Spiritual Humanism

Spiritual Humanism PDF Author: Louis Carini
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1462810845
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 150

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Book Description
Astronomers discarded first hand visual observations, because each observer measured a star's transit as occurring at a different time. Physicists soon followed them, so that now instrumental measurements are the only data that physics and astronomy accept. The theory of evolution followed them in that physicalist mode by accounting only for the physical survival of organisms. That is why their sciences deny the existence of anything of a spiritual nature. This little book examines their theorized big bang beginning, and the physicalist theory of evolution, in the light of the newly measured human consciousness, through whose thinking processes both of those sciences arose. Spiritual humanism aims to provide a nondogmatic faith in humanity, and in principles which place human beings, their values, their thinking, and their enspirited consciousnesses as central to creating all of our sciences. The spiritual aspect arises especially from our consciousness which allows us to reflect upon what is in our awareness. The qualities of our awarenesses and consciousness are explained by the anthropomorphic theory of human perception which attributes human qualities even to our senses. The book suggests that consciousness places us in a realm of being beyond the physical. Though our physical brains are proposed as the basis for that consciousness, the outcome in consciousness creates a spiritual quality in human beings. Spiritual humanism, accordingly, is concerned with human beings, and is centered entirely in this human world rather than in any other. Thus a non dogmatic spiritual humanism for fostering the potentialities in human beings in this world is what this little book means to provide. The experiences of the young Helen Keller show how consciousness becomes the basis for disinterested interests: the ability to be deeply engrossed in something unrelated to our own self interest. That disinterested interest, is what lies behind our engagements with the arts, the sciences and our religious aspirations. The assumption of an entirely physical origin for the physicists' theoretical big bang along with Darwin's physicalist theory of evolution are criticized, because both methodologies preclude finding anything of the spirit. A reinterpretation of what follows from these critiques, and the positive formulation of the humanist science of anthropomorphic optics and its implications, are what the book provides.

Spiritual Humanism

Spiritual Humanism PDF Author: Louis Carini
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1462810845
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 150

Get Book Here

Book Description
Astronomers discarded first hand visual observations, because each observer measured a star's transit as occurring at a different time. Physicists soon followed them, so that now instrumental measurements are the only data that physics and astronomy accept. The theory of evolution followed them in that physicalist mode by accounting only for the physical survival of organisms. That is why their sciences deny the existence of anything of a spiritual nature. This little book examines their theorized big bang beginning, and the physicalist theory of evolution, in the light of the newly measured human consciousness, through whose thinking processes both of those sciences arose. Spiritual humanism aims to provide a nondogmatic faith in humanity, and in principles which place human beings, their values, their thinking, and their enspirited consciousnesses as central to creating all of our sciences. The spiritual aspect arises especially from our consciousness which allows us to reflect upon what is in our awareness. The qualities of our awarenesses and consciousness are explained by the anthropomorphic theory of human perception which attributes human qualities even to our senses. The book suggests that consciousness places us in a realm of being beyond the physical. Though our physical brains are proposed as the basis for that consciousness, the outcome in consciousness creates a spiritual quality in human beings. Spiritual humanism, accordingly, is concerned with human beings, and is centered entirely in this human world rather than in any other. Thus a non dogmatic spiritual humanism for fostering the potentialities in human beings in this world is what this little book means to provide. The experiences of the young Helen Keller show how consciousness becomes the basis for disinterested interests: the ability to be deeply engrossed in something unrelated to our own self interest. That disinterested interest, is what lies behind our engagements with the arts, the sciences and our religious aspirations. The assumption of an entirely physical origin for the physicists' theoretical big bang along with Darwin's physicalist theory of evolution are criticized, because both methodologies preclude finding anything of the spirit. A reinterpretation of what follows from these critiques, and the positive formulation of the humanist science of anthropomorphic optics and its implications, are what the book provides.

