Lawrence Kohlberg and Ralph Mosher reminded us that there is nothing so instructive for theory as good practice. If there is not now a fruitful interchange between character psychology and character education, this rich, provocative, and uniquely valuable volume is an invitation to deepen the dialogue." —Tom Lickona, SUNY Cortland"This volume takes virtue seriously as an empirically based and testable ethical phenomenon. More unusual, it takes moral character seriously as something more than a compilation of virtues, and as something quite different—a true identity system of a richly cognitive and development sort. It is about time a book of this sort has been written, and it will be well-received and well-used by researchers and faculty." —William Puka, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute"This is an important new collection of essays about character and character education by some of the top scholars in the fields of ethical theory, moral development research, and education." —Don Collins Reed, Wittenberg University

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Book SynopsisAnalogia Entis is an intellectually rigorous and systematic account of Thomas’s teaching regarding the analogy of being.Trade Review“Steven A. Long’s Analogia Entis: On the Analogy of Being, Metaphysics, and the Act of Faith is a remarkable book containing a stunning speculative performance. Long speaks for a classical tradition of Thomistic thought but does so with a keen eye on precisely the ways it can help contemporary reflection. His compelling and substantive argument for the value and truth of a set of classical metaphysical understandings—for the necessity of the analogy of proper proportionality in the thought of Thomas Aquinas—will have to be taken seriously by anyone working in analogy in Aquinas as well as by a wide range of scholars within both philosophy and theology.” —John F. Boyle, University of St. Thomas"Professor Long’s very selection of the topic shows the seriousness with which he takes getting at the truth. His case for the ineluctable role of proper proportionality is, I would say, sound and crucial for both natural theology and revelation. I hope that this work will stimulate lively conversation among Thomists." —Lawrence Dewan, Dominican University College"This book has a modest size but an ambitious argument. Long confidently takes up issues of language, epistemology, and metaphysics vital to Thomas Aquinas’s philosophical and theological reflections about God. The centerpiece is a sustained and refreshing rehabilitation of analogy of proportionality; understanding why it has been wrongly rejected or criticized by recent Thomists helps us to appreciate how Aquinas’s metaphysical insight safeguards the transcendence of God and the intelligibility of faith." —Joshua P. Hochschild, Mount St. Mary’s University“Analogia Entis has a complex agenda. First the book intends to defend the theological value of the idea of ‘the analogy of being understood as the analogy of proper proportionality founded on a division of being by act and potency.’ . . . Second, the author argues that this idea is to be found not only in Aquinas’s earlier works, but also remained central to the thought of Thomas Aquinas in his later works.” —Catholic Library World“Analogia Entis is a major strategic contribution to the practice of contemporary Thomistic thought and bears numerous crucial implications for philosophy and theology generally. Long’s chief speculative claims are well argued and penetrating. . . . [He] lays the groundwork for robustly conceptual and realist philosophy of God and theology of God.” —American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly“With this new work, brief but incisive, ‘on the analogy of being, metaphysics, and the act of faith,’ Steven A. Long pursues his crusade in support of the restoration in Christian culture of a philosophy that is likely to help in understanding the faith, as the encyclical Fides et Ratio clearly hopes for.“ —The Thomist

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Book SynopsisAn overview of Simone Weil's writings on science and mathematics which opens the door to dialogue between philosophy, art, and religionTrade Review"For its rigor, as well as for its faithful reading of Simone Weil's work, this book merits special attention. Starting with a well-defined aspect of Weil's thought, the author shows the unity of this thought, unified through its relationship, from one end to the other, with the Good." —Cahiers Simone Weil"Weaving the World is a detailed account of the philosophy of science and knowledge of Simone Weil. It is a very useful contribution to our understanding of one of the deepest and most incandescent thinkers of the twentieth century." —Martin Andic, University of Massachusetts, Boston"Weaving the World is a well-written and lucid overview of Simone Weil's writings on science and mathematics. This book will be of great benefit for anyone who wishes to pursue Weil's thought in depth." —Eric O. Springsted, President of the American Weil Society

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Book SynopsisThis text is Ralph McInerny's hymn of praise to the spiritual and intellectual life of the great Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain (1881-1973). It should appeal to anyone who values the thought of Jacques Maritain and the work of Ralph McInerny.Trade Review“McInerny delivers a luminous biography of one of Thomas Aquinas’ most astute modern commentators. In narrating Maritain’s life, McInerny illustrates the transforming power of truth, pursued not merely to stimulate the intellect but to redeem the soul. This nuanced portrait . . . is a major work and will help secure Maritain’s status as a modern Catholic icon.” —Booklist

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Book SynopsisIn Complicity and Moral Accountability, Gregory Mellema presents a philosophical approach to the moral issues involved in complicity. Starting with a taxonomy of Thomas Aquinas, according to whom there are nine ways for one to become complicit in the wrongdoing of another, Mellema analyzes each kind of complicity and examines the moral status of someone complicit in each of these ways. Mellema's central argument is that one must perform a contributing action to qualify as an accomplice, and that it is always morally blameworthy to perform such an action. Additionally, he argues that an accomplice frequently bears moral responsibility for the outcome of the other's wrongdoing, but he distinguishes this case from cases in which the accomplice is tainted by the wrongdoing of the principal actor. He further distinguishes between enabling, facilitating, and condoning harm, and introduces the concept of indirect complicity. Mellema tackles issues that are clearly important to any cTrade Review"In Complicity and Moral Accountability, Gregory Mellema has made an immensely important contribution to the discussion of group morality and collective responsibility both within and far beyond professional academic philosophy. His clearly written book will be essential reading." —Fergus Kerr, Honorary Fellow, University of Edinburgh"Although the book is grounded in the account of complicity given by Thomas Aquinas, it also engages contemporary literature on the subject and finishes with an account of the ways this moral concept intersects with American legal principles. . . . This is a first-rate contribution to contemporary moral philosophy." —C. Stephen Evans, University Professor of Philosophy and Humanities, Baylor University"With characteristic clarity and insight, Gregory Mellema cautiously explores the concept of complicity and charts its connections to related moral concepts. His discussion is precise but accessible, and also addresses practical questions like how to avoid becoming complicit in wrongdoing." —Scott A. Davison, Morehead State University"Anyone interested in such timely issues as the difference between enabling harm, facilitating harm, and condoning harm (and how these relate to legal categories such as aiding and abetting), or between what we may morally expect from others and what they are morally obliged to give us, will appreciate this carefully nuanced and historically informed scholarship." —Edward Langerak, St. Olaf College“Gregory Mellema’s short and lively book on the ethics of complicity, while decidedly a work of analytical philosophy, is ‘aimed at an audience that includes nonphilosophers’. . . . I found much to inspire and intrigue as well as to provoke in these passages, as indeed in the whole of the book.” —Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

