A Philosophical Audacity
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Theodicy: an Overview
1 Theodicy: An Overview Introduction All of us struggle at one time or another in life with why evil happens to someone, either ourselves, our family, our friends, our nation, or perhaps some particularly disturbing instance in the news—a child raped, a school shooting, genocide in another country, a terrorist bombing. The following material is meant to give an overview of the discussion of this issue as it takes place in several circles, especially that of the Christian church. I. The Problem of Evil Defined Three terms, "the problem of evil," "theodicy," and "defense" are important to our discussion. The first two are often used as synonyms, but strictly speaking the problem of evil is the larger issue of which theodicy is a subset because one can have a secular problem of evil. Evil is understood as a problem when we seek to explain why it exists (Unde malum?) and what its relationship is to the world as a whole. Indeed, something might be considered evil when it calls into question our basic trust in the order and structure of our world. Peter Berger in particular has argued that explanations of evil are necessary for social structures to stay themselves against chaotic forces. It follows, then, that such an explanation has an impact on the whole person. As David Blumenthal observes, a good theodicy is one that has three characteristics: 1. "[I]t should leave one with one’s sense of reality intact." (It tells the truth about reality.) 2. "[I]t should leave one empowered within the intellectual-moral system in which one lives." (Namely, it should not deny God’s basic power or goodness.) 3. -
The Study of the Fundamentals of Martin Luther's Theology in The
The Study of the Fundamentals of Martin Luther’s Theology in the Light of Ecumenism 1 Tuomo Mannermaa Translated and edited by Kirsi Stjerna It is not unusual in the history of academic disciplines that new ideas concerning the fundamentals of a particular discipline emerge either by accident or as a result of impulses from another field of scholarship. This is the case also in today’s Luther research. Two particular fields can be named from most recent history, fields with significant impulses for new insights: ecumenism and philosophy. The philosophical impulses are connected with the task of locating Luther’s theology in regard to both scholasticism, which preceded Luther, and the philosophy of the modern times, which succeeded him. Ecumenism presents its own challenges for Luther research and Lutheran theological tradition. It is the latter issue that I wish to address here, touching upon the issues related to philosophy only as far as it is helpful in light of ecumenical questions at stake. The ecumenical impulses originate, above all, from two sources: Lutheran–Orthodox theological discussions, on the one hand, and Lutheran–Catholic theological encounters, on the other. The challenge issued to Luther research by Lutheran–Orthodox discussions lies in the theme “Luther and the doctrine of divinization,” whereas Lutheran–Catholic cooperation in Luther research has set out to clarify the theme, “Luther as a theologian of love.” Especially the late Catholic Luther specialist Peter Manns has unraveled the latter topic wit h his fruitful Luther interpretation. The first of these two topics, “Luther and theosis (divinization),” is fundamental in the sense that it gives expression to the patristic standard of comparison that all these three denominations share and that can serve as a starting point in their process toward a common understanding. -
Is There a Judeo-Christian Tradition?
Is there a Judeo-Christian Tradition? Perspectives on Jewish Texts and Contexts Edited by Vivian Liska Editorial Board Robert Alter, Steven E. Aschheim, Richard I. Cohen, Mark H. Gelber, Moshe Halbertal, Geoffrey Hartman, Moshe Idel, Samuel Moyn, Ada Rapoport-Albert, Alvin Rosenfeld, David Ruderman, Bernd Witte Volume 4 Is there a Judeo-Christian Tradition? A European Perspective Edited by Emmanuel Nathan Anya Topolski Volume inspired by the international workshop “Is there a Judeo-Christian tradition?” as part of the UCSIA/IJS Chair for Jewish-Christian Relations, organized by the Institute of Jewish Studies of the University of Antwerp and the University Centre Saint Ignatius Antwerp (UCSIA). An electronic version of this book is freely available, thanks to the support of libra- ries working with Knowledge Unlatched. KU is a collaborative initiative designed to make high quality books Open Access. More information about the initiative can be found at www.knowledgeunlatched.org This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License. For details go to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. ISBN 978-3-11-041647-3 e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-041659-6 e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-041667-1 ISSN 2199-6962 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress. Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed -
