Topics in philosophy Books

Book SynopsisSummarizes the historical background to the Salmanticenses, from the time of Anselm up through the early-modern period. The book presents and defends the Salmanticenses' argument for the primacy of Christ the redeemer, and then turns to two key post-conciliar figures, Karl Rahner and Hans Urs von Balthasar.

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1987. Philosopher Maurice Mandelbaum offers a broad-ranging essay on the roles of chance, choice, purpose, and necessity in human events. He traces the many changes these concepts have undergone, from the analyses of Hobbes and Spinoza, through the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries. Mandelbaum examines two contrary tendencies in the history of social theories. Some thinkers, he shows, have explained the character of institutions in terms of their individual purposes, whereas others have stressed relationships of necessity among society's institutions. Mandelbaum discusses chance, choice, and necessity at length and reaches some provocative conclusions about the ways in which they are interwoven in human affairs.Trade ReviewStudents of the humanities and social sciences who want to see the relevance of philosophical debates over free will versus determination and individual versus social causation can do no better than consult this book.—ChoiceTable of ContentsPrefacePart I: Introduction1. The Analysis of Social TheoriesPart II: Individualistic & Institutional Theories2. Individualistic Theories of Purpose & Necessity3. Necessity & Purpose in Intsitutional TheoriesPart III: Necessity, Chance & Choice4. Determinism & Chance5. Determinism & Choise6. Necessity, Chance & Choice in Human AffairsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisAre religions intrinsically violent (as is strenuously argued by the ‘new atheists’)? Or, as Girard argues, have they been functionally rational instruments developed to manage and cope with the intrinsically violent runaway dynamic that characterizes human social organization in all periods of human history? Is violence decreasing in this time of secular modernity post-Christendom (as argued by Steven Pinker and others)? Or are we, rather, at increased and even apocalyptic risk from our enhanced powers of action and our decreased socio-symbolic protections?Rene Girard’s mimetic theory has been slowly but progressively recognized as one of the most striking breakthrough contributions to twentieth-century critical thinking in fundamental anthropology: in particular for its power to model and explain violent sacralities, ancient and modern. The present volume sets this power of explanation in an evolutionary and Darwinian frame.It asks: How far do cultural mechanisms of controlling violence, which allowed humankind to cross the threshold of hominization - i.e., to survive and develop in its evolutionary emergence - still represent today a default setting that threatens to destroy us? Can we transcend them and escape their field of gravity? Should we look to - or should we look beyond - Darwinian survival? What - and where (if anywhere) - is salvation?

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Book SynopsisJohn Perry revisits the cast of characters of his classic A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality in this absorbing dialogue on consciousness. Cartesian dualism, property dualism, materialism, the problem of other minds . . . Gretchen Weirob and her friends tackle these topics and more in a dialogue that exemplifies the subtleties and intricacies of philosophical reflection. Once again, Perry’s ability to use straightforward language to discuss complex issues combines with his mastery of the dialogue form. A Bibliography lists relevant further readings keyed to topics discussed in the dialogue. A helpful Glossary provides a handy reference to terms used in the dialogue and an array of clarifying examples.

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Book SynopsisThe Inner Word in Gadamer’s Hermeneutics is an intellectual history and textual analysis of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s famous and obscure theme of the verbum interius.Trade Review“Consummately researched, lucidly written, and persuasively argued throughout, The Inner Word succeeds brilliantly in bringing to light this neglected but pivotal matter in Gadamer’s work. Arthos is learned in the best ‘humanist’ way, for he succeeds in creating something new of his own that will speak eloquently to all of us.” —Walter Jost, University of Virginia“Gadamer suggests that the Christian idea of incarnation is a key to his hermeneutics, but does not explain his position in a detailed or systematic manner. Arthos brings his considerable knowledge of hermeneutics and rhetoric to bear on Gadamer's insight, recounting the rich intellectual history to which Gadamer gestures, and providing an extended and detailed exegesis of this pivotal point in the third part of Truth and Method. Gadamer's account of 'linguisticality,' Arthos explains, can best be understood through his use of a complex metaphor—the ‘inner word.’ Arthos matches his erudition with clear and clean prose, and his account exemplifies, rather than just describes, Gadamer's hermeneutical philosophy. Any scholar interested in Gadamer's philosophy should have this book on his or her shelf.” —Francis J. Mootz III, William S. Boyd Professor of Law, William S. Boyd School of Law“Arthos's strength lies for me in his careful reading of the sources. He effectively commands the literature on the subject. This work shows in a sophisticated way the legacy of trinitarian theology for philosophical hermeneutics. The very complex task of illuminating the phenomenon of the verbum interius and indicating its centrality for philosophical hermeneutics is accomplished by John Arthos with great sensitivity to the subject matter.” —Andrzej Wiercinski, The International Institute for Hermeneutics“John Arthos’s . . . book . . . will be a model for future scholarship on Gadamer’s intellectual inheritance. . . . Drawing widely from Gadamer’s writings while focusing on one crucial move in Gadamer’s argument, it provides both a systemic interpretation of Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics and an informative overview of those views—ancient, medieval and modern—that helped shape crucial aspects of Gadamer’s thought.” —Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews“Arthos’s book is arguably the definitive statement on how to read Gadamer’s Trinitarian claim . . . an indispensable resource to practical rhetorical critics as well as to theorists in understanding what is at issue in our assumptions about language, agency, and meaning.” —Rhetoric and Public Affairs“While offering a close reading of Gadamer’s position on the inner word, the author’s book stands as a valid contribution to the philosophy and theology of ‘Logos,’ one that leads the reader to a more profound understanding of the nature of language and the linguistic self.” —Catholic Library World“. . . Arthos’s book provides a rich resource in delving into both the history of the verbum and its hermeneutic appropriation by Gadamer. This work, then, is not only an essential read for Gadamerian scholars but also a valuable source for those interested in engaging the masters of medieval thought with the hermeneutic turn.” —International Philosophical Quarterly“Arthos explicates and emphasizes the contribution Gadamer made in Truth and Method to hermeneutics and the study of human communication. The book’s most significant contribution, however, is its historical focus.” —Journal of Communication and Religion“Arthos justly celebrates the inherent humanism of Gadamer’s hermeneutics and has aided our understanding of Gadamer with his thorough elucidation of a very difficult passage in Truth and Method.” —Monatshefte"[The Inner Word in Gadamer's Hermeneutics] is a 360 page magisterial study of the roughly ten pages of the 'Language and Verbum' section in Truth and Method, in which Gadamer treats of the topic of the inner word . . . Methodically researched and engagingly written, [the book], however, is no dry academic tome. For Arthos's purpose is not only to exegete these pages but to inquire 'into the paradigmatic significance of a hermeneutic logos for our culture.' . . . Indeed, he succeeds not only in his inquiry but also in demonstrating, i.e., producing, the very workings of a culturally relevant hermeneutics." —The Heythrop Journal