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Book SynopsisThis book debates the controversy over whether or not it is possible to love God more than oneself through natural powers alone. Thirteenth-century philosophers and theologians study how one's own good is achieved through virtuous action and how to adapt Aristotle's philosophical insights to a Christian framework.Trade Review"Twenty-first century readers are likely to be more interested in the love of self than the love of God. They may be surprised to find how much the understanding of each of these loves can teach us about the other. Thomas Osborne's excellent book makes thirteenth century ethics highly relevant to twenty-first century readers." —Alasdair MacIntyre, University of Notre Dame“This book is an ambituous, technically innovative account of the nature of God.” —Australasian Journal of Philosophy"The book aims to treat the 'thirteenth-century debate concerning the natural love of God over self with an eye to how the thinkers of this period saw the connections between one's own good and the aims of virtuous action'. . . This is a complex volume, based on close textual analysis and intricate tracing of intellectual relationships and developments." —The Heythrop Journal“Love of Self and Love of God in the Thirteenth-Century Ethics is an excellent book, representing a most ambitious project . . . [it] remains an excellent resource for experts and for scholars with broad research interests and integrative approaches. It is also well suited to serve as a graduate level textbook. Osborne’s erudition is vast and his general analysis, accurate.” —American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly“The theme of this book is the medieval discussion of the question whether one can naturally love God more than one can love oneself… Those who have an interest in medieval moral theory will gain from this book a greater knowledge of important themes in the writings of medieval thinkers in the thirteenth century.” —The Review of Metaphysics“The self seeks its own completion; yet paradoxically this self-completion, properly understood, requires self-abandonment. Thomas Osborne's book is devoted to this paradox, which it approaches from the point of view of the tension between Aristotelian eudaemonism and the Christian commandment to love God above all else, including oneself.” —Speculum“Osborne provides a dense read of an important topic, the natural love of God over self. . . . He explores in what way Aquinas and Scotus are alike and different in explaining that we ought to love God more than ourselves and that in doing so we find our happiness.” —Theological Studies“Thomas M. Osborne's study of the development of thirteenth-century ethics focuses on a thematic that has not received the attention it deserves: the relationship of love of self to love of God. . . . This is an extremely good introduction to the ethical debates of the thirteenth century, providing a wealth of textual and bibliographical resources.” —The Thomist“Thomas Osborne's study is doubly successful-first as a careful account of the historical sources and multiple layers of concerns shaping thirteenth-century debates about whether God can be naturally loved more than oneself. Second, it is also an excellent articulation of the metaphysical and conceptual gaps between ancient and medieval eudaimonistic ethical theories and contemporary morality.” —Journal of the History of Philosophy"This book is solidly historical, its feet firmly planted in the relevant medieval texts. And yet its arguments could not be more relevant to contemporary Christian theology, so marked as it is by the debate over the natural desire for beatitude." —Kevin L. Flannery, S.J., Pontifical Gregorian University

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Book SynopsisHuman Destinies brings together a wide range of approaches to the central questions posed by the philosophy of religion and philosophical anthropology.Trade Review"This is an admirable collection of essays honoring the memory of Gerald Hanratty as an inspiring teacher, admired colleague, and valued friend. It ranges impressively over the history of philosophy from Aristotle to the present. It does so with precise focus on the recurrent perplexities of the human condition. A remarkable tribute, it is full of diverse contributions marked by scholarly and intellectual excellence." —William Desmond, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, and Villanova University"This volume offers a significant contribution to the various fields within philosophy that its authors address. Many of the essays have an intrinsic contemporary appeal to scholars, academics, intellectuals, clergy, and students who are concerned with matters touching on both philosophical and theological issues of some significance—especially those essays that deal with classic models of human nature, popular atheist authors, Heidegger, and other twentieth-century thinkers such as Adorno, Ricoeur, Edith Stein, and Derrida." —Glenn Hughes, St. Mary's University, San Antonio“What is perhaps most compelling about the volume is that Human Destinies presents so many potentially competitive frameworks and approaches to investigating human reality, and highlights the significant way in which our contemporary discourse still draws so heavily from classical, medieval, and Enlightenment sources. The wide variety of topics and the depth of these investigations make very evident the richness of human being and this world, and indicate possibilities for continued investigation.” —Augustinian Studies

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Book SynopsisAdriaan Theodoor Peperzak contends that while many Catholic philosophers try to practice a modern, autonomous style of thinking, their experience of a faith-guided life necessarily compels them to integrate their scholarly pursuits with their Christian faith. He writes, Christians who think cannot separate their thought from their faith and theology. Indeed, he argues that the work of Christian, particularly Catholic, philosophers loses its vitality when philosophers try to restrict their reflections to natural reason alone. In this book he explores the essential unity of philosophical and theological thought from various perspectives and pleads for a radical change of method in philosophy. Peperzak maintains that the interdependencies of philosophy, theology, and the sciences must collectively determine the character of a Catholic university. For him, all serious philosophy has a profoundly religious character and is the quest for a kind of wisdom unhampered by arbitrary boundaries. HTrade Review"In this collection of fourteen essays, Peperzak... expounds on various topics related to Christian thought in the context of philosophy. These topics include the importance of theology in the university; the relationship among philosophy, theology, and scientific disciplines; and the place of Christian thought in philosophy. Throughout, he argues that Christian thought in the work of Christian philosophers and intellectuals must necessarily be a part of their academic rationale."—Library Journal"In this stimulating series of essays, Adriaan Theodoor Peperzak defends the need for a kind of learning that goes beyond academic professionalism, and reflects on how one might re-establish the links between philosophy and the central concern philosophers once shared with sages, theologians and masters of spirituality, for whom the driving force was a profound passion for succeeding in the art of living humanly. [I]f the book reaches only a restricted audience, that would be a pity. For the wider message is one that has much to say to contemporary anglophone philosophers, by no means all of whom are content to see their subject fragment into increasingly narrow specialisms. This rediscovery... is long overdue. [+A] powerful and committed piece of advocacy, rich in scholarship and of transparent integrity."—The Tablet"Philosophy Between Faith and Theology is a masterful expression of the intellectual resources of the Catholic tradition, as brought to bear on issues of Catholic faith, education, and culture." —Jeffrey Bloechl, College of the Holy Cross“This book is a refreshing attempt to transcend both modernity and postmodernity. Peperzak recognizes the limits of pure reason without despairing over them. He shows us how our limits can become the conditions for our success.” —Catholic Library World"This book makes an original contribution to Catholic studies, philosophy, and theology by charting a useful, cogent, and meditative course between Christian faith and scholarship. On the basis of a lifetime's erudition and experience, Adriaan Peperzak transforms the ways we think about faith, theology, and philosophy." —Kevin Corrigan, Emory University"Peperzak is at his best in his critique of the failures of the modern academy in its uniform imposition of the secularist, Enlightenment ideal of knowledge and in his use of the phenomenological approaches to open up a deeper appreciation of human practice.... Peperzak is to be commended for struggling against the sterility of the modern academy and finding his way to a deeper and higher wisdom as found in faith, addressing himself to the very question of the relation of faith, spirituality, and philosophy."—Crisis Magazine"With intelligence, this book breaks the modern taboo of the separation between philosophy and theology. It is an invitation to philosophy to recover its rooting in life and to become knowledgeable about love. It is an invitation to theology to rediscover its vocation as a mature consciousness of faith, to communicate using all forms of human thought, and to avoid the pathology of fundamentalism. Peperzak, whose thought is well rooted in the traditions of Western philosophy and Christian theology and who is also profoundly aware of the contemporary philosophical-theological debate, is able to speak efficaciously whether to Catholic intellectuals or to any scholar interested in the integrality of human wisdom." —Professor Giovanni Ferretti, director of the Department of Philosophy and Human Sciences at the Università degli Studi, Macerata, Italy

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Book SynopsisA formidable number of societies all over the world have sought to confront past evil. This volume features a conversation about reconciliation whose common denominator is theology. Theologians, philosophers, and political scientists explore the meaning of reconciliation for the politics of transition.Trade Review“The Politics of Past Evil sheds light on an important question: How do newly established democratic governments – in countries that previously lived under Communism, military dictatorship, or apartheid – address the crimes and injustices committed by the previous regime?... The book as a whole is both innovative and provocative. It enriches the literature on democratization by introducing theological as well as political and philosophical reasoning into the transitional logic.” — Journal of Cold War Studies" 'Truth and reconciliation commissions’ have been used in countries as various as South Africa, El Salvador, Chile, and Guatemala in order to deal, personally and politically, with great crimes and injustices. The thoughtful essays in this book effectively make the case that the choice is not, or not always, between justice and reconciliation. Rather, the authors argue from various perspectives, reconciliation is an essential ingredient of justice.” —First Things“The essays . . . collected here offer a comprehensive, as well as an immensely timely and instructive, account of the role that Christian theological insights can play in generating genuine political reconciliation in divided societies.” —Choice“Philpott's collection offers excellent multidisciplinary approaches that are concretized in case studies. It is an ideal text for teaching, whether in politics or social ethics.” —Theological Studies"The purpose of this book is to consider a number of political questions about reconciliation from a theological standpoint. . . . The contributions to this book are well thought-out and well edited, and successfully tie themes together across chapters. One common thread in several chapters is the idea that societies must consider and deal with the past to move on to a positive and successful future." —PsycCRITIQUES“The volume takes up the pressing legal, political, and moral problems that face societies in their attempt to move from violent civil discord to civil stability, from brutally repressive regimes to functioning free societies. . . . The book brings together political scientists, theologians, and historians and gives each contributor ample latitude to pursue the questions that emerge in transitioning nations-whether a state can extend forgiveness, how to treat perpetrators of past injustice, how to help victims heal, how to minimize violent recriminations and maximize chances for a just and stable future society.” —Journal of Church and State"Sentimentality threatens and undermines the work of reconciliation. So thank God we have this book of extraordinary essays on reconciliation and forgiveness. These essays show at once the hard yet crucial work that is reconciliation. Moreover, it is not work that simply takes place between people, but as these essays show, it can be the heart of politics. Indeed, these essays demonstrate that reconciliation is a politic that we cannot live without. The philosophical, theological, and political sophistication of these essays will make this book the book of record on issues of reconciliation and forgiveness." —Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke Divinity School