Ignatian Humanism

Ignatian Humanism PDF Author: Ronald Modras
Publisher: Loyola Press
ISBN: 0829429867
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
"Ignatian Humanism puts into perspective our contemporary search for a spirituality that responds both to our search for meaning and desire for God." -John W. Padberg, S.J., director, Institute of Jesuit Sources "Modras integrates fascinating history, contemporary theology, and inspiring spirituality with consistent focus on central issues for our day." -Joann Wolski Conn, associate professor of religious studies, Neumann College "A stunning book! Modras has profiled a number of Jesuit thinkers and activists as role models for our time-revitalizing humanism as a model for moderns." -Leonard Swidler, professor of Catholic thought and inter-religious dialogue, Temple University Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order, is one of a mere handful of individuals who has permanently changed the way we understand God. In this vividly written and meticulously researched book, Ronald Modras shows how Ignatian spirituality retains extraordinary vigor and relevance nearly five centuries after Loyola's death. At its heart, Ignatian spirituality is a humanism that defends human rights, prizes learning from other cultures, seeks common ground between science and religion, struggles for justice, and honors a God who is actively at work in creation. The towering achievements of the Jesuits are made tangible by Modras's vivid portraits of Ignatius and five of his successors: Matteo Ricci, the first Westerner at the court of the Chinese emperor; Friederich Spee, who defended women accused of witchcraft; Karl Rahner, the greatest Catholic theologian of the twentieth century; Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the scientist-mystic; and Pedro Arrupe, the charismatic leader of the Jesuits in the years following Vatican II.

Integral Humanism

Integral Humanism PDF Author: Jacques Maritain
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Christian civilization
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description


The Scientific Spirit of American Humanism

The Scientific Spirit of American Humanism PDF Author: Stephen P. Weldon
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN: 1421438585
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Book Description
The story of how prominent liberal intellectuals reshaped American religious and secular institutions to promote a more democratic, science-centered society. Winner of the Morris D. Forkosch Award for Best Book by the Center for Inquiry Recent polls show that a quarter of Americans claim to have no religious affiliation, identifying instead as atheists, agnostics, or "nothing in particular." A century ago, a small group of American intellectuals who dubbed themselves humanists tread this same path, turning to science as a major source of spiritual sustenance. In The Scientific Spirit of American Humanism, Stephen P. Weldon tells the fascinating story of this group as it developed over the twentieth century, following the fortunes of a few generations of radical ministers, academic philosophers, and prominent scientists who sought to replace traditional religion with a modern, liberal, scientific outlook. Weldon explores humanism through the networks of friendships and institutional relationships that underlay it, from philosophers preaching in synagogues and ministers editing articles of Nobel laureates to magicians invoking the scientific method. Examining the development of an increasingly antagonistic engagement between religious conservatives and the secular culture of the academy, Weldon explains how this conflict has shaped the discussion of science and religion in American culture. He also uncovers a less known—but equally influential—story about the conflict within humanism itself between two very different visions of science: an aspirational, democratic outlook held by the followers of John Dewey on the one hand, and a skeptical, combative view influenced by logical positivism on the other. Putting America's distinctive science talk into historical perspective, Weldon shows how events such as the Pugwash movement for nuclear disarmament, the ongoing evolution controversies, the debunking of pseudo-science, and the selection of scientists and popularizers like Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov as humanist figureheads all fit a distinctly American ethos. Weldon maintains that this secular ethos gained much of its influence by tapping into the idealism found in the American radical religious tradition that includes the deism of Thomas Paine, nineteenth-century rationalism and free thought, Protestant modernism, and most important, Unitarianism. Drawing on archival research, interviews, and a thorough study of the main humanist publications, The Scientific Spirit of American Humanism reveals a new level of detail about the personal and institutional forces that have shaped major trends in American secular culture. Significantly, the book shows why special attention to American liberal religiosity remains critical to a clear understanding of the scientific spirit in American culture.