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Book SynopsisWritten for general readers and students, this book provides an accessible and brief metaphysical defense of freedom.Trade Review“[A] highly accessible introduction to the central issues and arguments associated with the determinist-compatibilist-libertarian debate. Although addressed to the general reader, the book is richly and densely argued and accomplishes a great deal within its brief span of pages.” —American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly“This book is clearly the product of a subtle mind, one that has managed to say something striking about many aspects of this difficult and important problem.” — Faith and Philosophy"The issue of free will and determinism is one of the few perennial philosophical controversies that captures the interest of the general reader and is directly relevant to how one perceives one's everyday experience. . . . This is overall a readable and insightful attempt to solve a problem that is at the center of human experience."—Catholic Library World

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Book SynopsisSeeking to understand the doctrine of justification by way of biblical hermeneutics, this book uncovers the differences between Martin Luther and the Council of Trent that set them on a collision course for conflict, and the church toward what has arguably been its most significant division in the West.As Catholics and Lutherans continue to engage in dialogue about their shared faith and differing confessions, the need remains for a discerning study of the ways in which the Bible functioned in the Reformation's central theological clash: the understanding and import of the doctrine of justification. Peter Folan's incisive analysis in this volume fulfills that need. Through a careful reading of the debate's most significant texts, he shows both how Martin Luther and the Council of Trent relied upon scripture to arrive at their respective formulations of the doctrine and how such seemingly divergent conclusions about the human person's salvation in Christ could be groundTrade Review“A book like this is very rare and very precious, for its content, for its unique method, and for its contribution not only to academic debates about ecumenical associations but also in terms of nurturing real-life friendships across the denominational divides.” —Kirsi Stjerna, author of Lutheran Theology"The ecumenical dialogue needs a thorough study of the ways the Bible was read in the Reformer's central theological debate on justification, which is precisely what this book offers." —Heythrop Journal"Martin Luther and the Council of Trent: The Battle Over Scripture and the Doctrine of Justification is a masterful exploration of how scriptural hermeneutics and citations create both doctrinal consensus and doctrinal disagreement." —Reading Religion * Reading Religion *Table of ContentsList of Tables Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction 1. Mapping the Battlefield: Highlights of the Genesis and the Pre-Sixteenth Century Development of the Doctrine of Justification 2. Stepping on To the Field of Battle: Luther on Justification in 1520 3. Fortifying a Position: Luther on Justification in 1531 4. Squaring Off Against an Unnamed but not Unknown Opponent: The Council of Trent on Justification 5. The Tactics of the Battle: An Analysis of the Biblical Texts and Hermeneutics Operative in Luther and Trent Epilogue Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisAbelard in Four Dimensions: A Twelfth-Century Philosopher in His Context and Ours by John Marenbon, one of the leading scholars of medieval philosophy and a specialist on Abelard''s thought, originated from a set of lectures in the distinguished Conway Lectures in Medieval Studies series and provides new interpretations of central areas of Peter Abelard''s philosophy and its influence. The four dimensions of Abelard to which the title refers are that of the past (Abelard''s predecessors), present (his works in context), future (the influence of his thinking up to the seventeenth century), and the present-day philosophical culture in which Abelard''s works are still discussed and his arguments debated.For readers new to Abelard, this book provides an introduction to his life and works along with discussion of his central ideas in semantics, ethics, metaphysics, and philosophy of religion. For specialists, the book contains new arguments about the authenticity and chronoTrade Review"This searching, thorough, and original study examines Abelard's past, present, and future, and our present. John Marenbon offers the best enquiry yet made into the sequence of Abelard's writings and their chronology, followed by an incisive and highly illuminating account of the various, successive formulations of his 'unpopular argument' to the effect that God cannot do otherwise than as he does. This is an accomplished work which will be eagerly read and hugely appreciated by students and their teachers on courses of philosophy, theology, and history." —David Luscombe, University of Sheffield"Marenbon (Cambridge University), an important scholar of medieval philosophy, here returns to a topic that occupied him some years ago: the philosophy of Peter Abelard. Rather than serving as a general treatment of Abelard's philosophy, this book focuses on four different ways of reading the philosopher: in terms of his predecessors, his contemporaries, and his historical influence, and in terms of contemporary philosophy. This volume . . . will not disappoint. It should prove useful to students of Peter Abelard and of medieval thought more generally." —Choice"As a volume of Conway lectures, it is a worthy peer to sit alongside the recent contributions of Rosamund McKitterick, Jonathan Riley Smith, A. C. Spearing, and Barbara Newman. I hope this book will reach a wider audience of medievalists than only philosophers, theologians, and twelfth-century specialists (for whom it will be indispensable), if only for the tentative but convincing answer Marenbon provides to the immediately pressing question of the relevance of medieval studies." —Speculum“In this book, John Marenbon takes on select issues from Abelard’s philosophy and theology that have proven to be problematic. These he submits to close examination, hewing his own path in submitting these topics to careful scrutiny, never coming to easy conclusions, but offering original insights. For audiences responsive to Marenbon’s approach his book offers value.” —Mediaevistik“Much of what is explored here is explored with clarity, care, and judgment. In an important sense Marenbon proves the thesis of the book: that historical understanding and background helpfully informs attempts to see in thinkers from another era versions of contemporary theories and can prevent misreadings of many kinds.” —Journal of the History of Philosophy"Abelard in Four Dimensions is an excellent introduction to the study of Peter Abelard. The 'four dimensions' in the title refer to future, past, and present—Abelard's and our own. . . . In his conclusion, Marenbon reflects intelligently on how best to bring medieval thinkers into the contemporary discussion: not by distortion, forcing medieval ideas into 'a conceptual framework where they do not belong,' but by asking ourselves not only how they resemble modern positions, but also how the problems addressed differ from those today's philosophers pose." —The Medieval Review“Throughout this book, but especially in its conclusion, Marenbon steps back and reflects upon methodologies of historians of philosophy. [Marenbon] has identified some weighty issues that any historian of philosophy must address, and one would be well advised to read Marenbon’s thoughtful remarks on this subject.” —Vivarium

