Fifty Years of Philosophy of Religion


Book Description

The bibliography lists about 10.000 titles of monographs, collections and articles in the field of the philosophy of religion and philosophical theology that appeared between 1955 and 2005. The majority of them are in the English language but publications in German, Dutch and French are listed as well. Though it is not claimed to be exhaustive, the bibliography offers a fairly representative survey of scholarly work on the main topics of interest. *** Publications have been systematically classified according to eleven main categories: "Introductions, Surveys and Historical Issues" (Part I), "Religious Language" (Part II), "Religious Experience" (Part III), "Religious Epistemology" (Part IV), "Theism" (Part V), "Hermeneutics" (Part VI), "Religion and Science" (Part VII), "Religion and Aesthetics" (Part VIII), "Religion and Morality" (Part IX), "Religious Pluralism" (Part X) and "Feminist Philosophy of Religion" (Part XI). Part III has been subdivided into "Religious Experience" and "Mystical Experience," Part VII into "The Concept of God," (arguments for) "The Existence of God," "The Problem of Evil" and "Atheism," and Part VII into "General and Historical Issues," "Theological Issues" and "(implications of) Modern Physics, Cosmology and Biology," *** The bibliography will particularly be useful to scholars, teachers and students in the philosophy of religion, philosophical theology and systematic theology as well as to those who are interested, professionally or otherwise, in the results of academic scholarship in those fields.




Cartesian Theodicy


Book Description

Almost all interpreters of Cartesian philosophy have hitherto focused on the epistemological aspect of Descartes' thought. In his Cartesian Theodicy, Janowski demonstrates that Descartes' epistemological problems are merely rearticulations of theological questions. For example, Descartes' attempt to define the role of God in man's cognitive fallibility is a reiteration of an old argument that points out the incongruity between the existence of God and evil, and his pivotal question `whence error?' is shown here to be a rephrasing of the question `whence evil?' The answer Descartes gives in the Meditations is actually a reformulation of the answer found in St. Augustine's De Libero Arbitrio and the Confessions. The influence of St. Augustine on Descartes can also be detected in the doctrine of eternal truths which, within the context of the 17th-century debates over the question of the nature of divine freedom, caused Descartes to ally himself with the Augustinian Oratorians against the Jesuits. Both in his Cartesian Theodicy as well as his Index Augustino-Cartesian, Textes et Commentaire Janowski shows that the entire Cartesian metaphysics can - and should - be read within the context of Augustinian thought.







Descartes and the Modern


Book Description

Descartes is not simply our iconic modern philosopher, mathematician or scientist. He stands as the cultural symbol for modernity itself. As such, Descartes is widely read in and out of universities as the definitive moment in the birth of what we take to be the Modern. Yet, recent scholarship has presented numerous challenges to the Cartesian image. Some question the legitimacy of calling Descartes a founder of modernity. Others have questioned the very legitimacy of Modernity itself, using Descartes as a way into that critique This collection of original papers by leading philosophers and historians of early modern thought opens up these questions, exploring them in new and markedly interdisciplinary ways, offering fresh insights into the important relationship between Descartes and the Modern, and the very meaning and status of Modernity itself. This collection assembles together for the first time leading representatives from what might be called the “naturalist” or Anglo-American school with those of the continental “phenomenological” school in a dialogue concerning Descartes’ place. The papers explore crucial questions and recent disputes regarding Descartes’ relationship to his predecessors, to his contemporaries and to modern thought, to the philosophy of mind, to questions of metaphysics and natural philosophy. Descartes and the Modern helps bridge solitudes drawn between these traditional approaches to Descartes.




Historical Dictionary of Descartes and Cartesian Philosophy


Book Description

The Historical Dictionary of Descartes and Cartesian Philosophy, Third Edition, centers on Descartes’ philosophy (considered broadly to include his science and mathematics) in the context of 17th-century thought, with attention being paid to its reception. This is done through a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 400 cross-referenced entries on various concepts in Descartes’ philosophy, science, and mathematics, as well as biographical entries about the intellectual setting for Descartes’ philosophy and its reception, both with Cartesians and anti-Cartesians. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Descartes philosophy.




Augustine Deformed


Book Description

Augustine established a moral framework that dominated Western culture for more than a thousand years. His partly flawed presentation of some of its key concepts (love, will and freedom), however, prompted subsequent thinkers to attempt to repair this framework, and their efforts often aggravated the very problems they intended to solve. Over time, dissatisfaction with an imperfect Augustinian theology gave way to increasingly secular and eventually impersonal moral systems. This volume traces the distortion of Augustine's thought from the twelfth century to the present and examines its consequent reconstructions. John M. Rist argues that modern philosophies should be recognized as offering no compelling answers to questions about the human condition and as leading inevitably to conventionalism or nihilism. In order to avoid this end, he proposes a return to an updated Augustinian Christianity. Essential reading for anyone interested in Augustine and his influence, Augustine Deformed revitalizes his original conception of love, will and freedom.




A Free Corrector


Book Description

A Free Corrector evaluates Colin Gunton's treatment of Augustine's legacy on the Trinity and the doctrine of creation. Gunton claimed that Augustine's work ultimately contributed to a host of problems for the Western tradition. Joshua McNall addresses this in conjunction with Gujnton's argument regarding Augustine's "afterlife." In the end, A Free Corrector argues that while Gunton was far too "free" in his correctio of Augustine, it is also true that isolated aspects of his Augustinian narrative remain viable.




The History of Evil in the Early Modern Age


Book Description

The third volume of The History of Evil encompasses the early modern era from 1450–1700. This revolutionary period exhibited immense change in both secular knowledge and sacred understanding. It saw the fall of Constantinople and the rise of religious violence, the burning of witches and the drowning of Anabaptists, the ill treatment of indigenous peoples from Africa to the Americas, the reframing of formal authorities in religion, philosophy, and science, and it produced profound reflection on good and evil in the genius of Shakespeare, Milton, Bacon, Teresa of Avila, and the Cambridge Platonists. This superb treatment of the history of evil during a formative period of the early modern era will appeal to those with interests in philosophy, theology, social and political history, and the history of ideas.




Handbook of Medieval Studies


Book Description

This interdisciplinary handbook provides extensive information about research in medieval studies and its most important results over the last decades. The handbook is a reference work which enables the readers to quickly and purposely gain insight into the important research discussions and to inform themselves about the current status of research in the field. The handbook consists of four parts. The first, large section offers articles on all of the main disciplines and discussions of the field. The second section presents articles on the key concepts of modern medieval studies and the debates therein. The third section is a lexicon of the most important text genres of the Middle Ages. The fourth section provides an international bio-bibliographical lexicon of the most prominent medievalists in all disciplines. A comprehensive bibliography rounds off the compendium. The result is a reference work which exhaustively documents the current status of research in medieval studies and brings the disciplines and experts of the field together.