Emergentism As an Option in the Philosophy of Religion: Between Materialist Atheism and Pantheism
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Sociology of Religion, Lundscow, Chapter 7, Cults
Sociology of Religion , Sociology 3440-090 Summer 2014, University of Utah Dr. Frank J. Page Office Room 429 Beh. Sci., Office Hours: Thursday - Friday, Noon – 4:00-pm Office Phone: (801) 531-3075 Home Phone: (801) 278-6413 Email: [email protected] I. Goals: The primary goal of this class is to give students a sociological understanding of religion as a powerful, important, and influential social institution that is associated with many social processes and phenomena that motivate and influence how people act and see the world around them. The class will rely on a variety of methods that include comparative analysis, theoretical explanations, ethnographic studies, and empirical studies designed to help students better understand religion and its impact upon societies, global-international events, and personal well-being. This overview of the nature, functioning, and diversity of religious institutions should help students make more discerning decisions regarding cultural, political, and moral issues that are often influenced by religion. II. Topics To Be Covered: The course is laid out in two parts. The first section begins with a review of conventional and theoretical conceptions of religion and an overview of the importance and centrality of religion to human societies. It emphasizes the diversity and nature of "religious experience" in terms of different denominations, cultures, classes, and individuals. This is followed by overview of sociological assumptions and theories and their application to religion. A variety of theoretical schools including, functionalism, conflict theory, exchange theory, sociology of knowledge, sociobiology, feminist theory, symbolic interactionism, postmodern and critical theory will be addressed and applied to religion. -
Atheism AO2 Handout Part 1
Philosophy Of Religion / Atheism AO2 Atheism AO2 Handout Part 1 New Atheism successfully shows the incompatibility of science and religion. Evaluate this view. 1. New Atheists seem to argue that scientific theories are based only on evidence, whilst religion runs away from evidence. The claim is that atheism is rational and scientific while religion is irrational and superstitious. Faith is not an element of science since evidence for a correct conviction compels us to accept its truth. As Dawkins says “Faith is a state of mind that leads people to believe something – it doesn’t matter what – in the total absence of supporting evidence. If there were good supporting evidence, then faith would be superfluous…” However, Alister McGrath points out that such a view “fails to make the critical distinction between the ‘total absence of supporting evidence’ and the ‘absence of totally supporting evidence’.” It is true that some facts about the world have been proved (e.g. the chemical formula for water) but the bigger scientific questions such as is there a Grand Unified Theory that explains everything rely on answers based on the best evidence available but they are not certainties. In future years they may well change as new evidence is considered. As Gauch concluded “Science rests on faith”. Dawkins in his book “The God Delusion” does argue that the existence of God is a testable hypothesis and concludes that the hypothesis is falsifiable. Therefore the hypothesis is open to the scientific method. So here is a New Atheist proponent arguing that that the existence of God is a meaningful hypothesis. -
APA Newsletter on Asian and Asian-American Philosophers And