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Book SynopsisIn The Contemplative Self after Michel Henry: A Phenomenological Theology, Joseph Rivera provides a close and critical reconstruction of the philosophical anthropology of Michel Henry (19222002) while also addressing the question of how theology contributes to Henry's phenomenology. In conversation with other French figures such as Derrida, Marion, Lacoste, and Barbaras, Rivera undertakes a global thematic study of Henry's work. He shows how, for Henry, the theological debate is shifted onto a phenomenological problem, with a coincident will to pursue the epistemological efforts of Husserl and Heidegger.The chapters tackle some of the most pressing debates in contemporary Continental philosophy, such as the modern ego, the nature and experience of temporality, and the constitution of the body and otherness, and how a theological discourse may illumine those anthropological structures. The book expands on the modern narrative of the self from Descartes to Nietzsche, opeTrade Review"English-language scholarship on Michel Henry is growing rapidly but still nascent. Joseph Rivera's book is well positioned to be one of the early classics in the field; it does not merely introduce Henry but builds on what comparatively little has been written about his work. Rivera uses his introduction to Henry's thinking as a platform for his own truly critical and constructive project." —Jeffrey Allan Hanson, Australian Catholic University"The Contemplative Self after Michel Henry presents an original and creative approach to the interpretation of the issue of what theology contributes to Michel Henry's phenomenology. The authors Joseph Rivera calls upon, such as Jean-Luc Marion, Jean-Yves Lacoste, Jean-Louis Chrétien, Derrida, MacIntyre, Ricoeur, Didier Franck, Husserl, and Merleau-Ponty, are intelligently evoked and quoted. Rivera looks to anthropological questions since, for Henry, theological questioning brings about consequences in terms of corporeality and ethics. Rivera's reading is both stimulating and true to Henry's work." —Jean Leclercq, Université Catholique de Louvain"Far more than a summary and synthesis, Joseph Rivera conducts a sustained dialogue and impassioned debate with Michel Henry, along with other major figures in phenomenology, in an effort to construct a rich account of the contemplative self that moves beyond the long shadow cast by Descartes—one that gives primacy to embodiment, worldliness, and eschatological hope. Equally at home with philosophical and theological sources, and indebted to Augustine in its constructive aims, this work marks the impressive debut of a scholar whose instincts are to retrieve and freshly reimagine the seminal insights of the Christian tradition." —Brian D. Robinette, Boston College"Joseph Rivera’s The Contemplative Self after Michel Henry is—to my knowledge, at least—the first sustained study in English dedicated to Henry’s phenomenology. Not only is Rivera’s study timely, it has all of the markings of a work that will become a standard point of reference in the field." — Symposium: The Canadian Journal of Philosophy"This book represents an extraordinarily impressive debut of a young philosophical theologian. It is marked by striking intelligence, formidable erudition, and precociously mature philosophical and theological judgment. . . . It is, of course, much more than a book on the late Henry, although it is certainly that, and by far the best book to appear in English." —Modern Theology“This is the first book of a young scholar who promises to be a major voice in the contemporary constructive theological conversations within the broad catholic tradition. . . . In short, here is an utterly intriguing prolegomenon to a further systematic theology that, within the tradition of phenomenology, will stand alongside the work of Marion and Lacoste as perhaps the most serious recovery of a generous catholic theology of our time.” —Literature & Theology“Joseph Rivera’s The Contemplative Self after Michel Henry is—to my knowledge, at the least—the first sustained study in English dedicated to Henry’s phenomenology. If there has been much debate in recent decades about the relationship between phenomenology and theology, Rivera’s study is an impressive exercise in showing that the two can be brought into a productive exchange, by using phenomenology to open afresh venerable theological horizons and questions. For those who are looking not only to familiarize themselves with Henry, but the perennial human question of what it means to be a self at all, The Contemplative Self after Henry is a welcome and satisfying point of departure.”—Canadian Society for Continental Philosophy.

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Book SynopsisThe title of Charles Taliaferro's book is derived from poems and stories in which a person in peril or on a quest must follow a cord or string in order to find the way to happiness, safety, or home. In one of the most famous of such tales, the ancient Greek hero Theseus follows the string given him by Ariadne to mark his way in and out of the Minotaur's labyrinth. William Blake''s poem Jerusalem uses the metaphor of a golden string, which, if followed, will lead one to heaven itself. Taliaferro extends Blake's metaphor to illustrate the ways we can link what we see, feel, and do with deep spiritual realities. Taliaferro offers a foundational case for the recognition of the experience of the eternal God of Christianity, in which God is understood as the fount of all goodness and the subject and object of our best love, revealed through scripture, tradition, philosophical reflection, and encountered in everyday events. He addresses philosophical obstacles to the recognition of Trade Review"Charles Taliaferro is a first rate philosopher. The Golden Cord: A Short Book on the Secular and the Sacred is truly original in that it picks up the debate about the viability of secular naturalism and brings it into conversation with Cambridge Platonism and with ascetic theological considerations. It will be of interest to students and scholars in philosophy, popular culture, and spirituality." —William Abraham, Southern Methodist University"In The Golden Cord, Charles Taliaferro again proves to be not only a careful and insightful thinker, but also a wonderfully enjoyable—and widely read—writer. As he tackles big questions of life, he engages the relevant philosophers of our time as well as literary figures from W. H. Auden and Virginia Woolf to Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell, Teilhard de Chardin, and J. R. R.Tolkien. As a guide, Taliaferro doesn't merely wander the edges; he plunges into core issues of our human existence, inviting his readers to wade into the great sea of divine love." —Matthew Dickerson, author of The Mind and the Machine: What it Means to be Human and Why it Matters"[One of the work's strength] lies in the easy accessibility of the important themes presented: experience, art and literature, and the way in which philosophical positions concerning God's existence imply and are grounded in different worldviews. Anselm's, Aquinas's, Hume's and other classical philosophical arguments for and against the existence of God will always be part of the human cultural heritage. But they do not of themselves address the question: why does it matter whether there is a God, or why does it matter that one believe (or disbelieve) in a God? What has it got to do with living a meaningful human life, or with enjoying one's life or finding one's inner peace? Taliaferro's book addresses and answers those questions admirably. . ." —Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews". . . In eight chapters, Taliaferro . . brings the bases of naturalistic and materialist views to critical evaluation by examining challenges to consciousness and selfless agency. He response to the challenges that incoherence and the problem of evil pose for theism. This volume interweaves philosophers, including Augustine, Nagel, Dennett, Parfit, and Van Inwagen together with ancient Christian texts to cover an extraordinary breadth of literature . . . This volume is one of the best this reviewer has read in many years. Essential." —Choice“[The Golden Cord] offers various reasons for resisting materialism and trusting the religious experience of God as an eternal, good being . . . insightfully argued and largely accessible to a wide academic audience. . . . Recommended for university and seminary libraries.” —Catholic Library World"In this highly eclectic, personal, and engaging work, Charles Taliaferro argues why even 'gravity is a manifestation of God's love' . . . For Taliaferro, there are various cords in life that can lead us to God. To reach such a destination, he takes the reader along a journey whose terrain is steeped in literary metaphors, philosophical contours (and obstacles), and autobiographical insights and depictions. . . . [For him,] personal experience cannot be excised from any so-called academic work and it is refreshing to see an author (and a publisher) encourage such mixing." —The Heythrop Journal“These [final] chapters do not merely talk abut the divine life: they disclose it. The skeptical reader may forget about the time and find himself drawn closer to communion with God. Here is a good book to lose oneself in.” —Christian Research Journal“Taliaferro strives to demonstrate that there are certain ‘golden cords’ that one can follow throughout this life that will lead them to the God of eternal love. Taliaferro’s critique of radical materialism is especially insightful, and readers will benefit from his discussion on why consciousness fits better within a theistic framework.” —Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies“In The Golden Cord, Taliaferro aims to bring his previous insights together to build a cumulative case for a Christian worldview inspired by the Christian spirituality of the Cambridge Platonists. . . . In fewer than one hundred and eighty pages, the book covers enormous ground. . . . Taliaferro succeeds in presenting an impassioned book that is both thought-provoking and eminently readable, serving as an overview of, or introduction to, Christian philosophy” —The Expository Times“Charles Taliaferro has written a thought-provoking, original work that succeeds in throwing some of the central tenets of naturalism into question. He has gathered cutting-edge scholarship from the context of debates about naturalism and discusses that within the framework of a theological account of the human condition. The result is a robust theological response to secular naturalism, one that deserves to be taken seriously by the latter’s proponents.” —Victoria Harrison, University of Glasgow