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Book SynopsisDrawing on research in anthropology, psychology, and a host of other disciplines, this book argues that cross-cultural variation raises serious problems for theories that propose universally applicable conditions for moral responsibility. It develops a way of thinking about responsibility that takes cultural diversity into account.Trade Review"This is a penetrating and far-reaching book."--Julian Baggini, Financial Times "[T]his is a keenly argued yet surprisingly accessible book that presents a provocative thesis that should not be ignored."--Choice "There is much to like about Relative Justice. It pursues and interesting line of reasoning in a literature literally littered with rehashed arguments and stubborn dialectics."--Matt King, Philosopher's MagazineTable of Contents*FrontMatter, pg. i*Contents, pg. ix*Acknowledgments, pg. xi*Introduction, pg. 1*Chapter One. The Appeal to Intuition, pg. 9*Chapter Two. Moral Responsibility and the Culture of Honor, pg. 33*Chapter Three. Shame Cultures, Collectivist Societies, Original Sin, And Pharaoh's Hardened Heart, pg. 63*Chapter Four. Can the Variation Be Explained Away?, pg. 84*Chapter Five. Where Do We Go from Here?, pg. 111*Chapter Six. A Metaskeptical Analysis of Libertarianism and Compatibilism, pg. 133*Chapter Seven. A Very Tentative Metaskeptical Endorsement of Eliminativism about Moral Responsibility, pg. 173*Notes, pg. 203*Bibliography, pg. 213*Index, pg. 223

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Book SynopsisPresents a novel account of hope, the motivational resources it presupposes, and its function in our practical lives. This title contends that hoping for an outcome means treating certain feelings, plans, and imaginings as justified, and that hope thereby involves sophisticated reflective and conceptual capacities.Trade Review"Inspired by her work with terminally ill cancer patients, Martin provides a valuable analysis of hope that makes excellent use of the tools of analytic philosophy, recent work in neuropsychology, and the philosophies of Immanuel Kant and Gabriel Marcel."--Choice "[A] short but substantial tome... Anyone who is interested in the ethics of hope will find a great deal of valuable insight in this book."--Ben Sherman, Philosophy in Review "Martin not only insightfully advances the philosophical literature on hope, but also, maybe more importantly, provides substantial food for thought to anyone whose philosophical interests encompass desires and motivations."--Rachel Fredericks, Mind "Martin's work is a timely and instructive contribution to a rapidly expanding literature on hope."--Aaron D. Cobb, Journal of Moral PhilosophyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix INTRODUCTION What Is Hope? 1 Questions about Hope 1 The Orthodox Definition and Its Critics 4 Hope as a Syndrome 6 The Incorporation Analysis 7 Summary of Chapters 8 CHAPTER 1 Beyond the Orthodox Definition of Hope 11 The Orthodox Definition in the Modern Period 11 The Orthodox Definition in Recent Philosophy 13 Challenge Cases 14 First Analysis: Luc Bovens and Mental Imaging 17 Second Analysis: Ariel Meirav and External Factors 19 Third Analysis: Philip Pettit and Cognitive Resolve 20 Final Analysis: Incorporation 24 Hopeful Thoughts: Fantasy 25 Hopeful Feelings: Anticipation 29 Summary 34 CHAPTER 2 Incorporation 35 Understanding Mental States through Their Fundamental Norms 36 Two Constraints on Reasons 38 Normative Governance Requires Deliberative Responsiveness 38 Deliberation Constrains Reasons 41 The Licensing Stance 44 The Transparency of Doxastic Deliberation to Evidence 46 Putting Transparency and Deliberation Constrains Reasons Together 48 Practical Deliberation about the Licensing Stance 48 The Other Part of the Incorporation Element: Treating Desire as a Practical Reason 52 The Inadequacy of Monist Theories of Motivation 54 The Dualist Theory: Subrational and Rational Motivational Representations 58 Hope as Incorporation 61 Hoping and End-Setting 64 Cases: Hoping without End-Setting 66 The End-Setting Conception's Inability to Accommodate These Cases 67 Conclusion: A Unified Theory of Hope and the Worry about Excessive Reflectiveness 69 CHAPTER 3 Suicide and Sustenance 72 Virtue and Sustenance 72 The First Extreme: Aquinas and Irascible Hope 75 The Thomistic "Inner Cathedral" 76 The Concupiscible and Irascible Passions 77 The Second Extreme: Calhoun and Seconding Practical Commitment 82 Hopeful Fantasies and Sustenance 85 Contingent Sustenance 91 An Example: "Self-Help" and Self-Sabotage 94 Summary 96 CHAPTER 4 Faith and Sustenance without Contingency 98 Chief Plenty Coups and Unimaginable Hope 98 Kant on the Highest Good and Morally Obligatory Hope 101 The Transformation of Hope into Faith 105 Marcel's Hope 108 Grounding Hope in Love 111 The Possibility of Secular Faith 114 Summary 117 CHAPTER 5 Normative Hope 118 Strawson and the Reactive Attitudes 118 Mapping the Territory: Interpersonal Relations 121 Gratitude, Disappointment, and Normative Hope 125 Hope for the Vicious 136 Summary 140 CONCLUSION Human Passivity, Agency, and Hope 141 Index 147

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction vii Journal NB 26 1 Journal NB 27 113 Journal NB 28 213 Journal NB 29 295 Journal NB 30 385 Notes for Journal NB 26 503 Notes for Journal NB 27 561 Notes for Journal NB 28 593 Notes for Journal NB 29 637 Notes for Journal NB 30 701 Maps 757 Calendar 765 Concordance 773

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"While the topic can get swamped in jargon, Michael Ruse, a professor of philosophy at Florida State University, is anything but a dry writer. In On Purpose, he revels in the arguments that philosophers, scientists and religious saints have had over ‘the big picture’ for the past 2,000 years. . . . Taking his cue from his own Quaker upbringing, [Ruse] argues that three things remain deeply satisfying in life, even if philosophically one ends up on the side of Epicurus and his denial of design: family; a life of service to others; and, not surprisingly for a philosopher, the life of the mind. For many people, there is indeed purpose in each of these, and perhaps, Mr. Ruse suggests, that is enough."---John Farrell, Wall Street Journal"Philosopher and perennial defender of evolution Ruse takes readers on a historical and constructive tour through one of the most importunate issues in basic metaphysics: is there any purpose behind the things--the universe, humans, nature, et al.--that are, and, if so, what is its nature and where does it come from? . . . As always, Ruse defends evolutionary science while valuing the beauty and expressiveness of human culture." * Library Journal *"A deeply intelligent book that treats key thinkers in philosophy, religion and the sciences fairly, humorously and with a virtuosity reflecting more than half a century in the field."---Paul Biegler, Cosmos"On Purpose is a book that represents Ruse at his most wide-ranging and engaging. . . . [He] is akin to the most enthusiastic and entertaining tour guide one could have through an already compelling exhibit at a museum."---Mark E. Borrello, Quarterly Review of Biology"On Purpose works both as an introductory text as well as a philosophical testament. . . . A book where one learns about the history of philosophy and the history of science, but not neutrally so, since one is looking through the eyes of one of the most active participants in recent debates."---Hugh Desmond, Science & Education