NEWSLETTER | The American Philosophical Association Asian and Asian-American Philosophers and Philosophies FALL 2018 VOLUME 18 | NUMBER 1 Prasanta Bandyopadhyay and R. Venkata FROM THE EDITOR Raghavan Prasanta S. Bandyopadhyay Some Critical Remarks on Kisor SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND Chakrabarti’s Idea of “Observational INFORMATION Credibility” and Its Role in Solving the Problem of Induction BUDDHISM Kisor K. Chakrabarti Madhumita Chattopadhyay Some Thoughts on the Problem of Locating Early Buddhist Logic in Pāli Induction Literature PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE Rafal Stepien AND GRAMMAR Do Good Philosophers Argue? A Buddhist Approach to Philosophy and Philosophy Sanjit Chakraborty Prizes Remnants of Words in Indian Grammar ONTOLOGY, LOGIC, AND APA PANEL ON DIVERSITY EPISTEMOLOGY Ethan Mills Pradeep P. Gokhale Report on an APA Panel: Diversity in Īśvaravāda: A Critique Philosophy Palash Sarkar BOOK REVIEW Cārvākism Redivivus Minds without Fear: Philosophy in the Indian Renaissance Reviewed by Brian A. Hatcher VOLUME 18 | NUMBER 1 FALL 2018 © 2018 BY THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION ISSN 2155-9708 APA NEWSLETTER ON Asian and Asian-American Philosophy and Philosophers PRASANTA BANDYOPADHYAY, EDITOR VOLUME 18 | NUMBER 1 | FALL 2018 opponent equally. He pleads for the need for this sort of FROM THE EDITOR role of humanism to be incorporated into Western analytic philosophy. This incorporation, he contends, has a far- Prasanta S. Bandyopadhyay reaching impact on both private and public lives of human MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY beings where the love of wisdom should go together with care and love for fellow human beings. The fall 2018 issue of the newsletter is animated by the goal of reaching a wider audience. Papers deal with issues SECTION 2: ONTOLOGY, LOGIC, AND mostly from classical Indian philosophy, with the exception EPISTEMOLOGY of a report on the 2018 APA Eastern Division meeting panel on “Diversity in Philosophy” and a review of a book about This is the longest part of this issue. -
Lebel Lecture in Christian Ethics, March 6, 2006 What Are They Saying About Conversion?
Lebel Lecture in Christian Ethics, March 6, 2006 What are they Saying about Conversion? New Insights, Many Models By Douglas H. Shantz, PhD, University of Calgary Introduction 1. The Importance of this Topic There are several factors behind my choice of topic this evening. For one, conversions are in the news. There have been media reports of such famous converts as Anne Rice the novelist, Naomi Wolf the feminist, and Antony Flew the philosopher. Last October 31, Newsweek magazine reported, “Anne Rice: Queen of the Occult Finds God.” At age 64 Rice, the onetime chronicler of vampires and witches, has apparently returned to the Catholic Church she left at age 18, and says all her future books will be written “only for the Lord.” After experiencing a diabetic coma in 1998, the death of her husband of 41 years in 2002, almost dying herself in 2004, and sinking into despair, she now views Christ as the ultimate hero.1 Her most recent book is, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, a novel about the 7 year old Jesus as narrated by Christ himself. This past January 22, 2006 an article in the Sunday Herald began: “Naomi Wolf, one of America’s foremost feminist thinkers, has found a spiritual awakening in God after experiencing a ‘mystical encounter’ with Jesus.” “The most widely read feminist of her generation,” Wolf is best known as the author of The Beauty Myth, her 1991 book against the cosmetics industry. In therapy recently for writer’s block, while practicing meditation, she experienced a holographic (three dimensional) image of Jesus. -
THE VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY MOVEMENT a Multi-National Survey Analysis in Theoretical Context
! 3 THE VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY MOVEMENT A multi-national survey analysis in theoretical context Superfluous wealth can buy superfluities only. – Henry Thoreau 1. Introduction The Voluntary Simplicity Movement can be understood broadly as a diverse social movement made up of people who are resisting high consumption lifestyles and who are seeking, in various ways, a lower consumption but higher quality of life alternative (Grigsby, 2004; Alexander, 2009, 2011a). In 2011 a multi-national online survey was launched for the purpose of gaining empirical insight into this ‘post- consumerist’ social movement. Presently 2268 participants in the movement have completed our 50-question survey and that makes it by far the most extensive sociological examination of the movement available (Elgin and Mitchell, 1977; Schor, 1998; Pierce, 2000; Kasser, 2002; Craig-Lees and Hill, 2002; Grigsby, 2004; Brown and Kasser, 2005; Hamilton and Denniss, 2005). This chapter presents a foundational analysis of these survey