In Defense of Secular Humanism

In Defense of Secular Humanism PDF Author: Paul Kurtz
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1615926402
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
A spirited defense of secular humanism against fundamentalist critics.

Reason and Reverence

Reason and Reverence PDF Author: William R. Murry
Publisher: Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
ISBN: 9781558965188
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description


Present-Day Spiritualities

Present-Day Spiritualities PDF Author:
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004260064
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
Many forms of present-day Western spirituality contribute to people’s well-being, whereas others have raised criticism. The study of these different forms is, however, complicated by their continuously diverging practices and ideas. By bringing to bear a multidisciplinary approach, the ten specialists of this volume are able to analyze diverse new instances of spirituality, e.g. in religious contexts (Buddhism, Christianity), popular use, organizations and enterprises, (alternative) health service, and works of art. Most contributions also discuss methods and theories. In their editorial chapters, Elisabeth Hense, Frans Jespers and Peter Nissen show the remarkable overlaps in the approaches, definitions and evaluations of the contributions in this volume and provide a theoretical framework. Both the fresh analyses and the theoretical reflections in this volume point the way to new approaches in this field of study. Contributors include: Jerry Biberman, Mark Elliott, Miguel Farias, Johan Goud, Paul Heelas, Elisabeth Hense, Frans Jespers, Hubert Knoblauch, Peter Nissen, Paul van der Velde

Humanism, Theology, and Spiritual Crisis in Renaissance Florence: Giovanni Caroli’s Liber dierum lucensium

Humanism, Theology, and Spiritual Crisis in Renaissance Florence: Giovanni Caroli’s Liber dierum lucensium PDF Author: Giovanni Caroli
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004346139
Category : History
Languages : la
Pages : 281

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Book Description
This is the first work by Giovanni Caroli (1428–1503) to appear in print. Caroli was one of the leading theologians in Florence during the last decades of the fifteenth century, a man who lived between the two great traditions of his time: the scholastic and the humanist. The volume contains a critical edition of the Latin text, entitled The Book of My Days in Lucca, an English translation, commentary notes and an introduction. Caroli presents us with his powerful personal reaction to the institutional crisis regarding the required reform in the Dominican Order, yet even here we already notice the pervasive influence of his classical education, and especially his acquaintance with authors such as Cicero, Livy, Tacitus, and especially Virgil.

The Year of Our Lord 1943

The Year of Our Lord 1943 PDF Author: Alan Jacobs
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190864672
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
By early 1943, it had become increasingly clear that the Allies would win the Second World War. Around the same time, it also became increasingly clear to many Christian intellectuals on both sides of the Atlantic that the soon-to-be-victorious nations were not culturally or morally prepared for their success. A war won by technological superiority merely laid the groundwork for a post-war society governed by technocrats. These Christian intellectuals-Jacques Maritain, T. S. Eliot, C. S. Lewis, W. H. Auden, and Simone Weil, among others-sought both to articulate a sober and reflective critique of their own culture and to outline a plan for the moral and spiritual regeneration of their countries in the post-war world. In this book, Alan Jacobs explores the poems, novels, essays, reviews, and lectures of these five central figures, in which they presented, with great imaginative energy and force, pictures of the very different paths now set before the Western democracies. Working mostly separately and in ignorance of one another's ideas, the five developed a strikingly consistent argument that the only means by which democratic societies could be prepared for their world-wide economic and political dominance was through a renewal of education that was grounded in a Christian understanding of the power and limitations of human beings. The Year of Our Lord 1943 is the first book to weave together the ideas of these five intellectuals and shows why, in a time of unprecedented total war, they all thought it vital to restore Christianity to a leading role in the renewal of the Western democracies.

Petrarch's Humanism and the Care of the Self

Petrarch's Humanism and the Care of the Self PDF Author: Gur Zak
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521114675
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 191

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Book Description
In this book, Gur Zak examines two central issues in Petrarch's works - his humanist philosophy and his concept of the self.