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Book SynopsisEvil is the most serious of our moral problems.Trade ReviewSince it reflects aspects of human nature—envy, ambition, the need for belonging—evil is a permanent threat. We can best combat it, John Kekes believes, by cultivating 'moral imagination.'... An education in the litearary and philosophical classics helps nourish the moral imagination.... There is much to admire in this lucid and morally serious book. Its concreteness sets it apart from the arid abstraction of many works of analytic philosophy. Its insistence on the existence of evil is refreshing in an age of academic relativism. Its modest conclusions are wise and generally right. * First Things *The principal value of The Roots of Evil is that the author squarely faces the challenge of evil, a task of no small importance when Islamofascism and much else are testing the mettle of the West. While some obsess over the 'root causes' of the appalling things people do to one another, Kekes reminds us that evil actions find their origin in the individual. His book closes with some sensible if currently unfashionable recommendations for coping with evil: attending to its internal conditions by exposing people to the humanities and attending to its external conditions by a firm commitment to punishment. Indeed, the book contains much by way of sturdy good sense. * The New Criterion *This is an interesting, systematic, nondogmatic, and informed attempt to make sense of evil on secular grounds. * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisThe Townsend LecturesJulia Annas here offers a fundamental reexamination of Plato''s ethical thought by investigating the Middle Platonist perspective, which emerged at the end of Plato''s own school, the Academy. She highlights the differences between ancient and modern assumptions about Plato''s ethicsand stresses the need to be more critical about our own. One of these modern assumptions is the notion that the dialogues record the development of Plato''s thought. Annas shows how the Middle Platonists, by contrast, viewed the dialogues as multiple presentations of a single Platonic ethical philosophy, differing in form and purpose but ultimately coherent. They also read Plato''s ethics as consistently defending the view that virtue is sufficient for happiness, and see it as converging in its main points with the ethics of the Stoics. Annas goes on to explore the Platonic idea that humankind''s final end is becoming like Godan idea that is well known among the ancientTrade ReviewIn this remarkable book....Annas succeeds in leading us to take seriously the Middle Platonist interpretation. While Alcinous and his cohorts may not be Vlastos, Shorey, or Grote, they should not be ignored, at least if we are interested in getting clear about Plato's ethics. * The Classical Journal *Engaging.... Most ancient philosophy and classics collections will want this challenging study. * LIBRARY JOURNAL *It goes without saying that Annas writes with the elegance and lucidity which characterizes all her work, and that her mastery of the Platonic corpus and of the wide range of ancient commentators who she cites is total... regard the book as a milestone in modern Platonic studies. I have little doubt that it will have a permanent effect on Platonic scholarship, in causing writers in the analytic tradition to regard the Middle Platonists as people to be taken seriously in the search for understanding of Plato. -- C.C.W. Taylor, Corpus Christi College at Oxford * The Philosophical Quarterly *Julia Annas has made a complex and subtle book out of her 1997 Townsend lectures at Cornell.... Annas's book is full of good things.... -- Francis Sparshott * Apeiron *Original, provocative, and convincing... this is strongly recommended for university and college libraries. * Choice *This is a lively and contentious book, mixing scholarly partisanship with useful exposition of a variety of texts; it is clearly written throughout and should interest students as well as professionals. The appended 'Cast of Characters' is very helpful in making the argument surveyable. -- Sabina Lovibond, Worcester College, Oxford * The Classical Review *Table of ContentsDiscovering a tradition; many voices - dialogue and development in Plato; transforming your life - virtue and happiness; becoming like God - ethics, human nature and the divine; the inner city - ethics without politics in the "Republic"; what use is the form of the good? - ethics and metaphysics in Plato; humans and beasts - moral theory and moral psychology; elemental pleasures - enjoyment and the good in Plato. Appendix: hedonism in the "Protagoras".

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Book SynopsisLuis de Molina was a leading figure in the remarkable sixteenth-century revival of Scholasticism on the Iberian peninsula. Molina is best known for his innovative theory of middle knowledge. Alfred J. Freddoso's extensive introductory essay clears up...

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Book SynopsisThe purpose of the present study is to undertake a confrontation of the thought of Martin Heidegger and of Thomas Aquinas on the question of Being and the problem of metaphysics.Trade Review"The volume, which tosses off insights by the pageful, demonstrates Caputo's masterful control of both the Heideggerian and Thomistic corpus." -Research in Phenomenology

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1970. The question of man's freedom to exercise his willas active an issue among twentieth-century philosophers and theologians as it was in the Jesuit and Jansenist camps known to Pascalis basic to this study. Pascal's theological thinking, which Professor Miel demonstrates to be the source of unity and coherence in virtually all phases of his thought, is preoccupied by a concern for man's limitations. In his analysis of Pascal's theology, Miel is concerned not only with characterizing Pascal's theological position but also with evaluating it in terms of the history of the church. In a concise and lucid review of the Christian doctrine of grace from the pre-Augustinians through the Renaissance, the author identifies the intellectual-theological atmosphere that created the need for Pascal's strong defense of Augustinian theology. Miel considers Pascal's Écrits sur la grâce, Lettres provincials, and Pensées as well as shorter compositions and correspondence. HeTable of ContentsPrefaceAbbreviationsChapter 1: Grace and Free Will: An Historical IntroductionChapter 2: The Ecritus sur la graceChapter 3: The Lettres provincials and Shorter WorksChapter 4: The PenseesAppendicesIndex

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Book SynopsisStein's modernist fascination with life connects her writing to late-nineteenth- and twentieth-century thinkers.

