Философия
Различные книги в жанре ФилософияA Macrotheory of Justice
For too long a time, the contemporary theories of justice have been focusing on humankind as the sole bearer or claimant of justice and too little importance has been given to nature or the cosmos as the bearer of justice in its own right. Due to this limitation, ecological justice in particular has not been given the priority it deserves in the study of justice. Given the sacred character of nature or cosmos, God has not been considered an integral part of the study of justice, and further, that protecting nature has not been considered an important moral and sacred duty. This study presents a wholesome and all encompassing macro-theory of justice, Umumtulogy, by demonstrating how humankind, God, and nature are inter-related, and how harmony, peace, and abundant life in the world can be the fruit of a three-fold relationship.
Dialectic of Enlightenment
Dialectic of Enlightenment is a thought-provoking introduction to the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno first identified the «dialectic of enlightenment» when fascism was on the rampage in Europe. They warned that enlightened reason and societal freedom threaten to revert into blindness and oppression. Herbert Marcuse and the young Jurgen Habermas elaborated their Critical Theory, declaring that post-war society has not escaped this dilemma, blinded as it is by ideology, pseudo-democracy, and mass manipulation. Critical Theory aims to unmask modern reason and liberate society. But a fundamental question keeps coming back: how can this critique of modernity remain viable within a repressive societal system? Is reason in the modern world indeed doomed to self-destruct? Does rationality inevitably lead to domination and oppression? Jacob Klapwijk argues that the dialectic of enlightenment proves to be a faith, a mythical faith encouraging resignation and despair. Instead we need a wholesome reason, one inspired by a messianic faith. Dialectic of Enlightenment is an important book for students of philosophy, theology, and the social sciences. It invites them to a renewed criticism of the mythological traits and self-destructive tendencies of modern reason. It also offers a perspective of hope to all who share the author's concern about the direction of today's globalizing world.
Keeping our Republic
There is something wrong with our politics that elections cannot solve. In recent years, we have had a Republican Congress with a Democratic president, a Republican Congress with a Republican president, a Democratic Congress with a Republican president, and a Democratic Congress with a Democratic president. The «New Democrat» of 1992 produced a «Republican Revolution» in 1994. We cleansed ourselves of Clinton Administration corruption in 2000 only to have to punish Republican corruption in 2006. «Hope and Change» triumphed in 2008, while «Change That Matters» flopped in 2010. For nearly twenty years, the American people have tried to mind their own business at home while carrying on a seemingly futile search for the right combination of R's and D's in Washington. That search will not end until we address the roots of our political disorder: the progressive abandonment of our republican principles and heritage. Only a political reformation calling us back to the wisdom of our fathers and the founding documents of our nation can truly free us from the deeply-entrenched, bipartisan ruling class that is bankrupting and degrading us. Only a political reformation can «secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity . . .»
The Changing Role of the Managing Chaplain at Haverigg Prison
This paper is the result of ethnographic research carried out by the Managing Chaplain at Haverigg Prison. It is the first work of its type since the reorganization of the Prison Service in 2013 under the heading 'Fair and Sustainable.' Essentially, it is a case study of the role of the Managing Chaplain at Haverigg, with an evaluation of the changed role of the Prison Chaplain, with particular attention to the chaplain's role as a Christian leader. Much of the content is concerned with perception, both historic and contemporary. The main body of the work identifies relevant background information alongside other models of leadership. It traces the history of the development and perception of the Prison Chaplain, and constructs an understanding of the leadership style currently employed. Issues arising include mission (as it applies in this context), the tension between pluralism and the uniqueness of Christ, the implicit suggestion of syncretism, and the use of religion as an intervention. The conclusion includes recommendations for maintaining the integrity of Christian witness whilst fully respecting all faiths.
Tools for Young Philosophers
If you are an aspiring young philosopher or just curious about philosophy, this book will give you a jump-start. In about three hours' reading time you will become familiar with the most basic building blocks of philosophy and will become acquainted with twelve of the most influential philosophers in Western history. To make the information as memorable as possible, many of the terms are arranged in pairs so that you get two for the price of one and can quickly grasp how they are related. Other disciplines in the humanities use many of the same terms, so by mastering them you will also obtain tools for understanding historians, sociologists, psychologists, economists, and political scientists.