Interpreting the Theology of Barth in Light of Nietzsche's Dictum “God Is Dead”
Interpreting the theology of Barth in light of Nietzsche’s dictum “God is dead” André J Groenewald Pastor: Presbyterian Church of Scotland Edinburgh, Scotland Abstract Karl Barth responded with his theology to Nietzsche’s dictum “God is dead” by stating that God is the living God. God does not need the human race to exist. God reveals God self to humankind whenever God wills. Barth agreed with Nietzsche that the god of the nineteenth century was a “Nicht-Gott”. The article aims to discus Karl Barth’s respons to Nietzsche’s impulse towards the development of a concept of God that would lead to neither atheism nor theism. The article argues that Barth paved the way for talking about God by defining God as the “communicative God”. 1. INTRODUCTION In his book, Die fröhliche Wissenschaft, originally written in 1882, Nietzsche tells about a mad man who runs around in a marketplace looking for “God” (Nietzsche 1973:159). Since he cannot find God, he can only reach one conclusion. God is dead! Nietzsche did not per se deny or affirm the existence of God. He announced the death of the god of modernity (Ward [1997] 1998:xxix; Groenewald 2005:146). He had a problem with the notion of “Fortschritt” according to which history has proven that human beings develop to greater heights of their own accord and that the potential for progress is intrinsic to humankind (Nietzsche 1969a:169; 1972: 304, 309, 310; see Jensen 2006:47, 51). “God’s existence and providence could then be proven on account of this optimistic progress in the course of history” (Groenewald 2005:146). -
Nietzsche and Eternal Recurrence: Methods, Archives, History, and Genesis
University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School April 2021 Nietzsche and Eternal Recurrence: Methods, Archives, History, and Genesis William A. B. Parkhurst University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Philosophy Commons Scholar Commons Citation Parkhurst, William A. B., "Nietzsche and Eternal Recurrence: Methods, Archives, History, and Genesis" (2021). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/8839 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Nietzsche and Eternal Recurrence: Methods, Archives, History, and Genesis by William A. B. Parkhurst A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy Department of Philosophy College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Joshua Rayman, Ph.D. Lee Braver, Ph.D. Vanessa Lemm, Ph.D. Alex Levine, Ph.D. Date of Approval: February 16th, 2021 Keywords: Fredrich Nietzsche, Eternal Recurrence, History of Philosophy, Continental Philosophy Copyright © 2021, William A. B. Parkhurst Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my mother, Carol Hyatt Parkhurst (RIP), who always believed in my education even when I did not. I am also deeply grateful for the support of my father, Peter Parkhurst, whose support in varying avenues of life was unwavering. I am also deeply grateful to April Dawn Smith. It was only with her help wandering around library basements that I first found genetic forms of diplomatic transcription. -
Friedrich Nietzsche / Franz Und Ida Overbeck: Briefwechsel
Friedrich Nietzsche / Franz und Ida Overbeck: Briefwechsel Bearbeitet von Katrin Meyer, Barbara von Reibnitz, Barbara von Reibnitz 1. Auflage 1999. Buch. xxxii, 535 S. Hardcover ISBN 978 3 476 01617 1 Format (B x L): 14 x 21,6 cm Gewicht: 801 g Weitere Fachgebiete > Literatur, Sprache > Deutsche Literatur Zu Inhaltsverzeichnis schnell und portofrei erhältlich bei Die Online-Fachbuchhandlung beck-shop.de ist spezialisiert auf Fachbücher, insbesondere Recht, Steuern und Wirtschaft. Im Sortiment finden Sie alle Medien (Bücher, Zeitschriften, CDs, eBooks, etc.) aller Verlage. Ergänzt wird das Programm durch Services wie Neuerscheinungsdienst oder Zusammenstellungen von Büchern zu Sonderpreisen. Der Shop führt mehr als 8 Millionen Produkte. Friedrich Nietzsche / Franz und Ida Overbeck Briefwechsel Am 19. April 1869 kommt Friedrich Nietzsche als Professor für griechische Sprache und Literatur aus Leipzig nach Basel. Er wohnt am Schützengraben 45 (heute 47), am äusseren, zum Elsass hin gelegenen Stadtrand von Basel. Etwa ein Jahr später wird Franz 5 Overbeck als Professor für Neues Testament und Kirchengeschichte von Jena nach Basel berufen. Er zieht ins gleiche Haus wie Nietzsche und wird dessen Wohnungsnachbar. Nietzsche ist damals fünfund- zwanzig, Overbeck ist zweiunddreissig Jahre alt. Der erste überlieferte Brief Nietzsches an Overbeck stammt aus dem 10 Jahre 1871. Nietzsche hat sich aus gesundheitlichen Gründen vorzei- tig vom Wintersemester beurlauben lassen und hält sich mit seiner Schwester, Elisabeth Nietzsche, bis Anfang April in Lugano auf. Dort arbeitet er an der Abhandlung »Ursprung und Ziel der Tragödie«, die er im Sommer 1871 zur »Geburt der Tragödie aus dem Geiste der 15 Musik« umarbeiten wird. Overbeck verbringt die Semesterferien bei seiner Familie in Dres- den. -
