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Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) was by any reckoning one of the
major modern philosophers. Raised as a Catholic in late-19th
century Vienna, he later gave up practicing his religion; yet, as
journal notes and many anecdotes attest, he remained deeply if
ambivalently interested in religion throughout his life. Students
of the philosophy of religion are familiar with his lectures on
religious belief. For the rest, however, in the vast collection of
commentary and criticism that has accumulated over the years,
little attention has been paid to his religious interests.In
consideration of how far Wittgenstein's Catholic background may
have influenced his philosophical reflections on the soul,
preeminent author Fergus Kerr explores aspects of Wittgenstein's
personal and professional life. Kerr examines many of
Wittgenstein's writings and lectures, including his last set of
lectures in the mid-1940s at the University of Cambridge on
philosophical psychology.Beginning with a largely biographical
study of Wittgenstein, Kerr argues that Wittgenstein's philosophy
was partly prompted by his strong reaction against what he regarded
as an excessively rationalistic type of Catholic apologetics that
he was taught in his early school years. His serious interest as a
student at Cambridge in experimental psychology and in the works of
Freud is documented.In the second half of the book, Kerr expounds
Wittgenstein's famous ""Private Language Argument"" - his mockery
of the idea that one could have thoughts that are in principle
incommunicable. He then discusses three philosophers, John Wisdom,
Stanley Cavell, and Richard Eldrige, who have developed
Wittgenstein's ideas on self-understanding in ways that should
interest students with a desire to rethink psychology in the
context of an integrally humanist anthropology of the human person.
The philosopher Wittgenstein is considered by many to be the most
influential and significant of the 20th century. This book
introduces him to students of theology and focuses on his writings
dealing with theological issues such as the inner life, immortality
of the soul, and the relationship of the believer to church and
tradition.
Thomas Aquinas, an Italian Catholic priest in the early thirteeth
century, is considered to be one of the great Christian thinkers
who had, and who still has, a profound influence on Western
thought. He was a controversial figure who was exposed and engaged
in conflict. This Very Short Introduction looks at Aquinas in a
historical context, and explores the Church and culture into which
Aquinas was born. It considers Aquinas as philosopher, and looks at
the relationship between philosophy and religion in the thirteenth
century. Fergus Kerr, in this engaging and informative
introduction, will make The Summa Theologiae, Aquinas's greatest
single work, accessible to new readers. It will also reflect on the
importance of Thomas Aquinas in modern debates and asks why Aquinas
matters now. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series
from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost
every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to
get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine
facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make
interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
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