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Book SynopsisWith this volume of the Collected Works of Jacques Maritain, the University of Notre Dame Press published the first English edition of a remarkable group of essays that Maritain had prepared for publication in the year before his death. He brought together various writings that had not appeared in print or had circulated privately. The heart of the book is to be found in two groups of articles.The first consists of philosophical essays. Several deal with truth, with philosophy at the time of Vatican II, and with the divine aseity; two are on philosophy of nature, dealing with evolution and with animal instinct; and three are on moral philosophy.A second group consists of primarily theological essays. Four are contributions to what Maritain calls an existential epistemology. They are followed by a moving meditation on the Mass and essays on the Church triumphant, resurrection, and the priesthood.When he lay dying at Fossanova, Thomas Aquinas, in deferenc

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Book SynopsisEdmund Burke’s Enquiry has been described as ""certainly one of the most important aesthetic documents that eighteenth-century England produced"". This book traces the main sources of Burke's ideas and establishes the nature of his originality. James T. Boulton also examines the influence of the Enquiry.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"In this pathbreaking book, Grant Kaplan provides a theoretical framework for understanding René Girard as a particular kind of theologian, a Christian apologist in an age of unbelief whose anthropological explorations necessarily entail a theological horizon and verge upon fundamental theological questions. Reading the Girardian literary corpus broadly, Kaplan calls attention to modifications of, and developments within, Girard’s mimetic theory across time, as the French thinker attended to the constructive critiques of such theologians as Raymund Schwager and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Girard’s apologetic response to theologians and his appeal to them as co-investigators, Kaplan argues, have had a transformative effect upon theology itself as a discipline, reminding it of its own most fundamental concerns: sin, grace, conversion, revelation. Highly recommended." —Ann W. Astell, University of Notre Dame"This is a promising and original book advancing the discussion of Girard and theology. It exemplifies today's growing appreciation of Girard's work as having become more intentionally theological, rather than purely social scientific and objective. The discussion of reason and revelation cast in a hermeneutical key is perhaps the book's strongest exploration of this complementarity in Girard, between rational objectivity and the necessity of conversion." —Scott Cowdell, author of René Girard and Secular Modernity: Christ, Culture, and Crisis"With clarity and erudition, Grant Kaplan has demonstrated the theological fecundity of Girard’s thought. Kaplan opens up the dialogue to include major themes in fundamental theology, attending to how Girard’s insights into mimesis and the scapegoat mechanism shed new light on traditional questions. A welcome addition to a growing body of Girardian theological literature." —Neil Ormerod, Australian Catholic University"There are many reasons why this book comes to us not a moment too soon. First among these must be the fact that, despite the almost ever-present violence that takes place on our streets and in our world today, we are seemingly as incapable of effectively dealing with violence and scapegoating as ever, and the reason for this failure seems to be a structural one as much as it is also, always, personal in nature. Girard’s work offers theologians the chance to say something significant to this perpetually frustrating context in a way that can be permanently transformative, renewing hearts and minds through faith in a source of grace that lies beyond the mechanisms and oppressive institutions that continue to shape how a politics of scapegoating carries on most days. . . . It is an immense gift that Kaplan has given us with his latest work." —America"One key aspect of [Girard’s] thought that is clearly ambiguous is the sense of whether he writes, or does not write, as a Christian thinker. Author Grant Kaplan wades directly into this thicket of claims and attempts to sort out the issues involved more clearly than Girard ever did himself. He succeeds admirably, writing a thorough and engaging book that treats the question of Girard’s religious presuppositions, and many other topics related to Kaplan’s own area of expertise: Catholic fundamental theology." —Reading Religion“Kaplan . . . argues that Girard was a Christian theologian, in the broad sense, and that through a careful examination of his writings one can understand him as a contributor to fundamental theology and an effective apologist or defender of the faith. Specifically, his mimetic theory successfully refutes many of the arguments against Christianity from such figures as Nietzsche and the new atheists. This is a helpful addition to the literature on Girard,.” —Choice“The real gift of Kaplan’s book consists in showing that, with man’s enlarged brain, reciprocity (rather than autonomy) and ‘mind melding’ became exponentially more advanced in humans over animals – especially in the initial oral cultures. This means all learning involves a ‘conversion,’ and that the disinterested Enlightenment variation (based on print) is a late development and aberrant ideal.” —The Heythrop Journal"Grant Kaplan has done the field a great service by systematizing the often nonsystematic thought of René Girard and deftly answering critiques of Girard's work (from John Milbank to Sarah Coakley) along the way." —Horizons"The most comprehensive overview yet of Girard’s theory, as it relates to philosophical or fundamental theology." —Irish Theological Quarterly"This book is a welcome, intelligent engagement with the work of René Girard and the Catholic discipline of fundamental theology. The author also brings in a plethora of other interlocuters, thus further enriching the study." —Pro Ecclesia