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Book SynopsisDuty and Hypocrisy in Hegel’s ‘Phenomenology of Mind’ combines a general discussion of Hegelian themes with the first loose commentary, explication, and testing of Hegel’s discussion of morality in the Phenomenology of Mind. In this work Hegel analyses a life ordered around the idea of duty and concludes that it must inevitably end in hypocrisy. The reasons for Hegel’s conclusions are complex, and his discussion is conducted in a way which is relatively unfamiliar to English-speaking readers. His analysis of the moral consciousness is neither an inquiry into the various sorts of ethical concepts and the logical relations between them nor merely a description of how different people behave. Nor, again is it hortatory or prescriptive. Unlike Aristotle he does not instruct ‘in order to become good.’ Rather, he adopted a kind of middle ground between analysis and description and seeks to show how the faulty logic of duty brings terrible c

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Book SynopsisIn Plato''s Republic, Socrates contends that philosophers make the best rulers because only they behold with their mind''s eye the eternal and purely intelligible Forms of the Just, the Noble, and the Good. When, in addition, these men and women are endowed with a vast array of moral, intellectual, and personal virtues and are appropriately educated, surely no one could doubt the wisdom of entrusting to them the governance of cities. Although it is widelyand reasonablyassumed that all the Republic's philosophers are the same, Roslyn Weiss argues in this boldly original book that the Republic actually contains two distinct and irreconcilable portrayals of the philosopher.According to Weiss, Plato's two paradigms of the philosopher are the philosopher by nature and the philosopher by design. Philosophers by design, as the allegory of the Cave vividly shows, must be forcibly dragged from the material world of pleasure to the sublime realm of the intellect, and fromTrade ReviewThis important book takes Plato at his word. Delicately attuned to nuances and alterations in Plato's language, Roslyn Weiss painstakingly—but never uninterestingly—accumulates convincing textual evidence in support of three main thesis: (1) The Republic contains two distinct and irreconcilable portrayals of the philosopher: the philosophers by nature of books five and six and the philosophers by design of book seven (chapters one through three); (2) Socrates is superior to both of these philosophical types because he displays the virtue, deliberately suppressed in the Republic, of piety (chapter four); (3) Socrates intentionally blurs the difference between the other-regarding virtue of justice and the self-regarding virtue of moderation (chapter five). These theses are internally connected by Weiss's guiding intuition that the example of Socrates, who puts himself in harm's way in the course of caring for the souls of others, furnishes the proper measure of philosophy and justice in the Republic. * The Review of Metaphysics *Weiss develops her bold and refreshing alternative to standard interperetations of the Republic by way of close readings of the dialogue that attend with nuance to its language and arguments and also its dramatic structure. Weiss's exceptionally rich footnotes supplement the careful arguments of her text, while also offering, over the course of the book, a sustained set of insightful gestures to undernoted proximities between Plato and Aristotle. -- Jill Frank * The Review of Politics *What we expect from Roslyn Weiss is close textual argument and unusual readings. Her book on philosophers in the Republic does not disappoint.... The audacity of this close reading of the dialogue is a welcomed challenge to settled habits. Whether you agree with the conclusion or not, you will learn a lot about the text. -- Richard D. Parry * The International Journal of the Platonic Tradition *In Philosophers in the 'Republic,' Roslyn Weiss argues that Plato’s Republic contains two ‘distinct and irreconcilable’ portrayals of the philosopher: what Weiss calls the ‘philosopher by nature’ and the ‘philosopher by design.’ Through close reading of the arguments and the dramatic action of the Republic, Weiss convincingly shows the distinctness of these two types while also educing a third: that of Socrates himself. Weiss illuminates the multifaceted arguments of the Republic anew with deft intelligence, calling attention to conspicuous absences as well as important inconsistencies that ought to shift conventional readings of the dialogue from any approach. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Two Paradigms 1. Philosophers by Nature 2. Philosophers by Design I: The Making of a Philosopher 3. Philosophers by Design II: The Making of a Ruler 4. Socratic Piety: The Fifth Cardinal Virtue 5. Justice as Moderation Conclusion: "In a Healthy Way"Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisThe authors of these English and German essays focus on the analysis of the hermeneutical process, which is what occurs when texts are interpreted successfully. They are based on talks given at a symposium on 'Philosophical Hermeneutics' held at the Center for Biblical Studies in Prague in November 2001. In addition to an introductory essay by Paul Ricoeur about the basic problems of philosophical hermeneutics, the volume contains contributions from prominent researchers from all religious denominations on the subjects of philosophical hermeneutics, exegesis, and theology.

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Book SynopsisPhilippe Eberhard proposes a medial interpretation of Hans-Georg Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics and draws theological implications concerning faith and our human condition from a Christian humanist standpoint. He brings into focus the middle voice as a way to articulate what it means to listen to language and the Word.His thesis is twofold. First, the hermeneutic event is medial throughout. The core of the mediality of hermeneutics is the subtle balance between the event of understanding, which happens to the subject, and the subject who understands within it. Second, the mediality of understanding is the primary reason why hermeneutics is theologically meaningful. Both understanding as well as faith and theology are medial experiences leading to an always renewed understanding of what it is to be a human being in the world.The author analyzes the notion of the middle voice from a linguistic as well as from a philosophical standpoint and establishes that the middle voice is conspicuous by its absence in most commentaries about Gadamer: usually mediality shines between the lines but does not receive any explicit treatment. The author describes understanding as an event following Gadamer's notions of play, fusion of horizon(s), and linguistic speculation and considers the same event from the standpoint of the subject within it. Though understanding is an event that happens to the subject, the subject is not passive but involved. The examination of Gadamer's use of theology leads to the argument that he tends to exclude the Christian kerygma from the hermeneutic event. Gadamer does not apply back to theology the insights he gained from it for his description of hermeneutics. Philippe Eberhard, by contrast, includes the kerygma and faith in hermeneutics and proposes a medial account of faith based on the medial interpretation of hermeneutics. Finally, the conclusion sums up the argument and goes one step further: although faith is a hermeneutic experience, it differs from hermeneutics because it is not only a constant effort to be at home in the world, but above all it keeps questioning the world that is to be our home.

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Book SynopsisDie Theologie hat ein eminentes Interesse an der Klärung des modallogischen und ontologischen Status ihrer Rede vom Möglichen, bekennt doch der christliche Glaube, dass inmitten des Wirklichen Möglichkeiten zu entdecken sind, die diesem von sich aus nicht erschließbar sind. Dirk Evers unternimmt deshalb eine religionsphilosophische Klärung der einschlägigen Konzepte und Theorien, um das zu entwickeln und zu pflegen, was man einen dem christlichen Glauben eigenen Möglichkeitssinn nennen könnte. Seine Untersuchungen vollziehen sich in drei Schritten. Zuerst wird Leibniz' modallogisch konzipierte Metaphysik und speziell seine Theorie möglicher Welten in Erinnerung gerufen. Sodann werden die relevanten Modelle heutiger formaler Modallogik vorgestellt und deren syntaktische und semantische Grundlagen analysiert (W.V. Quine, D. Lewis, S. Kripke, A. Plantinga u.a.). Sowohl im ersten wie im zweiten Kapitel werden so die für die Rede vom Möglichen entscheidenden Fragestellungen, Alternativen und Aporien herausgearbeitet. In einem dritten Schritt werden diese dann in theologischer Perspektive erörtert.