The Compatibility of an Existential Perspective with Religion
CHAPTER 8 THE COMPATIBILITY OF AN EXISTENTIAL PERSPECTIVE WITH RELIGION “In discussions of Existentialism, this idea of the baselessness and arbitrariness of human values is almost always the one that arouses protest.” (Van Cleve Morris, 1990, Existentialism in Education, p. 41) Concerns raised in response to any perspective described as existential are usually based upon the apparent ‘arbitrariness’ of values as identified by Morris in the passage above. A perspective of existential spirituality might be assumed to be potentially at odds with religious views because it privi- leges the centring of the person rather than of a doctrinal framework and therefore it might be considered as being inappropriate for religious-based schools. The purpose of this chapter is to examine whether the perspective of existential spirituality being developed here can be compatible with religious views, and if so, how it must be conceptualised. If existential philosophy is unable to readily lend itself to an acceptance of a deity and is unable to be seen as being able to embrace religious views, then opposition towards the adoption of existential spirituality for education could fairly be raised, not least because many educational institutions in western societies are clearly affiliated with various religions, especially those of Christianity. Sartre’s views have often made Existentialism appear inherently atheistic. A well-known connotation imputed to the philosophy is its denial of the existence of a deity or even of his ‘death’ but who in turn might be otherwise able to provide meaning to the lives of individuals. Christian theologians such as Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Tillich and Rudolf Bultmann, who have used existential philosophy as a basis for their interpretations, often tend to demythologise religion giving little notice to the deity as an aspect of their particular world-views. -
Karl Barth's Understanding of Mission: the Church in Relationship
Karl Barth’s understanding of mission: The Church in relationship1 W Bentley2 (University of Pretoria) ABSTRACT Karl Barth’s understanding of mission: The Church in relationship As the Church is moving towards its 21st century of existence, it is confronted by challenges it has never known before. This changing world demands self-reflection within the Church. It has to consider its place, identity and function, thereby giving rise to the exploration of its mission. In this article, the ecclesiology of Karl Barth is explored. By considering Barth’s understanding of the Church’s relationship with different parties such as God, other religions, those outside the Christian faith, the State and its own inner dynamics, the Church will be reminded of its missionary function in the world. 1 INTRODUCTION Is the Church’s missional function still valid in a world that is faced with ever increasing challenges? It seems that a world governed by modernist principles and challenged by post-modern philosophies, necessitates the need for the Church to think creatively about its mission. Barth’s description of the Church’s mission provides a good model that would facilitate such a process. This model focuses on the Church’s relationships and defines mission accordingly. Before discussing Barth’s definition of the Church as it exists in relationship with the different entities, attention needs to be given to Barth’s description of the mission of the Church as found in Church Dogmatics. 2 THE MISSION AND FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH Barth starts by defining the Mission and Function of the Church in Church Dogmatics Volume 1 (Barth 1956a:743-884) by describing 1 This article is based on research done for a PhD degree in the Department of Dogmatics and Christian Ethics of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria. -
The Epistemological Development of Karl Barth
Af)oria Vol. 10 number 1,2000 The Epistemological Development of Karl Barth SAMUEL NEWLANDS Karl Earth's early theological epistemology, often expressed in terms of a negative dialectic or man's acknowledgement of being known, is characteristically founded upon a firm distinction between God and man, wherein the former is qualitatively different and wholly other than the latter. This distinction lies at the foundation of Earth's early dialectical theology and is frequently expressed throughout his commentary on Romans, as well as Church Dogmatics. For the early Earth, the extent of man's knowledge ofGod is aptly summarized in his opening remarks of The Epistle to the Romans: We know that God is He whom we do not know,and that our ignorance is precisely the problem and source of our knowledge. We know that God is the Personality which we are not...The recognition of the absolute heteronomy under which we stand is itself an autonomous recognition; and this is precisely that which may be known of God. (Epistle 45) It is somewhat surprising to find the same theologian, less than a decade later in 1936, claiming that "to know Jesus Christ is to know God, the one and only God, majestic and personal, the Creator and Lord of the world and man"(Knowledge 71). This later epistemological claim appears to lack the emphasis on the difference between God and man and even goes so far as to predicate positive properties of God. Sam Newlands is a senior philosophy student at Wake Forest University. In the fall, he will continue his philosophical studies by pursuing a doctorate in the philosophy of religion at Yale University. -