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"In this pathbreaking book, Grant Kaplan provides a theoretical framework for understanding René Girard as a particular kind of theologian, a Christian apologist in an age of unbelief whose anthropological explorations necessarily entail a theological horizon and verge upon fundamental theological questions. Reading the Girardian literary corpus broadly, Kaplan calls attention to modifications of, and developments within, Girard’s mimetic theory across time, as the French thinker attended to the constructive critiques of such theologians as Raymund Schwager and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Girard’s apologetic response to theologians and his appeal to them as co-investigators, Kaplan argues, have had a transformative effect upon theology itself as a discipline, reminding it of its own most fundamental concerns: sin, grace, conversion, revelation. Highly recommended." —Ann W. Astell, University of Notre Dame"This is a promising and original book advancing the discussion of Girard and theology. It exemplifies today's growing appreciation of Girard's work as having become more intentionally theological, rather than purely social scientific and objective. The discussion of reason and revelation cast in a hermeneutical key is perhaps the book's strongest exploration of this complementarity in Girard, between rational objectivity and the necessity of conversion." —Scott Cowdell, author of René Girard and Secular Modernity: Christ, Culture, and Crisis"With clarity and erudition, Grant Kaplan has demonstrated the theological fecundity of Girard’s thought. Kaplan opens up the dialogue to include major themes in fundamental theology, attending to how Girard’s insights into mimesis and the scapegoat mechanism shed new light on traditional questions. A welcome addition to a growing body of Girardian theological literature." —Neil Ormerod, Australian Catholic University"There are many reasons why this book comes to us not a moment too soon. First among these must be the fact that, despite the almost ever-present violence that takes place on our streets and in our world today, we are seemingly as incapable of effectively dealing with violence and scapegoating as ever, and the reason for this failure seems to be a structural one as much as it is also, always, personal in nature. Girard’s work offers theologians the chance to say something significant to this perpetually frustrating context in a way that can be permanently transformative, renewing hearts and minds through faith in a source of grace that lies beyond the mechanisms and oppressive institutions that continue to shape how a politics of scapegoating carries on most days. . . . It is an immense gift that Kaplan has given us with his latest work." —America"One key aspect of [Girard’s] thought that is clearly ambiguous is the sense of whether he writes, or does not write, as a Christian thinker. Author Grant Kaplan wades directly into this thicket of claims and attempts to sort out the issues involved more clearly than Girard ever did himself. He succeeds admirably, writing a thorough and engaging book that treats the question of Girard’s religious presuppositions, and many other topics related to Kaplan’s own area of expertise: Catholic fundamental theology." —Reading Religion“Kaplan . . . argues that Girard was a Christian theologian, in the broad sense, and that through a careful examination of his writings one can understand him as a contributor to fundamental theology and an effective apologist or defender of the faith. Specifically, his mimetic theory successfully refutes many of the arguments against Christianity from such figures as Nietzsche and the new atheists. This is a helpful addition to the literature on Girard,.” —Choice“The real gift of Kaplan’s book consists in showing that, with man’s enlarged brain, reciprocity (rather than autonomy) and ‘mind melding’ became exponentially more advanced in humans over animals – especially in the initial oral cultures. This means all learning involves a ‘conversion,’ and that the disinterested Enlightenment variation (based on print) is a late development and aberrant ideal.” —The Heythrop Journal"Grant Kaplan has done the field a great service by systematizing the often nonsystematic thought of René Girard and deftly answering critiques of Girard's work (from John Milbank to Sarah Coakley) along the way." —Horizons"The most comprehensive overview yet of Girard’s theory, as it relates to philosophical or fundamental theology." —Irish Theological Quarterly"This book is a welcome, intelligent engagement with the work of René Girard and the Catholic discipline of fundamental theology. The author also brings in a plethora of other interlocuters, thus further enriching the study." —Pro Ecclesia

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Book SynopsisVerbs, Bones, and Brains engages in an interdisciplinary conversation about God, creation, evolution, and human nature. Trade Review"This is a landmark volume for those fostering collaboration between the sciences and humanities. It shows the fruitfulness of a mutually respectful and yet rigorous approach to cross-disciplinary engagement. The editors and contributors are to be congratulated, not only for clarifying areas of common and contested ground, within and among the participating disciplines, but also for clearing the ground for future transdisciplinary inquiry on human nature." —William Storrar, Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ“Human nature is a difficult topic: it has major relevance to many social debates raging today, and writers in anthropology, psychology, history, and philosophy have long wrestled with it. Each of these fields is represented here. . . . The collection is fascinating, well organized, and well edited, and its interdisciplinary nature led the contributors to define key terms, a benefit to lay readers.” —Choice"Agustín Fuentes and Aku Visala have produced a benchmark collection of essays on the contemporary understanding of human nature. Their work engages very different fields of study, from biology and anthropology to theology and philosophy, yet the authors clearly convey the idea that they are dealing with a shared set of questions while making the case for this transdisciplinary approach to the problem. Engaging and accessible, the volume opens up many opportunities for further exploration." —Robin W. Lovin, Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics emeritus, Southern Methodist University

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Book SynopsisIn Metaphysical Perspectives, Nicholas Rescher offers a grand vision of how to conceptualize, and in some cases answer, some of the most fundamental issues in metaphysics and value theory. Rescher addresses what he sees as the three prime areas of metaphysical concern: (1) the world as such and the architecture of nature at large, (2) ourselves as nature''s denizens and our potential for learning about it, and (3) the transcendent domain of possibility and value. Rescher engages issues across a wide range of metaphysical themes, from different worldviews and ultimate questions to contingency and necessity, intelligent design and world-improvability, personhood and consciousness, empathy and other minds, moral obligation, and philosophical methodology. Over the course of this book, Rescher discusses, with his characteristic fusion of idealism and pragmatism, an integrated overview of the key philosophical problems grounded in an idealistically value-oriented approach. His discTrade Review"Necessity, randomness, free will, consciousness, the transcendental, intelligent design, the improvability of the world: in Metaphysical Perspectives these and many other topics get fascinating treatment by America's finest philosopher. Particularly intriguing is Rescher's theory of why the cosmos exists." —John Leslie, professor emeritus, University of Guelph, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada"Nicholas Rescher's Metaphysical Perspectives is a magisterial work, in both depth and breadth. The proposed metaphysical theory is novel, though Leibnizean in spirit. It rests on axiological considerations, hence much of the book consists of discussion, brief but unfailingly erudite, of topics not usually regarded as strictly metaphysical. This is why an extended and highly interesting ethical theory is also proposed, succinctly but clearly and eloquently." —Panayot Butchvarov, professor emeritus, University of Iowa"Across questions of possibility, reality, consciousness, and value, Nicholas Rescher brings a full range of metaphysical topics together in a unified approach. To all of these questions he applies a unified vision of the character of philosophy as well: philosophy as literature, following wherever rationality leads, normative as well as descriptive, aimed at offering a guide to life. The result is comprehensive in both topic and technique, a masterful value-based vision from a true contemporary master." —Patrick Grim, Stony Brook University and University of Michigan"Nicholas Rescher’s encyclopedic knowledge of philosophy is on full display in this work. A broad sweep of metaphysical topics is covered, ranging from the principle of sufficient reason through consciousness to the question of why philosophy is ordinarily inexact. One of its virtues is that the clarity of writing makes most chapters accessible to a general readership while providing an intellectual challenge to academic philosophers." —Paul Humphreys, University of VirginiaTable of ContentsPreface Introduction: On the Mission of Philosophy 1. Ultimate Questions 2. World Views 3. Terminological Contextuality 4. On Contingency and Necessity 5. Randomness and Reason 6. Issues of Self-Reference and Paradox 7. Explanation and the Principle of Sufficient Reason 8. Intelligent Design Revisited in the Light of Evolutionary Neo-Platonism 9. What If Things Were Different? 10. On the Improvability of the World 11. Consciousness 12. Control 13. Free Will in the Light of Process Theory 14. Personhood 15. The Metaphysics of Moral Obligation 16. Empathy, Shared Experience, and Other Minds 17. Philosophy as an Inexact Science 18. Philosophy’s Involvement with Transcendental Issues 19. Religious Variation and the Rationale of Belief Notes Bibliography Index of Names

