Examines the meaning of nature, or physics, in light of some of the central concerns of Catholic theology and philosophy. The papers presented here result from a conference which examined developments in twentieth-century physics, particularly as interpreted in the work of theoretical physicist David Bohm. Co-published with COMMUNIO International Catholic Review.

Referring to creation as generous is not common. We normally associate notions of generosity and gift in the created order with human being and action, imputing such notions to other creatures and the whole of creation often only in a ""poetic"" sense. Once we center the reality of all things in God as a loving Creator, however, we become disposed to see everything, in its very givenness, as gift?a reality that participates from its depths, in analogical ways, in God's generosity, such as to make possible a deepened look also at the problem of evil. The Generosity of Creation has a twofold purpose in this light. The four chapters of Part I spell out what this God-centeredness implies for our understanding of the cosmos in various contexts: first, the ""paradigmatic"" meaning of the child and childlikeness for a civilization rightly ordered in terms of gift; second, ecology considered in terms of a ""liberation theology"" guided by ""integral human development""; third, the unity between ""ideas"" and ""reality"" as a necessary condition for ""preserving nature as the pre-sacrament, and the Church as the sacrament, of the Word of God's Love""; fourth, human freedom conceived primarily as a response to the good and a desire for God, in contrast to the would-be neutral or indifferent freedom characteristic of liberal societies. Part II explores the metaphysical foundations for speaking of creatures as ""generous"": gifts from God that participate, each according to its own nature, in God's giving. The exploration unfolds in dialogue with theologian Michael Waldstein, in relation to the anthropology of John Paul II and the metaphysics of Thomas Aquinas.

Metaphysical study of God, love, technology, and culture in modern society Reality most basically and properly considered, says David L. Schindler, is an order of love -- a gift that finds its objective only in an entire way of life. Love is what first brings things into existence, and everything exists in, through, and for love. With this understanding of reality, Schindler explores how modern culture marginalizes love, regarding it at best as a matter of piety or goodwill rather than as the very stuff that makes our lives and the things of the world real. Schindler examines how Western civilization's fixation with technology -- especially its displacement of experience with experiment and its privileging of knowing and making -- has undermined its capacity to build an authentic human culture. Schindler sees this as a technological age not simply because of technological advancements but because of the way we think as the result of our technological orientation. He shows, within the context of politics, economics, science, and cultural and professional life generally, that God-centered love is what gives things their deepest and most proper order and meaning.

Pope Paul VI characterised the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom - Dignitatis Humanae - as one of the greatest documents of Vatican II. It is also perhaps the most intensely debated document of the Council; both the drafting of the Declaration of Religious Freedom and its reception within the Church have been marked by deep disagreements about what this teaching means for the Church. In this book David Schindler and Nicholas Healy promote a deeper understanding of this important document. In addition to presenting a new translation of the approved text of the Declaration, Freedom Truth and Human Dignity makes available for the first time in English the five drafts of the document that were presented to the Council bishops leading up to the final version. The book also includes an original interpretative essay on Dignitatis Humanae by Schindler and an essay on the genesis and redaction history of the text by Healy.