In Alone in the World? - first given as the 2004 Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh - J. Wentzel van Huyssteen develops the interdisciplinary dialogue that he set out in The Shaping of Rationality (1999), applying this methodology to the uncharted waters between theological anthropology and paleoanthropology. Among other things, van Huyssteen argues that scientific notions of human uniqueness help us to ground theological notions of human distinctiveness in flesh-and-blood, embodied experiences and protect us from overly complex theological abstractions regarding the "image of God." Focusing on the interdisciplinary problem of human origins and distinctiveness, van Huyssteen accesses the origins of the embodied human mind through the spectacular prehistoric cave paintings of Western Europe, fifteen of which are reproduced in this volume. Boldly connecting the widely separated fields of Christian theology and paleoanthropology through careful interdisciplinary reflection, Alone in the World? will encourage sustained investigation into the question of human uniqueness.

Editors J. Wentzel van Huyssteen and Erik P. Wiebe present a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary discussion on -the problem of self- -- the elusive nature of the human self and all its complex dimensions. With contributions from experts in philosophy, archaeology, primatology, psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science of religion, and more, this book explores concepts of imagination, self-awareness, consciousness, religiosity, and personhood. Contributors: Justin Barrett Eric Bergemann Joao Biehl Emma Cohen Pamela Cooper-White Terrence W. Deacon Deanie Eichenstein James W. Haag Jan-Olav Henriksen Ian Hodder Catherine Keller Barbara J. King Jay Ogilvy Philip A. Rolnick Helene Tallon Russell Calvin O. Schrag Roger Scruton Maxine Sheets-Johnstone Daniel J. Siegel Ellen Streit Marjorie Hewitt Suchoki Ian Tattersall Jennifer Thweatt-Bates Leon Turner J. Wentzel van Huyssteen Erik P. Wiebe Hetty Zock

This collection of essays boldly addresses many of the challenges faced by Christian theology in the context of contemporary postmodern thought. Handling abstract topics in a remarkably clear and concise way, J. Wentzel van Huyssteen presses the case for a "postfoundationalist theology" as a viable third option beyond the extremes of foundationalism and nonfoundationalism. Van Huyssteen discusses themes related to rationality, epistemology, and philosophy of science. In the process he critically engages the work of such thinkers as Wolfhart Pannenberg, Nancey Murphy, Jerome Stone, and Gerd Theissen. The result is a convincing argument that only a truly accessible and philosophically credible notion of interdisciplinarity will be able to pave the way for a plausible public theology that can play an important intellectual role in our fragmented culture today.