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Book SynopsisTwo questions regarding contemporary theological and philosophical studies are often overlooked: Is God infinite or finite? and, What does it mean to say that God is infinite? In The Infinity of God, Benedikt Paul Göcke and Christian Tapp bring together prominent scholars to discuss God's infinitude from philosophical and theological perspectives. Each contributor deals with a particular aspect of the infinity of God, employing the methods of analytic theology and analytic philosophy. The essays in the first section examine historical issues from a systematic point of view. The contributors focus on the Cappadocian Fathers, Thomas Aquinas, Leibniz, Kant, Hegel, Bolzano, and Cantor. The second section deals with particular issues concerning the relation between God''s infinity and both the finitude of the world and the classical attributes of God: eternity, simplicity, omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, and moral perfection. There are some books that deal with the notion Trade Review"This is a highly stimulating volume. Benedikt Paul Göcke and Christian Tapp are to be congratulated on providing such a diversity of perspectives on the infinity of God." —Stephen Priest, University of Oxford"There has been increasing philosophical interest in divine infinity in the past decade, and there is no extant collection of philosophical essays on this subject. Benedikt Paul Göcke and Christian Tapp succeed in bringing together a wide range of high quality scholarly treatments of questions about divine infinity, making the work accessible to a broad audience." —Graham Oppy, author of Philosophical Perspectives on InfinityTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Infinity of God Benedikt Paul Göcke and Christian Tapp Part 1. Historical Approaches to the Infinity of God 2. The Concept of the Infinity of God in Ancient Greek Thought Franz Krainer 3. Infinity in Augustine’s Theology Adam Drosdek 4. Aquinas on Creation and the Analogy of Infinity William E. Carroll 5. Spinoza and Leibniz on the Absolute and Its Infinity – A Case-Study Christina Schneider 6. Kant and the Infinity of Reason Ruben Schneider 7. Infinity and Spirit: How Hegel Integrates Science and Religion, and Nature and the Supernatural Robert M. Wallace 8. Divine Infinity according to Bernard Bolzano Christian Tapp 9. Cantor and the Infinity of God Bruce Hedman Part 2. Systematic Approaches to the Infinity of God 10. God Almighty. Divine Power and Authority in the Biblical Period Bernhard Lang 11. God’s Omnipotence Richard Swinburne 12. Infinite Power and Finite Powers Kenny L. Pearce 13. Infinite God, Open Future William Hasker 14. Infinity and God's Atemporality Paul Helm 15. Infinite Goodness Brian Leftow 16. Divine Infinity and Personhood Ken Perszyk 17. Divine Infinity and the Trinity Thomas Schärtl 18. (A)symmetries between God and World: Process Philosophy, Postmodern Theology, and the Two Families of Infinity Arguments Philip Clayton 19. The Quantitative and the Qualitative Infinity of God Benedikt Paul Göcke About the Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisRemi Brague argues that with the dawn of the Enlightenment, Western society has rejected traditional theophilosphical ideas in favor of human authority and autonomy, ultimately causing the erasure of divinely ordered humanity.Trade Review"Amid the continuing stream of books about modernity, Rémi Brague’s The Kingdom of Man stands alone. His treatment of the modern age is at once complex and unified, rooted in stunning erudition and an ability to construct a compelling narrative. Completing a trilogy that includes previous books on antiquity and the middle ages, Brague provides an account of the sources—textual, political, economic, and ecclesial—of our current world for which there is no substitute and no current competitor." —Thomas S. Hibbs, Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Culture, Baylor University "No one ranges over the history of ideas like Rémi Brague. The Kingdom of Man is not just an index of Brague's astonishing learning but a pulsing inquiry into the dreams of our modern imagination. Those dreams, contends Brague, re-worked reality itself and proposed a human innocence that is proving far from benign." —Graham James McAleer, Loyola University Maryland“. . . it was a delight to turn to Rémi Brague’s The Kingdom of Man: Genesis and Failure of the Modern Project. This is a genuine academic work by a scholar of remarkable erudition.” —Public Discourse"Concise, clear, and compelling, The Kingdom of Man provides an account of the genesis and failure of the modern project. Although a familiar story, Brague presents it with erudition and detail that is enriching rather than overwhelming and helps us understand who we are today." —Law and Liberty"[Rémi Brague] is aiming at something more difficult than a history of ideas. The goal is to lay bare the internal logic of modern hubris, to disinter link by link from the debris of history the chain of ideas that took us from early modern theistic humanism, through atheistic humanism, to today's regnant antihumanism, which expresses itself in art as ugliness and distortion of the human form, and in social science as the program of abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide—from early modern utopian dreams to current dystopian nightmares. . . . The book is nothing like a jeremiad . . . Brague is trying to do what a philosopher at the peak of his illustrious career should do, disclose to his reader the underlying logic of the age; not offer answers, but equip the reader to find them. In this he succeeds." —Touchstone"The story may be familiar in broad outline—the death of God entails the death of man—but it has never been portrayed with both such a thorough command of the broad strokes (for example, masterful compact discussions of canonical thinkers from Francis Bacon to Heidegger) and at the same time a simply amazing wealth of detail, fine brush strokes of testimony from lesser known or practically unknown authors and artists that add vivid cultural flesh to the big story. In the end, the portrait of secular humanism’s collapse upon itself is stark, more than sobering, but informed by an understated but bright hope that humanity’s goodness has 'anchors in the heavens.'" —Ralph Hancock, Brigham Young University"Rémi Brague provides in this book a longue-durée historical and philosophical explanation for anyone who has ever wondered about our civilization’s willing spiral into self-destruction. Brague shows that the will to modernity is the will to take control of human nature, isolate it from any cosmological or theological context, and render the truth about it provisional, subject to endless experiment and modification. This is a timely and important book." —James Hankins, Harvard University"With The Kingdom of Man, Brague completes a trilogy in which he presents a panoramic view of theological and philosophic thought, ‘ancient and modern,’ primarily but not exclusively ‘Western.’ Most such efforts are cringeworthy exercises, superficial and canting, but Brague has read not only widely but with care, profiting from work done by Strauss and his students while maintaining an independent view. . . . A summary of Brague’s argument shows why his book provokes and stimulates." —Interpretation"The Kingdom of Man deserves an audience as wide as the author’s great erudition, for Brague tells this familiar-enough story of decline in new ways culminating in a clear critique." —Journal of Church and State“The thousands of slight turns of thought over the centuries leading up to our own... are the subject of Brague’s exposition. The author is, himself, a Catholic who is more of a lamenter than a champion of this story, but his tone throughout is uniformly calm and professorial. His criticism of modern developments, primarily implied or insinuated, is under the surface of the placid text.” —Reading Religion"Reading his book is a unique experience for anyone interested in the history of ideas — like taking a transatlantic Concorde flight over the entirety of the course of Western history." —Los Angeles Review of BooksTable of ContentsIntroduction Part One: Preparation 1. The Best Of The Living Things 2. Domination 3. Three Incomplete Prefigurations 4. Metaphorical Dominations 5. The New Lord Of Creation 6. Attempts And Temptations Part Two: Deployment 7. The Formation Of The Modern Project 8. The Beginnings Of The Realization 9. The Master Is There 10. Moral Dominion 11. The Duty To Reign 12. The Iron Rod 13. The New Meaning Of Humanism 14. The Sole Lord Part Three: Failure 15. Kingdom or Waste Land? 16. Man, Humiliated 17. The Subjugated Subject 18. Man Remade 19. Man Surpassed and ... Replaced 20. Checkmate? 21. Lights Out Conclusion