The Problem of Evil As a Moral Objection to Theism
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of Birmingham Research Archive, E-theses Repository THE PROBLEM OF EVIL AS A MORAL OBJECTION TO THEISM by TOBY GEORGE BETENSON A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY. Department of Philosophy School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion College of Arts and Law University of Birmingham September 2014 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract: I argue that the problem of evil can be a moral objection to theistic belief. The thesis has three broad sections, each establishing an element in this argument. Section one establishes the logically binding nature of the problem of evil: The problem of evil must be solved, if you are to believe in God. And yet, I borrow from J. L. Mackie’s criticisms of the moral argument for the existence of God, and argue that the fundamentally evaluative nature of the premises within the problem of evil entails that it cannot be used to argue for the non- existence of God. -
Christianity and Liberalism
Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Christianity and Liberalism EERDMANS -- Christianity and Liberalism New Edition (Machen) final text Tuesday, March 31, 2009 12:33:19 PM 1 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen EERDMANS -- Christianity and Liberalism New Edition (Machen) final text Tuesday, March 31, 2009 12:33:19 PM 2 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Christianity and Liberalism J. Gresham Machen, D.D. New Edition William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, U.K. EERDMANS -- Christianity and Liberalism New Edition (Machen) final text Tuesday, March 31, 2009 12:33:19 PM 3 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen First published 1923 New edition published 2009 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. All rights reserved Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2140 Oak Industrial Drive N.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49505 / P.O. Box 163, Cambridge CB3 9PU U.K. Printed in the United States of America 15141312111009 7654321 ISBN 978-0-8028-6499-4 ISBN 978-0-8028-6488-8 (Westminster Edition) www.eerdmans.com EERDMANS -- Christianity and Liberalism New Edition (Machen) final text Tuesday, March 31, 2009 12:33:20 PM 4 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen To My Mother EERDMANS -- Christianity and Liberalism New Edition (Machen) final text Tuesday, March 31, 2009 12:33:20 PM 5 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen EERDMANS -- Christianity and Liberalism New Edition (Machen) final text Tuesday, March 31, 2009 12:33:20 PM 6 Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Contents - Foreword, by Carl R. Trueman ix Acknowledgments xvi Preface xvii I. Introduction 1 II. Doctrine 15 III. -
“But Turin!” Nietzsche's Discovery of the City
Jörg H. Gleiter, “But Turin!” Nietzsche’s Discovery of the City “But Turin!” Nietzsche’s Discovery of the City In April 1888, in a tempestuous finale after arriving in Turin,1 Friedrich Nietzsche told his friend Franz Overbeck that this was the first city that was more “a paradise for the feet”2 than for the eyes. In Turin, one could “walk through high archways for half hours in one breath.”3 It appears that Turin fulfilled hopes that Nietzsche had once harbored a good twenty years earlier. At the time, in early 1869, after completing his studies, he and his “most faithful and understanding” friend, Erwin Rohde, had planned an extended stay in Paris. Like “a couple of philosophical flaneurs,” they wanted “to walk with serious eyes and smiling lips through the stream of Paris.”4 Nietzsche’s appointment as professor at the Paedagogium in Basel put an end to these plans. Now, 1 Jörg H. Gleiter, “But Turin!” Nietzsche’s Discovery of the City in 1888, the city of Turin, whose boulevards, rectangular grid, passages, Whereas Nietzsche, as the hermit of Sils-Maria – as Thomas Mann archways, and classical buildings constituted a number of similarities called him –, had found his philosophical inspirations, like Plato, with Paris, was all the more so “a discovery of the first importance.”5 walking in open nature, now in Turin he seemed to have suddenly Turin was the first place “in which I am possible!”,6 Nietzsche wrote in switched to the side of Plato’s teacher, Socrates. In contrast to Plato, a letter to Heinrich Köselitz.