results.1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 This chapter is a lightly revised version of the paper that appeared in the Journal of Consumer Culture (2012), co-authored by Samuel Alexander and Simon Ussher. Although the original paper was based on 2268 participants, at the time of writing this revised version (March 2015) that number had grown to 3708 participants. The results have not changed in any significant way by these extra participants, however to remain consistent with the peer-reviewed paper the results below remain based on 2268 participants. The survey is still open, collecting more data. See here: 37 SAMUEL ALEXANDER 2. Why Examine the Voluntary Simplicity Movement? Before turning to the survey and its results, we wish to provide some theoretical context to this research by outlining briefly why we chose to examine the Voluntary Simplicity Movement (hereafter, the ‘Simplicity Movement’). -
There Is a God
godthere is a How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind Antony Flew with Roy Abraham Varghese contents Preface v introduction 1 part i: my denial of the divine 7 1. The Creation of an Atheist 9 2. Where the Evidence Leads 31 3. Atheism Calmly Considered 65 part ii: my discovery of the divine 83 4. A Pilgrimage of Reason 85 5. Who Wrote the Laws of Nature? 95 6. Did the Universe Know We Were Coming? 113 7. How Did Life Go Live? 123 8. Did Something Come from Nothing? 133 9. Finding Space for God 147 10. Open to Omnipotence 155 iii iv contents Appendices 159 Appendix A The “New Atheism”: A Critical Appraisal of Dawkins, Dennett, Wolpert, Harris, and Stenger Roy Abraham Varghese 161 Appendix B The Self-Revelation of God in Human History: A Dialogue on Jesus with N.T. Wright 185 Notes 215 About the Author Praise Credits Cover Copyright About the Publisher preface “ amous Atheist Now Believes in God: One of World’s FLeading Atheists Now Believes in God, More or Less, Based on Scientific Evidence.” This was the head- line of a December 9, 2004, Associated Press story that went on to say: “A British philosophy professor who has been a leading champion of atheism for more than a half century has changed his mind. He now believes in God more or less based on scientific evidence, and says so on a video released Thursday.” Almost immediately, the announcement became a media event touching off reports and commentaries around the globe on radio and TV, in newspapers and on Internet sites. -
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion Michael J
Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-85369-9 - An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion Michael J. Murray and Michael C. Rea Index More information Index Adams, Robert M., 239, 240–2, 243, 245, Christology 248, 249 three-part, 84 afterlife, see immortality two-part, 83–4 Alston, William, 108, 109 see also Incarnation Anselm, of Canterbury St., 8, 12–13 Commissurotomy, see Trinity, and and perfect-being theology, 8 commissurotomy Ontological Argument, 124–35 compatibilism, 54, 61 Apollinarianism, 81 Constitution Trinitarianism, see Trinity, Aquinas, Thomas St., 30, 61, 100, statue–lump analogy 238, 263 Cosmological Argument, 135–46 Arianism, 81 Kalam version, 143–6 Aristotle, 73 counterfactual, 53 aseity, see self-existence of freedom, 59, 60–1 Assumption, 84 power, 53–4 atemporality, 40; see also eternity see also Molinism; Ockhamism Athanasian Creed, 66 Craig, William Lane, 143, 145 atheism creation, 22–3, 26–33 arguments for, see God, arguments Cryptomnesia, 277 against the existence of evolutionary argument against, see Davis, Stephen, 76 Evolution Dawkins, Richard, 97, 221 Augustine, St., 61, 70 Dembski, William, 215–16 Descartes, Rene´, 17, 125–6, 263 basic belief, 108 Design Arguments, 146–55 Basil, St., 69 argument from analogy, 147–8 Bayle, Pierre, 252 inference to the best explanation Behe, Michael, 216–20 argument, 148–9 Bergmann, Michael, 110 fine-tuning argument, Boethius, 40, 41 150–5 Brower, Jeffrey, 66, 67 determinism, 54 divine command ethics, see ethics; Calvin, John, 61 divine commands Calvinism, see Providence Docetism, 81 Chalcedonian Creed, 80 Draper, Paul, 178–80 287 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-85369-9 - An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion Michael J. -
Philosophia Christi Vol