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Book SynopsisBurson examines Yvon’s work in order to explore broader trends in the diverse ways eighteenth-century individuals spoke about enlightening human reason, religion, and society.Trade Review"This is one of the most vital recent scholarly books to be written on the culture of the French learned world during the period of the 'Enlightenment.' With the rise of interest in Catholic responses to the lumières, this work focuses astutely and with bright focus on the 'entangling' of Catholic theologians and savants, on the one hand, and secular Enlightenment thinkers, on the other. . . . A remarkable, erudite, compelling, and major study, reconceptualizing much of 'Enlightenment' studies, and it will change the ways in which unbiased readers approach the eighteenth century." —Alan Charles Kors, Henry Charles Lea Professor Emeritus of History, University of Pennsylvania"This is a splendidly researched book that sheds light on the life of an overlooked yet fascinating figure of the Enlightenment and makes a crucial contribution to Enlightenment scholarship. The author does a great job situating the Abbé Yvon's life in the context of eighteenth-century intellectual culture and showing how the complex and even contradictory elements of his thought were representative of broader trends." —Anton M. Matytsin, Kenyon College"Jeffrey Burson's thorough study of the obscure, sometimes ridiculed, Abbé Claude Yvon provides a compelling vehicle for examining the 'culture of enlightening.' Through meticulous research and erudite analysis, Burson examines Yvon's lengthy and eclectic body of work to illustrate that the Enlightenment was neither monolithic nor a series of discrete movements. This book emphasizes the Enlightenment as a process in which different modes of thought intersected with one another, sometimes in conflicting and contradictory ways. Through this impressive case study in which we see the interaction between individuals and ideas, Burson provides the outlines of a 'cultural revolution,' defined by ideas, interactions, interventions, and contingency." —Mita Choudhury, Vassar College"The Culture of Enlightening does nothing less than offer a new vision of the Enlightenment, one that is less about portioning off the intellectual movement into distinct, reified groups and more about a shared, common culture of borrowing and mutually constructive debates." —Journal of Jesuit StudiesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Part I. The Culture of Enlightening en Sorbonne and the Formation of Claude Yvon Into the Mid-Century Maelstrom: Claude Yvon between Sorbonne and the Encyclopédistes The Encyclopédie and the Polarization of Enlightening Culture in France Part 2. Yvon the Encyclopédiste I: Metphysics, Logic, and the History of Philosophy Yvon the Encyclopédiste II: Immortality, Immateriality, and an Abbé’s Dalliance with Vitalistic Materialism Yvon the Encyclopédiste III: Moral Philosophy, Practical Theology, and the Problem of Evil Part 3. Yvon in Exile, 1752-1762 The Return from Exile, c. 1762-1768 The Quest to Harmonize Philosophy and Religion: The First Attempt, 1762-1768 Out of the Ashes?: Yvon at Château d’Ormes, c. 1771-1774 From Yvon’s Last Stand before the General Assembly of the Clergy to His Last Days, c. 1770-1789 Yvon Post-Mortem: Concluding Reflections on the Cultural and Theological Revolution of Enlightening List of Abbreviations Notes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn his first book composed in English, Rémi Brague maintains that there is a fundamental problem with modernity: we no longer consider the created world and humanity as intrinsically valuable. Curing Mad Truths, based on a number of Brague''s lectures to English-speaking audiences, explores the idea that humanity must return to the Middle Ages. Not the Middle Ages of purported backwardness and barbarism, but rather a Middle Ages that understood creationincluding human beingsas the product of an intelligent and benevolent God. The positive developments that have come about due to the modern project, be they health, knowledge, freedom, or peace, are not grounded in a rational project because human existence itself is no longer the good that it once was. Brague turns to our intellectual forebears of the medieval world to present a reasoned argument as to why humanity and civilizations are goods worth promoting and preserving.Curing Mad Truths will be of interest toTrade Review“Rémi Brague is a most singular polyglot and polymath, not to mention one of Europe’s wisest and wittiest Christian intellectuals. Curing Mad Truths is an impressive collection of his addresses to English-speaking audiences. As with all of Brague’s work, the volume uniquely combines cleverness and profound insight.” —Douglas Kries, Gonzaga University "With his distinctive combination of philological, philosophical, and historical erudition that ranges from the ancient world to our present moment, Rémi Brague poses more to ponder in each of these essays—about God and the good, creation and culture, virtues and values, modernity and meaning—than most writers manage to convey in a book. At issue, ultimately, is whether human beings have the will and wherewithal to go on living in a humane manner. Curing Mad Truths is a gem, and the stakes couldn’t be higher." —Brad Gregory, University of Notre Dame “Brague's Curing Mad Truths is a radical assault on many of the things taken for granted in modern liberal societies… It calls us to reconnect the branches of truth upon which modernity sits to the metaphysical trunk from which they have been severed. It's a provocative, convincing, and accessible little book by an important scholar, and it deserves wide attention.” —Faith and Theology"Brague argues that the modern world is dying because it cannot answer the question of why it should live. To answer that question will require humility, according to Brague, because it is medieval truths about God, man, reason, and nature that are necessary for renewal." —The Catholic World Report"Rémi Brague argues that the modern project has failed, and that the source of the failure is a kind of heresy. To be sure, he does not himself use that word. But it is an apt label for what he describes. Modernity, on Brague’s account, is defined by several ideas it borrowed from Christianity, while at the same time it rejects the larger conceptual context that made those ideas intelligible." —Catholic Herald"Remi Brague this month releases a new book arguing for a reevaluation of medieval thought. . . . It’s Brague’s first book in English. . . . Curing Mad Truths will be of interest to a learned audience of philosophers, historians, and medievalists." —Law and Religion Forum“The brevity of this anthology... does not prevent the careful reader from gazing beyond its idealism. Like many thinkers, Brague may be less useful in directing us away from our predicament to our fulfillment. But he does restore a wise insight into a conservative approach... which treasures aesthetic and nourishing measures to bring back to life deadened sensibilities of billions who seek, deep down, lasting meaning.” —Spectrum Culture Magazine"While he argues convincingly for the superiority of abandoned ways of thinking, Brague is not a ‘restorationist’ seeking to return us to an idealized past, his concern is to point out the weaknesses in the conversations we are having and so to improve them and our chances of a better future. He is a delightful, witty, interlocutor. He makes his vast learning accessible and relevant, providing a master-class in critical thinking all can attend." —Irish Catholic"Culture and politics are different, but they are not separate. They influence one another in unpredictable ways. Rémi Brague has given us a most insightful analysis of one half, perhaps more than a half, of the pairing that encompasses our human experience." —Society“Should humanity survive and adapt itself to the modern project? More specifically, now that humanity has commodified its existence (being) . . . is its existence better than its nonexistence? . . . These are the questions at the center of . . . Rémi Brague‘s . . . short collection of essays consisting primarily of unpublished lectures given in Europe and North America.” —The Review of Politics“Brague proposes that the medieval Christian view demonstrates the good of man’s existence by reorienting him to God and Creation.” —Catholic Social Science Review“This intriguing cultural critique will prove useful to anyone exploring how the modern world came to be and how a disciple of a more classical tradition might respond to the decadence of society in the modern period.” —Homiletic and Pastoral Review"Curing Mad Truths, a short collection of essays and lectures, is Rémi Brague’s plea for ‘some sort of return to the Middle Ages’...in the teeth of the ideology of Modernity which, he posits, threatens human flourishing and even survival.... Although many will reject his assessment, few philosophers are better placed to handle these matters than Brague, professor emeritus at the Sorbonne, a noted multi-disciplinary intellectual." —The New Bioethics"Curing Mad Truths might, from the title, look like just one more expression of Catholic nostalgia for a bygone age that the secular world has dismissed as the Dark Ages. But Brague has in mind quite specific and sophisticated points of medieval wisdom that need to be recovered, even as he would want to reform or reject other parts of that heritage." —The Catholic Thing

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Book SynopsisMatthew Levering offers a biblical and Thomistic portrait of the cardinal virtue of temperance and its allied virtues, in dialogue with an ecumenical range of theologians and scholars.In Aquinas's Eschatological Ethics and the Virtue of Temperance, Levering argues that Catholic ethics make sense only in light of the biblical worldview that Jesus has inaugurated the kingdom of God by pouring out his spirit. Jesus has made it possible for us to know and obey God's law for human flourishing as individuals and communities. He has reoriented our lives toward the goal of beatific communion with him in charity, which affects the exercise of the moral virtues that pertain to human flourishing.Without the context of the inaugurated kingdom, Catholic ethics as traditionally conceived will seem like an effort to find a middle ground between legalistic rigorism and relativistic laxism, which is especially the case with the virtue of temperance, the focus Trade Review”Matthew Levering’s Aquinas's Eschatological Ethics and the Virtue of Temperance is an extraordinary contribution to Thomistic moral theology and will now serve as the 'go to' book on temperance. The book is utterly scholastic in its modeling of grace perfecting nature, since it explains temperance as accessible to unaided human reason but also shows how temperance in the life of discipleship to Christ is utterly transformed by God’s grace.” —William C. Mattison III, University of Notre Dame"Matthew Levering's study on temperance is an impressive tour through an enormous range of scholarship on the various aspects of this cardinal virtue and its relation to the biblical account of salvation history. Those familiar with Levering's astounding knowledge of theological texts both ancient and modern, and his well-established method of approaching theological topics with careful attention to their treatment in biblical and magisterial sources, will not be disappointed by this latest endeavor. The manner in which Aquinas's Eschatological Ethics and the Virtue of Temperance brings together prominent scholarship in the fields of moral theology, biblical studies, and modern Thomism represents a huge contribution to theological virtue ethics." —Patrick Clark, University of Scranton"Matthew Levering examines temperance, a virtue many people might rather avoid than confront. Tempering our daily eating and drinking, our desires, our anger, and more, can seem impossible in contemporary context. Yet by deftly reflecting on scripture and Thomas Aquinas, Levering argues for multiple ways that practicing temperance leads us inexorably toward the kingdom of God." —Jana M. Bennett, University of DaytonTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Aquinas and the Ethics of the Inaugurated Kingdom 2. Shame and Honestas 3. Abstinence and Sobriety 4. Chastity 5. Clemency and Meekness 6. Humility 7. Studiousness Conclusion