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Book SynopsisHeideggers Beschäftigung mit der Sprache ist vielfältig und bestimmt sein Denken von Beginn an bis zu seinem Ende. Gleichwohl folgt sie einem Grundgedanken: Sprache ist in ihrem Wesen als 'Verbindungsoffenheit' charakterisiert. Hiervon ausgehend rekonstruiert Michael Steinmann Heideggers Sprachphilosophie in ihrem systematischen Zusammenhang. Dabei legt er die frühen Arbeiten zur Logik, Sein und Zeit sowie das spätere Werk Unterwegs zur Sprache zugrunde. Der Gedanke der Verbindungsoffenheit wird von Heidegger zunächst an der Synthesestruktur des Urteils expliziert. Nicht die gegebene Beziehung zwischen den Gehalten, sondern die Möglichkeit, verschiedene Gehalte in Beziehung zu bringen, macht das Wesen des Urteils aus. Erst auf diese Weise löst sich die Logik von der Bindung an bestimmte Wissenschaften oder Erkenntnisgebiete.Michael Steinmann zeigt, daß dieser Gedanke problemgeschichtlich in die Debatten des Neukantianismus eingebettet ist. Diese rekonstruiert er ausführlich. 'Sein und Zeit' entwickelt im Anschluß daran eine dynamische Bedeutungstheorie, welche die Offenheit für Bestimmungen und ihre Kombination als Grundlage der Sprache versteht. Dabei wird in diesem Kontext auch das hermeneutische Verhältnis der Sprache zur Zeit deutlich. Angesichts des Spätwerks erläutert Michael Steinmann, daß die oftmals esoterisch anmutenden Texte Heideggers dennoch argumentativ nachvollzogen werden können. Im Zentrum steht die Einsicht, daß Bedeutung nicht notwendig intentional begründet ist. Vielmehr evoziert das Sprechen einen Verweisungsspielraum von Dingen und Welt.

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Book SynopsisThe authors of this volume present a detailed philosophico-theological discussion of the relation between religion and metaphysics. If thinkers like Richard Rorty and Kai Nielsen are right to insist that metaphysical speculation must be abandoned for good, then what are the prospects for religion? Is belief in an omnipotent God not inexctricably linked with belief in a metaphysical ground of all being? Indeed, can one even speak intelligibly about causal or moral necessity without invoking the notion of a transcendent reality? On the other hand, is the concept of metaphysics not as multi-faceted as the modes of religious discourse themselves? The contributors approach these questions from their own distinctive (philosophical and theological) perspectives, in the process disentangling some of the complex conceptual issues surrounding religion and metaphysics.

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Book SynopsisNach wissenschaftstheoretischen und politischen Büchern, die ihn berühmt machten, begann Karl Popper mit der evolutionsgeschichtlichen Analyse von Erkennen und Wissen. Er unterschied deren subjektive Formen von den objektiven und erkannte, dass die falsche subjektive Erkenntnistheorie den Alltagsverstand seit Jahrhunderten beeinträchtigt hatte. Deshalb versucht er, uns erstens von dem falschen Induktionsschluss zu befreien, wonach das, was oft geschieht, immer geschieht, und zweitens von der falschen "Kübeltheorie" des Geistes, wonach alles Erkennen von Wahrnehmungen oder Beobachtungen ausgeht. Seiner neuen Erkenntnis- und Wissenstheorie zufolge sind objektives Erkennen und objektives Wissen auch ohne die subjektiven Vorgänge des Denkens und Lernens möglich. Eine zentrale Rolle spielt dabei die sprachliche Welt der Probleme und Theorien, eine real existierende "Welt 3", die nach Popper ein Produkt der Evolution ist: Darwins "Variation und Selektion" ist der Mechanismus, mit dem es allen Lebewesen gelingt, sich im Laufe des Generationenwechsels an eine ihren Wünschen und Präferenzen entsprechende Umwelt anzupassen oder sie für sich umzugestalten. Wie die Spinne das Netz, so hat der Mensch eine Sprachwelt erfunden, in der sich Gedanken, Theorien und Problemlösungen verfangen, die zum Teil nicht von ihm gemacht sind, sondern menschen-unabhängig in Welt 3 auf ihre Entdeckung warten. Infolge dieser Interaktion der Individuen mit der objektiven Welt des Geistes kann jeder Mensch weit über sich hinauswachsen.Der Band ist neu übersetzt und enthält sieben neue Anhänge.

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Book SynopsisDie Metaphysik ist in weiten Kreisen der Philosophie und Theologie wieder salonfähig. Ob aber tatsächlich erledigt ist, was unter dem "Ende der Metaphysik" zu denken versucht wurde, wird gegenwärtig höchst kontrovers diskutiert: Schon was unter "Metaphysik" und "Metaphysikkritik" verstanden wird, ist umstritten. Erst recht aber scheiden sich die Geister an der Frage, ob das Ende der Metaphysik auch die Auflösung des Gottesgedankens bedeutet: Ist es wahr, dass Metaphysik treibt, wer Gott denkt? Geht es darum, schlechte Metaphysik durch bessere zu ersetzen oder ist das Setzen auf Metaphysik insgesamt als Irrweg des Denkens Gottes zurückzuweisen? Zu wenig wird bedacht, dass das Denken Gottes selbst Quelle und Kritik metaphysischen Denkens sein kann. Gerade deshalb ist zu klären, was es heisst, Gott nichtmetaphysisch oder metaphysikkritisch zu denken.

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Book SynopsisAsle Eikrem strives to develop a systematic philosophical understanding of the constitutive structures of religious discourses. Different philosophical traditions (phenomenology, hermeneutics, pragmatics, metaphysics or analytical philosophical thinking) have articulated these structures in their own distinctive ways. The author aims to show how insights from partly conflicting traditions can be coherently reconstructed within the framework of a comprehensive philosophical presentation. The central thesis guiding his work is inspired by the deep-metaphysics of German philosopher Lorenz B. Puntel, and states that the relation between the pragmatic, semantic and ontological structures of religious discourses must be understood as internally necessary. They cannot be thought independently from each other. The pragmatic and semantic structures of religious discourses must be understood as substructures in a comprehensive ontological dimension (Being) that is characterized as practicable and expressible.