Dialogues on Miracle
This book explores, in a manner that is readily accessible to those with little or no formal training in philosophy or theology, important questions concerning the rationality of belief in miracles. This book employs the time-honored literary device of dialogue, a practice that dates as far back as Plato. Done well, this form of philosophical investigation puts forward a thesis, yet genuinely engages with the views its author opposes.
These dialogues are intended to provide a philosophical defense of the possibility of rationally justified belief in miracles. Such a defense can legitimately dispense with much of the paraphernalia that professional scholars in a discipline use in writing for other professional scholars in their discipline–some scholarly texts seem to be more references than argument–but it must not «dumb down» the material by oversimplifying the issues, or presenting «straw man» versions of the arguments it seeks to refute. My hope is that not only those who are already convinced of the rationality of belief in miracles will read this book, but also those who are unconvinced.
Can Saul Alinsky Be Saved?
Revolutionary France of 1789 was the world's first post-Christian society. Leftism is an ersatz religion, and France became the world's first Leftist nation. Leftism is faux Christianity. America is today becoming a post-Christian society under a similar imitation of Christianity. One of the truisms of such a society is that one can now hide behind the pretense of «openness.» Shame, which would have previously kept certain things hidden, is now the only thing of which we are ashamed. One can be completely open about all matters sexual, for frankness about everything is now valued. Yet, such cultures only develop new ways of being hidden. One hides in plain sight in modern America. One goes on television, the Internet, and to publishing houses to «tell all,» using the facade of «boldness» and «frankness,» to remain hidden. «Openness» is a cover, and it is a cover for emptiness. We no longer know who, where, or what we are. We have lost ourselves.
Bathed in Abrasion
If compromise and disappointment have a home, it is midlife. Here, suffering is like breathing. Longing is like dreaming. Standing midstream in the abrasive forces of life, author N. Thomas Johnson-Medland has learned to wade through the erosion and entropy of failure and incompleteness. And yet, in spite of these massive forces attempting to wear down the very vitality that sustains life, he has come to abide in the fact that life is amazing, wonder-filled, and truly awesome. In this book, Johnson-Medland teaches us that our place in the cosmos is full of joy. Our island is hope. Our vision is beauty. Let these forces do their best to wear us smooth. For in them, we can find refinement and grace. Bathed in Abrasion invites us swim among the abrasive forces of life: wilderness, war, suffering, water–they are all a part of the poems of our lives. Watch for the meter of erosion and decay. Listen for the sound of sloughing off. For just as all things decay, they are also changing shape into a new becoming. Nothing is lost; everything belongs.
Essays in Anthropology
The question of the nature of humanity is one of the most complex of all philosophical and theological inquiries. Where might one look to find a decent answer to this question? Should we turn to an investigation of genetics and DNA for such answers? Should we look to the history of humanity's adaption and evolution? Should we look to humanity's cultural achievements and the form of its social life?
In this intriguing and provocative collection of essays, philosopher Robert Spaemann reacts against what he calls «scientistic» anthropology and ventures to take up afresh the quaestio de homine, «the question of man.» Spaemann contends that when it comes to the nagging question of what we truly are as human beings, understanding our chemical make-up or evolutionary past simply cannot give us the full picture. Instead, without doing away with the findings of modern evolutionary science, Spaemann offers successive treatments of human nature, human evolution, and human dignity, which paint a full and compelling picture of the meaning of human life. Crucial to any anthropology, he demonstrates, is our future as well as our past. And our relationship to God as well as to our next-door neighbor. All of these themes coalesce in a vital contribution to the question of what it means to be human.
The Unknown God
What is the so-called New Atheism? The first decade of the twenty-first century has witnessed a cluster of authors who have attained public notoriety through their mockery of religion and their popularizing of atheism. How should Christians and other believers understand and respond to this aggressive attack on their faith? In this collection of sermons, leading academic theologians and philosophers who have written about the New Atheists seek to sum up their thinking and help us make sense of this contemporary phenomenon–and offer a richer and more sophisticated account of what belief in God is really about.