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Book SynopsisValue and Vulnerability brings together scholars of many religionsincluding Catholicism, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Islam, and Humanismto identify and examine conceptions and interpretations of dignity within different religious and philosophical perspectives and their applications to contemporary issues of conflict, such as gendered, religious, and racial violence, immigration, ecology, and religious peacemaking. Value and Vulnerability also includes response chapters that clarify and refine these interpretations from interfaith perspectives. Through this volume, Matthew R. Petrusek and Jonathan Rothchild offer recommendations for advancing the conversation about dignity within and among traditions and for addressing urgent global issues and threats to dignity. Together, Petrusek, Rothchild, and the contributors create a comparative framework constituted by seven questions: What sources justify dignity's existence, nature, and purpoTrade Review“This is an ambitious book that engages the nature and scope of dignity as a normative claim, a topic of enduring interest to religious ethics at both the theoretical and practical level.” —Andrew Lustig, co-editor of Altering Nature"Though often referenced in connection with legal, theological, and human rights issues, human dignity remains a vague concept at best, varying according to its interpreters. In the present collection Petrusek and Rothchild seek to clarify different beliefs and issues related to the understanding of dignity. . . . Providing an excellent analysis, this collection will be a wonderful addition to the literature on ethics, philosophy of religion, and theology and contemporary social issues." —Choice"The collection is a wellspring of traditional, conceptual, practical, and innovative resources able to advance the effectiveness of dignity as the fundamental platform for vulnerably engaging in mutual recognition wherein we discover in the other what makes us capable of solidarity in the ongoing agenda of becoming more evidently human." —Theological Studies

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Book SynopsisOne of America's most eminent contemporary writers on religion reflects on the state of theology “at the borders” of other fields of discourse. The book advances many of David Bentley Hart's larger theological projects, developing and deepening numerous dimensions of his previous work.Trade Review“David Bentley Hart is among the most interesting and intellectually lively living theologians.Theological Territories shows, with vigor, what it's like to think like a theologian.” —Paul J. Griffiths, author of Christian Flesh“Theological Territories is an extremely diverse and yet substantial addition to David Bentley Hart’s increasingly formidable body of theological writings, scarcely rivaled by anyone else within American theology. . . . Hart makes and develops several highly crucial arguments with great erudition, argumentative rigor, imaginative insight, and enormous panache. —John Milbank, author of The Politics of Virtue"In this scintillating compilation of essays based on lectures—most published here for the first time—Eastern Orthodox scholar and cultural commentator Hart . . . examines the intersection of theology with other academic fields, including ethics, science, literature, and biblical hermeneutics. Whether conversing with theologian Rowan Williams on the healing purpose of tragedy, or meditating on 'the Problem of Evil' as laid out by Dostoyevsky, Hart’s witty, erudite writing proves unsettling and invigorating." —Publishers Weekly“Theological Territories is a fine salmagundi that touches on most of Hart’s bêtes noires—the idiocy of New Atheism, the incoherence of scientific naturalism, the monstrosity of capital punishment, the sheer wrongheadedness of a hundred other things, such as capitalism and bad stagings of Wagner. The man is a gadfly, bless him.” —BookForum“The author of Theological Territories doesn’t have much use for the way theology is usually expounded—in our present society as well as other times and places. . . . [Hart’s] interests are wide and his reading is vast but his focus is on thinking—rethinking—about God.” —Shepherd Express

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Book SynopsisOne of America's most eminent contemporary writers on religion reflects on the state of theology “at the borders” of other fields of discourse. The book advances many of David Bentley Hart's larger theological projects, developing and deepening numerous dimensions of his previous work.Trade Review“David Bentley Hart is among the most interesting and intellectually lively living theologians.Theological Territories shows, with vigor, what it's like to think like a theologian.” —Paul J. Griffiths, author of Christian Flesh“Theological Territories is an extremely diverse and yet substantial addition to David Bentley Hart’s increasingly formidable body of theological writings, scarcely rivaled by anyone else within American theology. . . . Hart makes and develops several highly crucial arguments with great erudition, argumentative rigor, imaginative insight, and enormous panache. —John Milbank, author of The Politics of Virtue"In this scintillating compilation of essays based on lectures—most published here for the first time—Eastern Orthodox scholar and cultural commentator Hart . . . examines the intersection of theology with other academic fields, including ethics, science, literature, and biblical hermeneutics. Whether conversing with theologian Rowan Williams on the healing purpose of tragedy, or meditating on 'the Problem of Evil' as laid out by Dostoyevsky, Hart’s witty, erudite writing proves unsettling and invigorating." —Publishers Weekly“Theological Territories is a fine salmagundi that touches on most of Hart’s bêtes noires—the idiocy of New Atheism, the incoherence of scientific naturalism, the monstrosity of capital punishment, the sheer wrongheadedness of a hundred other things, such as capitalism and bad stagings of Wagner. The man is a gadfly, bless him.” —BookForum“The author of Theological Territories doesn’t have much use for the way theology is usually expounded—in our present society as well as other times and places. . . . [Hart’s] interests are wide and his reading is vast but his focus is on thinking—rethinking—about God.” —Shepherd Express

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Book SynopsisAlthough scholarship has long recognised the centrality of the Trinity in the theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar, no sustained treatment of this theme has been undertaken. Brendan McInerny situates Balthasar's Trinitarian theology in conversation with the wider Christian theological tradition and with his non-Christian intellectual contemporaries.Trade Review“The Trinitarian Theology of Hans Urs von Balthasar is a welcome contribution not only in further promoting Balthasar’s original thought but also in reinforcing the role of traditional Catholic doctrine in contemporary theology.” —Jacques Servais, S.J., President of the Balthasar-Speyr-Lubac Association

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Disputes in Bioethics addresses pressing topics in the medical arena. The book will interest students and scholars in medical ethics, nursing ethics, and moral theology." —Thomas Cavanaugh, author of Hippocrates’ Oath and Asclepius’ Snake“Disputes in Bioethics is a real contribution to the field of analytic ethics, in defense of the Christian faith’s insistence that human beings are worthy of respect from conception until natural death.” —Kevin Flannery, S.J., author of Action and Character According to Aristotle“I really learned from Disputes in Bioethics, not only about the issues but also from the clarity, deftness, concision, comprehensiveness, and biting wit of the arguments.” —Matthew R. Petrusek, co-editor of Value and Vulnerability"When a book treats bioethical questions in a manner consistent with the Catholic sanctity-of-life ethic, it deserves readership. Christopher Kaczor’s is such a book." —National Catholic Register"Disputes in Bioethics is accessible yet scholarly, and a very fine orientation around many key issues in contemporary bioethics." —Studies in Christian Ethics

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Disputes in Bioethics addresses pressing topics in the medical arena. The book will interest students and scholars in medical ethics, nursing ethics, and moral theology." —Thomas Cavanaugh, author of Hippocrates’ Oath and Asclepius’ Snake“Disputes in Bioethics is a real contribution to the field of analytic ethics, in defense of the Christian faith’s insistence that human beings are worthy of respect from conception until natural death.” —Kevin Flannery, S.J., author of Action and Character According to Aristotle“I really learned from Disputes in Bioethics, not only about the issues but also from the clarity, deftness, concision, comprehensiveness, and biting wit of the arguments.” —Matthew R. Petrusek, co-editor of Value and Vulnerability"When a book treats bioethical questions in a manner consistent with the Catholic sanctity-of-life ethic, it deserves readership. Christopher Kaczor’s is such a book." —National Catholic Register"Disputes in Bioethics is accessible yet scholarly, and a very fine orientation around many key issues in contemporary bioethics." —Studies in Christian Ethics

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Horizons of Difference is a probing study of the crisis of our time, revolving around scientific, technological, economic, political, and cultural globalization. Many studies have focused on one or more of these dimensions, but only Dallmayr’s approach dives deeply into the cultural roots of ‘Western’ modernity and its alleged clash with ‘non-Western’ traditions.” —David Ingram, author of World Crisis and Underdevelopment“This book is a must-read for advanced interdisciplinary classes of religion, philosophy, ethics, and peace/justice studies.” —Religious Studies Review

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