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Book SynopsisDass das Leben des Glaubens affekt- und gefühlsbestimmt ist, war eine erfahrungsgesättigte Grundüberzeugung der Reformatoren. Der Wechsel vom Leben der Sünde zum Leben des Glaubens wird nicht als intellektuelle Einsicht oder freier Willensentschluss, sondern als ein Affektwechsel beschrieben, in dem der menschliche Wille von seinen sündigen Affekten befreit und durch neue, entgegengesetzte Affekte der Gnade bestimmt wird. Über die Affekte, Passionen, Emotionen, Gefühle oder kurz: die Leidenschaften des Menschen nachzudenken, ist daher eine zentrale Aufgabe theologischer Anthropologie. Ingolf U. Dalferth versucht das an den Beispielen der Angst, des Zorns, der Liebe, des Mitleids und des Vertrauens. Ohne Leidenschaften können Menschen nicht menschlich zusammenleben, aber ohne kulturelle Gestaltung können Leidenschaften zu unmenschlichem Verhalten führen und menschliches Zusammenleben behindern, schädigen oder unmöglich machen. Deshalb ist beides wichtig: die Leidenschaften kulturell zu gestalten und die kulturelle Gestaltung der Leidenschaften kritisch zu kontrollieren. Ohne Kultivierung der Leidenschaften ist menschliches Zusammenleben nicht möglich. Doch jede Kultivierung führt die Gefahr mit sich, das zu unterdrücken, was man zu gestalten versucht. Wo Leidenschaften bedenkenlos selbstisch ausgelebt werden, wird das Leben ebenso beschädigt wie dort, wo man die Leidenschaften zu unterdrücken sucht. Gegenüber beiden Fehlformen entfaltet Ingolf U. Dalferth in diesem Buch die These: Nicht die Leidenschaften, sondern das Selbstische an ihnen ist zu korrigieren, und nicht das Selbstische, sondern die Leidenschaften sind zu kultivieren.

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Book SynopsisDer französische Philosoph Paul Ricœur (1913-2005) hat es stets abgelehnt, als "Theologe" bezeichnet zu werden. Nichtsdestotrotz hat er sich zeitlebens mit biblischen Themen auseinandergesetzt. Philosophische und biblische Hermeneutik stehen während seines gesamten reflexiven Schaffens in einem außerordentlichen, jedoch niemals direkt behandelten Spannungsverhältnis zueinander.Dieser Herausforderung versucht Kathrin Messner in ihrer Untersuchung zu begegnen. Den beiden bisher nicht ins Deutsche übersetzen Schlussvorlesungen der Edinburgher Gifford Lectures von 1986 kommt dabei eine ebenso zentrale Bedeutung zu wie Ricœurs Tübinger Festvortrag Amour et justice. Liebe und Gerechtigkeit von 1989. Verglichen mit seinem zentralen philosophisch-hermeneutischen Werk Das Selbst als ein Anderer (1990) und in den Kontext seiner Intellektuellen Autobiographie (1995) gestellt, ergeben sich dabei erstaunliche Entdeckungen.Die Arbeit wurde mit dem Jahrespreis 2014 der Theologischen Fakultät der Universität Zürich ausgezeichnet.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Eric E. Hall takes up the question of the meaning of a vigorously used concept in the liberal west: authenticity and the pursuit of personal originality. By uncovering this idea's uses within three deepening contexts - the ethical, the ontological, and the theological - the author unfolds authenticity's origins and implications. To the degree that authenticity seeks in all contexts freedom from social horizons, the conclusion renders attempts to embody this ideal secularly impossible. The goal requires a total transcendence that only the divine could fulfill. Human authenticity thus emerges in creatively imitating God's self-sacrificial expression on the cross, which both transcends and revalues the horizons of this world.

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Book SynopsisGott zu denken, ist die zentrale Aufgabe der Theologie und die vornehmste der Religionsphilosophie. Wie kaum ein anderer Theologe und Religionsphilosoph hat sich Ingolf U. Dalferth dieser Aufgabe gewidmet und dafür die aktuellen Paradigmen philosophischer und theologischer Theoriebildung fruchtbar gemacht. Gott, an den Menschen glauben und auf den sie ihre Hoffnung setzen, kommt dem Denken als Erstes und Letztes in den Blick, als Anfang, der noch kein Ende gefunden hat, und als Ende, das alles neu macht.Die vierundzwanzig Studien dieser Festschrift nehmen Dalferths Beiträge auf, indem sie je auf ihre Weise Gott nachdenken. Der Reichtum der von ihnen diskutierten Fragestellungen, die Pluralität der Antworten und die Vielfalt der religionsphilosophischen und theologischen Perspektiven bekräftigen die Denkwürdigkeit Gottes.

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Book SynopsisThe International Yearbook for Hermeneutics represents one of the prominent currents in contemporary philosophy as well as in bordering disciplines. It gathers studies on questions concerning understanding and interpretation in all relevant fields, including philosophy, theology, jurisprudence, theory of science as well as literary and cultural studies. The Yearbook includes contributions to current debates and on the history of ideas from antiquity to the present. This volume focusses on "Logos."

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Book SynopsisDer Band versammelt verstreute, schwer auffindbare Einzelstudien von Eilert Herms zu Klassikern unserer philosophischen, theologischen und literarischen Tradition: Melanchthon, Hume, Jacobi, Herder, Fontane, W. James, A. Dorner, Hirsch, Barth, Heidegger, Th. Mann, Hesse, H. Krämer. Alle Positionen beweisen, daß "Metaphysik", verstanden als handlungsorientierende Erkenntnis der universalen Bedingungen des menschlichen Zusammenlebens, die dessen dauernden geschichtlichen Wandel unvermeidlich machen und tragen, also auch überdauern, weder unmöglich noch praktisch bedeutungslos geworden ist, seit Erfahrung als einzige Quelle solchen Wissens anerkannt ist. Auch Theologie verrät ihre Sache, wenn sie christlichen Glauben nicht mehre als exemplarische Gestalt solchen Wissens und Kirche nicht mehr als Ort seiner öffentlichen Kommunikation begreift. Die Texte tragen zur Offenlegung der Traditionsverarbeitung bei, von der die "Systematische Theologie" des Verfassers lebt.

