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Books > Religion & Spirituality > General > Philosophy of religion > General
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Anti-Machiavel
(Hardcover)
Innocent Gentillet; Edited by Ryan Murtha; Translated by Simon Patericke
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R1,933
R1,570
Discovery Miles 15 700
Save R363 (19%)
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Ships in 18 - 22 working days
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What does it really mean to be modern? The contributors to this
collection offer critical attempts both to re-read Max Weber's
historical idea of disenchantment and to develop further his
understanding of what the contested relationship between modernity
and religion represents. The approach is distinctive because it
focuses on disenchantment as key to understanding those aspects of
modern society and culture that Weber diagnosed. This is in
opposition to approaches that focus on secularization, narrowly
construed as the rise of secularism or the divide between religion
and politics, and that then conflate this with modernization as a
whole. Other novel contributions are discussions of temporality -
meaning the sense of time or of historical change that posits a
separation between an ostensibly secular modernity and its
religious past - and of the manner in which such a sense of time is
constructed and disseminated through narratives that themselves may
resemble religious myths. It reflects the idea that disenchantment
is a narrative with either Enlightenment, Romantic, or Christian
roots, thereby developing a conversation between critical studies
in the field of secularism (such as those of Talal Asad and Gil
Anidjar) and conceptual history approaches to secularization and
modernity (such as those of Karl Loewith and Reinhart Koselleck),
and in the process creates something that is more than merely the
sum of its parts.
There is good reason why some people don't want to talk about
religion in polite company. Like conversations about politics,
discussions about religion all too often set people at odds with
each other in ways that are hard to predict and difficult to
control. For all the controversy involved with such debate, this
book invites the reader to engage with an ethical appraisal of
religion(s) as they are practised today. It is written in the
belief that this is an important dialogue for our time. It claims,
despite the emotive character of the subject, that the free
exchange of ideas and experience between people of differing views
and commitments can with practice generate more light than heat.
Particular effort is made to answer the question: how can we fairly
evaluate the ethical character of religion(s)? It focuses
especially but not at all exclusively on the religions of
Christianity and Islam, being critical of them in many respects;
but it also offers sharp rebuke to some of the perspectives of
Richard Dawkins and others among the new atheists.
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Be
(Hardcover)
Dawn Witte
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R787
Discovery Miles 7 870
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Reason, the Only Oracle of Man is Colonel Ethan Allen's polemical
treatise wherein he argues for the power of reason, and reason's
nature as a God-given attribute of man. Received to a negative
reception during its original publication in 1785, Reason, the Only
Oracle of Man divided opinion on the grounds of its rejection of
traditional, Christian religious beliefs. At the time, the
fledgling nation of the United States was deeply devoted to the
traditional Christian establishment, with many suspicious of the
recent progress of science in many fields. Ethan Allen rejected
many traditional beliefs of the Christian church. He considered
much of the Bible to be mythical superstition, and held great
contempt for organised religion which he viewed as corrupt and
sinful, with the priesthood in particular targeted for its
inadequacies. While not an atheist, Allen believed strongly in the
power and capacity of reason, and considered its use to be
virtuous.
This book offers a rigorous analysis of why commitment matters and
the challenges it presents to a range of believers. Peter Forrest
treats commitment as a response to lost innocence. He considers the
intellectual consequences of this by demonstrating why, for
example, we should not believe in angels. He then explores why
humans are attached to reason and to humanism, recognising the
different commitments made by theist and non-theist humanists.
Finally, he analyses religious faith, specifically fideism,
defining it by way of contrast to Descartes, Pascal and William
James, as well as contemporary philosophers including John
Schellenberg and Lara Buchak. Of particular interest to scholars
working on the philosophy of religion, the book makes the case both
for and against committing to God, recognising that God's divine
character sets up an emotional rather than an intellectual barrier
to commitment to worship.
Herbert McCabe OP was one of the most intelligent Roman Catholic
thinkers of the 20th century, whose writings have enjoyed enormous
and welcome success. A significant influence on philosophers such
as Anthony Kenny and Alasdair McIntyre, McCabe also counted amongst
his friends Seamus Heaney and Terry Eagleton, and moved amongst the
literary elite. His wide personal interests are reflected in his
writings, which cover a broad range of topics. In this reader we
glimpse an insight into the workings of a brilliant mind occupied
by topics including the philosophy of God and Christian doctrine,
ethics and moral theology, the problem of evil, the philosophical
theology of St Thomas Aquinas, the traditional catholic concern for
prayer, liturgy, Mary and St Dominic. Further musings reflect on
issues that interested McCabe the most - philosophy of God,
Christology, fundamental and sacramental theology, and ethics.
Edited by Brian Davies and Paul Kucharski, two well known McCabe
specialists, the selection is a gem which will be of use to any
reader interested in comprehending the key issues for a thoughtful
life, and also includes some of McCabe's most dazzling sermons.
Fifty-Two Weeks with God is composed of fifty-two meditations on
God, God's creation, and men and women who gave their lives for
others. The book begins with New Year, the time we think of what we
have done before and repent and resolve to correct ourselves. We
sit in awe at God's magnificent creation and what He has done for
us. We meditate on the lives of others who felt the call to follow
Christ and care for those in need. We meditate on the innocent
children whose characters and beliefs we mold as we care for them
by word and deed. We meditate on the spirit of God, the spirit of
love and truth. We meditate on God's promise for us to be with him
in the warmth of his love for eternity if we follow His example and
teaching.
"Whatever is true, whatever is good, whatever is honorable,
whatever is of good report. Whatever is lovely, whatever is pure;
think on these things (Philippians 4:8)."
Bernard Bolzano (1781-1850) is increasingly recognized as one of
the greatest nineteenth-century philosophers. A philosopher and
mathematician of rare talent, he made ground-breaking contributions
to logic, the foundations and philosophy of mathematics,
metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion. Many of the larger
features of later analytic philosophy (but also many of the
details) first appear in his work: for example, the separation of
logic from psychology, his sophisticated understanding of
mathematical proof, his definition of logical consequence, his work
on the semantics of natural kind terms, or his anticipations of
Cantor's set theory, to name but a few. To his contemporaries,
however, he was best known as an intelligent and determined
advocate for reform of Church and State. Based in large part on a
carefully argued utilitarian practical philosophy, he developed a
program for the non-violent reform of the authoritarian
institutions of the Hapsburg Empire, a program which he himself
helped to set in motion through his teaching and other activities.
Rarely has a philosopher had such a great impact on the political
culture of his homeland. Persecuted in his lifetime by secular and
ecclesiastical authorities, long ignored or misunderstood by
philosophers, Bolzano's reputation has nevertheless steadily
increased over the past century and a half. Much discussed and
respected in Central Europe for over a century, he is finally
beginning to receive the recognition he deserves in the
English-speaking world. This book provides a comprehensive and
detailed critical introduction to Bolzano, covering both his life
and works.
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