PHILOSOPHIA CHRISTI VOL. 9, NO. 2 © 2007 Antony Flew’s Deism Revisited A Review Essay on There Is a God GARY R. HABERMAS Department of Philosophy and Theology Liberty University Lynchburg, Virginia There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. By Antony Flew and Roy Abraham Varghese. New York: HarperCollins, 2007. 256 pages. $24.95. When preeminent philosophical atheist Antony Flew announced in 2004 that he had come to believe in God’s existence and was probably best con- sidered a deist, the reaction from both believers and skeptics was “off the chart.” Few religious stories had this sort of appeal and impact, across the spectrum, both popular as well as theoretical. No recent change of mind has received this much attention. Flew responded by protesting that his story really did not deserve this much interest. But as he explained repeatedly, he simply had to go where the evidence led. Some Background It was this last sentence, repeated often in interviews, that really inter- ested me. Having known Tony well over more than twenty years, I had heard him repeat many things like it, as well as other comments that might be termed “open minded.” He had insisted that he was open to God’s existence, to special revelation, to miracles, to an afterlife, or to David Hume being in error on this or that particular point. To be truthful, I tended to set aside his comments, thinking that while they were made honestly, perhaps Tony still was not as open as he had thought. -
"The Presumptuousness of Atheism" by Paul Copan
"The Presumptuousness of Atheism" by Paul Copan Atheist Antony Flew has said that the "onus of proof must lie upon the theist." 1Unless compelling reasons for God’s existence can be given, there is the "presumption of atheism." Another atheist, Michael Scriven, considers the lack of evidence for God’s existence and the lack of evidence for Santa Claus on the same level. 2However, the presumption of atheism actually turns out to be presumptuousness . The Christian must remember that the atheist also shares the burden of proof, which I will attempt to demonstrate below. First, even if the theist could not muster good arguments for God’s existence, atheism still would not be shown to be true. 3The outspoken atheist Kai Nielsen recognizes this: "To show that an argument is invalid or unsound is not to show that the conclusion of the argument is false....All the proofs of God’s existence may fail, but it still may be the case that God exists." 4 Second, the "presumption of atheism" demonstrates a rigging of the rules of philosophical debate in order to play into the hands of the atheist, who himself makes a truth claim. Alvin Plantinga correctly argues that the atheist does not treat the statements "God exists" and "God does not exist" in the same manner. 5The atheist assumes that if one has no evidence for God’s existence, then one is obligated to believe that God does not exist — whether or not one has evidence against God’s existence. What the atheist fails to see is that atheism is just as much a claim to know something ("God does not exist") as theism ("God exists"). -
Philosophy of Religion (HSA020N247H) | University of Roehampton
09/25/21 Philosophy of Religion (HSA020N247H) | University of Roehampton Philosophy of Religion (HSA020N247H) View Online (Module Validation) Philosophy of Religion How are we to approach the philosophy of religion? Is it more than the philosophy of God? and what, if anything, does it have to do with the various practical and moral issues which occupy us as human beings? We shall approach the subject in a manner which acknowledges the significance of these practical and methodological issues, and will consider questions such as the following. What is the relation between science and religion? Does it make sense to say that there is purpose in the natural world? How are we to understand the purpose of our human lives? What is the relation between spirituality and religion? Is God necessary for morality? What is religious experience? Is there anything problematic in the idea that we need to be saved? 121 items Key Texts (1 items) Philosophy of Religion: Towards a More Humane Approach - John Cottingham, 2014 Book | Essential Reading Topic 1: What is philosophy of religion? (7 items) See accompanying handouts for each lecture New models of religious understanding - 2018 Book | Essential Reading | The Introduction is helpful in this context. Philosophy of Religion: Towards a More Humane Approach - John Cottingham, 2014 Book | Essential Reading | ch 1, ‘Method’ Why Philosophy Matters for the Study of Religion--And Vice Versa - Thomas A. Lewis, 2017 Book | Essential Reading | Introduction and ch 1. What is philosophy of religion? - Charles Taliaferro, 2019 Book | Essential Reading | ch 1. 1/11 09/25/21 Philosophy of Religion (HSA020N247H) | University of Roehampton Prolegomena to a philosophy of religion - J. -