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Book SynopsisSteffi Fabricius approaches Pauline hamartiology from a cognitive semantic perspective and combines the conventional views on Paul's understanding of hamartia as an action, a personification, and as a power into a conceptual metaphorical network. By using the theories of conceptual metaphors and blending on biblical texts and their hermeneutical interpretation regarding fundamental-theological issues, a discussion is opened on why traditional methods are insufficient to cover hamartia extensively. The author not only reveals a revised concept of Pauline hamartia, but more importantly aims at a theological evaluation of cognitive semantics and its ontological foundation of embodied realism via relational ontology and the concept of metaphor as transfer, hoping to broaden the interdisciplinary discourse between systematic theology and cognitive linguistics.

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Book SynopsisDid the Reformation introduce a new approach to philosophy? How did this historical caesura influence key thinkers in the history of modern philosophy up to the twenty-first century?This volume discusses the Reformation as a philosophical event in the early modern era - and its astonishing impact on key issues in philosophy until today. The contributors analyse central patterns of Luther's thinking from a philosophical angle and identify essential traits from the Reformation in modern philosophy, for example, in Kant, Hegel, Schelling, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. The volume also includes texts on contemporary phenomenology, aesthetics, political philosophy, and pragmatism, where Paul, Luther, Protestantism, and Marxism have experienced a revival. Finally, authors also discuss Jewish and Islamic approaches to philosophy in the wake of the Reformation.

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Book SynopsisIn Sein und Zeit denkt Heidegger zum ersten Mal seit René Descartes die menschliche Subjektivität grundlegend neu. Für ihn ist sie nicht mehr durch das Wissen von sich bestimmt, sondern durch unsere Erschließung von Zugängen zu dem, was ist: zu uns selbst, zueinander und zu dem, was wir nicht selbst sind. Die Gesamtheit dieser Zugänge zu dem, was es gibt, ist unsere Welt.Diese innovative Subjektivitätstheorie wird von Jaroslaw Bledowski nicht nur minutiös aus Heideggers Hauptwerk herausgearbeitet, sondern auch systematisch vom klassischen Begriff von Subjektivität als Selbstbewusstsein abgegrenzt. So wird schließlich auch Individualität neu gedacht: Denn individuelle Subjekte sind wir, indem wir einen eigenen Zugang zu den Dingen erschließen und sie dadurch für alle erst sichtbar machen.

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Book SynopsisThe International Yearbook for Hermeneutics represents one of the prominent currents in contemporary philosophy as well as in bordering disciplines. It gathers studies on questions concerning understanding and interpretation in all relevant fields, including philosophy, theology, jurisprudence, theory of science as well as literary and cultural studies. The Yearbook includes contributions to current debates and on the history of ideas from antiquity to the present. This volume focusses on " Ways of Hermeneutics."

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Book SynopsisIn this study, Calvin D. Ullrich argues for the political significance of the philosopher-theologian John D. Caputo's radical theology. Against the backdrop of present debates, the author traces the notions of 'sovereignty and event' by drawing on the political theology of Carl Schmitt and Caputo's evolving engagement with postmodern thought; from its genesis in Martin Heidegger to its deeply involved association with Jacques Derrida. Calvin D. Ullrich shows that contrary to some misleading interpretations of his religious deconstruction, Caputo has always held nascent political concerns which culminate in his radical theology. Writing for scholars working in contemporary philosophy and theology, this book offers one of the first major in-depth analyses covering Caputo's writings of the last four decades, and seeks to defend their relevance for discussions responding to ongoing political-theological challenges.

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Book SynopsisDer Glaube an die Wirkmacht des Wortes ist ein Herzstück protestantischer Theologie, aber nicht nur dieser. Er bildet genauso das Fundament der Hermeneutik Hans-Georg Gadamers. Denn Gadamer wie auch der Protestantismus gehen von der Annahme aus, dass der Mensch nicht Herr über das Wort ist. Die Wirkung des Wortes entzieht sich der menschlichen Kontrolle - und doch ereignet sich das Wort nicht willkürlich: Im Wort tut sich Wahrheit kund.Matthias Baum untersucht die Hermeneutik Gadamers aus christlich-theologischer Perspektive. Er leistet dabei ein Dreifaches: Erstens zeichnet er Gadamers Rezeption theologischer Grundgedanken nach; analysiert zweitens, wie Gadamer diese transformiert und beleuchtet drittens Strukturanalogien zwischen Gadamers Hermeneutik und christlicher Theologie.

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Book SynopsisDie Metaphysik ist seit dem 21. Jahrhundert erneut in den Fokus der Aufmerksamkeit gerückt. Alexander Schnell entwickelt eine Position, die sich von neueren "realistischen" Ansätzen unterscheidet. In den systematischen Ausarbeitungen der klassischen deutschen Philosophie verstanden sich die Deutschen Idealisten zugleich als die größten Realisten. In der aktuellen Diskussion hingegen scheint jeder idealistische Standpunkt kompromittiert zu sein, da er auf einem überholten Subjektivismus beruhe. Der hier verteidigte transzendentale Idealismus verfolgt eine Perspektive, in der die Frage nach dem "Sein" diesseits der hypostasierten Subjekt-Objekt-Beziehung gestellt wird. Diese Abhandlung über die phänomenologische Metaphysik fügt sich somit in eine zeitgenössische Debatte ein, die sowohl philosophische (insbesondere dank des "neuen Realismus") als auch anthropologische (in Bezug auf den Status des "Relationismus") Relevanz hat.

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Book SynopsisJosiah Royce was undoubtedly one of the most interesting thinkers of classical American philosophy in the transition from the 19th to the 20th century. His works cover a wide range of subjects from psychology and issues of social philosophy to metaphysics. Surrounded by philosophers such as William James or Charles Sanders Peirce, Royce developed a concept of pragmatism which he himself called "absolute pragmatism" and which was centred around a theory of community. The essays in this edited volume deal with this pragmatistic approach in his work and discuss it from various points of view. Among other things, they explore Royce's relationship to German idealism, the foundation of his ethics as well as his philosophical doctrine of God and his philosophy of religion. This results in rather divergent assessments of his philosophy, each of which is evidence of the enduring relevance of his thinking for the world of today.

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Book SynopsisThe International Yearbook for Hermeneutics represents one of the prominent currents in contemporary philosophy as well as in bordering disciplines. It gathers studies on questions concerning understanding and interpretation in all relevant fields, including philosophy, theology, jurisprudence, theory of science as well as literary and cultural studies. The Yearbook includes contributions to current debates and on the history of ideas from antiquity to the present. This volume focusses on " Plurality."

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