Wittgenstein, Routledge
CRITICAL NOTICE Wittgenstein Routledge Philosophers William Child, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon, 2011, pp. 288, £ 16.99 ISBN: 13: 978-0-415-31206 (paperback) Reviewed by Derek A. McDougall Routledge’s current Wittgenstein list is certainly comprehensive. Quite apart from its considerable number of collections of essays, recent additions include Blind Obedience: The Structure and Content of Wittgenstein’s Later Philosophy from Meredith Williams in 2009, and the two volumes in their Routledge Philosophy Guidebook series, one on the Tractatus by Michael Morris from 2008, and the eagerly awaited (circa 2011) revised verson of Marie McGinn’s 1997 book on the Philosophical Investigations, not to mention a third from Andy Hamilton about On Certainty (due 2012). Now in yet another series comes William Child, adding his name to the extensive list of commentators who have been invited to have their say on what Wittgenstein’s work is all about. In addition to its coverage of the Tractatus, the Investigations, and the transitional period, the book has three extra chapters, each of over twenty pages on Wittgenstein’s Life and Works (Chapter 1), Knowledge and Certainty (Chapter 7) and Religion and Anthropology (Chapter 8.) The book ends with a slightly shorter chapter on Legacy and Influence. It is also attractively priced in a paperback version unusually published simultaneously with the hardback and e-book editions. The book inevitably invites comparison with other recent offerings on the entire philosophy from Chon Tejedor (Starting With Wittgenstein, Continuum 2011), from Severin Schroeder (Wittgenstein: The Way Out of The Flybottle, Polity 2006), from Anthony Kenny (Wittgenstein, Blackwell, revised ed. -
Emergence in Psychology: Lessons from the History of Non-Reductionist Science
Paper Human Development 2002;45:2-28 Human Development Emergence in Psychology: Lessons from the History of Non-Reductionist Science R. Keith Sawyer Washington University, St.louis, Mo., USA KeyWords Cognitive science. Emergence. History. Reductionism. Socioculturalism Abstract Theories of emergence have had a longstanding influence on psychological thought. Emergentism rejects both reductionism and holism; emergentists are scientific materialists, and yet argue that reductionist explanation may not always be scientifically feasible. I begin by summarizing the history of emergence in psy- chology and sociology, from the mid-19th century through the mid-20th century. I then demonstrate several parallels between this history and contemporary psy- chology, focusing on two recent psychological movements: socioculturalism and connectionist cognitive science. Placed in historical context, both sociocultural ism and connectionism are seen to be revivals of 19th and early 20th century emergen- tism. I then draw on this history to identify several unresolved issues facing socio- culturalists and connectionists, and to suggest several promising paths for future theory. Copyright @ 2002 S. Karger AG, Base! 1. Introduction Emergentism is a form of materialism which holds that some complex natural phe- nomena cannot be studied using reductionist methods. My first goal in this paper is to identify the historical roots of two emergentist paradigms in contemporary psychology: sociocultural psychology and cognitive science. My second goal is to draw on this histo- ry to explore several unresolved issues facing these contemporary paradigms. Sociocul- tural psychologists are sociological emergentists; they hold that group behavior is consti- KARG E R <92002 S. Karger AG, Basel R. Keith Sawyer, Washington University .OOI8-716X/02/0451-0()()2$18.50/0 Department of Education, Campus Box 1183 Fax+41613061234 St.