Verbs, Bones, and Brains

Verbs, Bones, and Brains PDF Author: Agustín Fuentes
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess
ISBN: 0268101175
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
“A benchmark collection of essays on the contemporary understanding of human nature. . . . [engaging] biology and anthropology to theology and philosophy.” —Robin W. Lovin, Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics emeritus, Southern Methodist University, author of What Do We Do When No One is Listening: Leading the Church in a Polarized Society The last few decades have seen an unprecedented surge of empirical and philosophical research into the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens, the origins of the mind/brain, and human culture. This research has sparked heated debates about the nature of human beings and how knowledge about humans from the sciences and humanities should be properly understood. The goal of Verbs, Bones, and Brains: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Nature is to engage these themes and present current debates, discussions, and discourse for a range of readers. The contributors bring the discussion to life with key experts outlining major concepts paired with cross-disciplinary commentaries in order to create a novel approach to thinking about, and with, human natures. Throughout, they emphasize the importance of seeking a convergence in our views on human nature, despite metaphysical disagreements. They caution that if convergence eludes us and a common ground cannot be found, this is itself a relevant result: it would reveal to us how deeply our questions about ourselves are connected to our basic metaphysical assumptions. Instead, their focus is on how the interdisciplinary and possibly transdisciplinary conversation can be enhanced in order to identify and develop a common ground on what constitutes human nature. “A landmark volume. . . . It shows the fruitfulness of a mutually respectful and yet rigorous approach to cross-disciplinary engagement.” (William Storrar, Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ, editor of A World for All?: Global Civil Society in Political Theory and Trinitarian Theology “Fascinating, well-organized, and well-edited.” —Choice

Verbs, Bones, and Brains

Verbs, Bones, and Brains PDF Author: Agustín Fuentes
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess
ISBN: 0268101175
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Get Book Here

Book Description
“A benchmark collection of essays on the contemporary understanding of human nature. . . . [engaging] biology and anthropology to theology and philosophy.” —Robin W. Lovin, Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics emeritus, Southern Methodist University, author of What Do We Do When No One is Listening: Leading the Church in a Polarized Society The last few decades have seen an unprecedented surge of empirical and philosophical research into the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens, the origins of the mind/brain, and human culture. This research has sparked heated debates about the nature of human beings and how knowledge about humans from the sciences and humanities should be properly understood. The goal of Verbs, Bones, and Brains: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Nature is to engage these themes and present current debates, discussions, and discourse for a range of readers. The contributors bring the discussion to life with key experts outlining major concepts paired with cross-disciplinary commentaries in order to create a novel approach to thinking about, and with, human natures. Throughout, they emphasize the importance of seeking a convergence in our views on human nature, despite metaphysical disagreements. They caution that if convergence eludes us and a common ground cannot be found, this is itself a relevant result: it would reveal to us how deeply our questions about ourselves are connected to our basic metaphysical assumptions. Instead, their focus is on how the interdisciplinary and possibly transdisciplinary conversation can be enhanced in order to identify and develop a common ground on what constitutes human nature. “A landmark volume. . . . It shows the fruitfulness of a mutually respectful and yet rigorous approach to cross-disciplinary engagement.” (William Storrar, Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ, editor of A World for All?: Global Civil Society in Political Theory and Trinitarian Theology “Fascinating, well-organized, and well-edited.” —Choice

Why We Believe

Why We Believe PDF Author: Agustin Fuentes
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300243995
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
A wide-ranging argument by a renowned anthropologist that the capacity to believe is what makes us human Why are so many humans religious? Why do we daydream, imagine, and hope? Philosophers, theologians, social scientists, and historians have offered explanations for centuries, but their accounts often ignore or even avoid human evolution. Evolutionary scientists answer with proposals for why ritual, religion, and faith make sense as adaptations to past challenges or as by-products of our hyper-complex cognitive capacities. But what if the focus on religion is too narrow? Renowned anthropologist Agustín Fuentes argues that the capacity to be religious is actually a small part of a larger and deeper human capacity to believe. Why believe in religion, economies, love? A fascinating intervention into some of the most common misconceptions about human nature, this book employs evolutionary, neurobiological, and anthropological evidence to argue that belief--the ability to commit passionately and wholeheartedly to an idea--is central to the human way of being in the world.

High on God

High on God PDF Author: James K. Wellman
Publisher:
ISBN: 0199827710
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 353

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Book Description
High on God offers a fascinating study of the rise of megachurches and the reasons that these churches have conquered the American church market. The authors reveal the emotional and social dynamics that pull thousands of people into megachurches and keep them there.

Theological Ethics through a Multispecies Lens

Theological Ethics through a Multispecies Lens PDF Author: Celia E. Deane-Drummond
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192581384
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
There are two driving questions informing this book. The first is where does our moral life come from? It presupposes that considering morality broadly is inadequate. Instead, different aspects need to be teased apart. It is not sufficient to assume that different virtues are bolted onto a vicious animality, red in tooth and claw. Nature and culture have interlaced histories. By weaving in evolutionary theories and debates on the evolution of compassion, justice and wisdom, it showa a richer account of who we are as moral agents. The second driving question concerns our relationships with animals. Deane-Drummond argues for a complex community-based multispecies approach. Hence, rather than extending rights, a more radical approach is a holistic multispecies framework for moral action. This need not weaken individual responsibility. She intends not to develop a manual of practice, but rather to build towards an alternative philosophically informed approach to theological ethics, including animal ethics. The theological thread weaving through this account is wisdom. Wisdom has many different levels, and in the broadest sense is connected with the flow of life understood in its interconnectedness and sociality. It is profoundly theological and practical. In naming the project the evolution of wisdom Deane-Drummond makes a statement about where wisdom may have come from and its future orientation. But justice, compassion and conscience are not far behind, especially in so far as they are relevant to both individual decision-making and institutions.

T&T Clark Handbook of Christian Eschatology

T&T Clark Handbook of Christian Eschatology PDF Author: Markus Mühling
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0567655687
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 433

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Book Description
This textbook offers a systematic introduction to eschatology. The first part introduces the historical approaches to eschatology. The second part concerns the reasons for eschatological statements in light of important aspects of the doctrine of God and Christ. The third part is devoted to different concepts of the relationship between eternity and time, space and infinitude as well as the question of what is good, true and beautiful. Using a thematic structure, the multiple different approaches and concepts of modern eschatology are clearly presented, and illuminated by the perspective of the classical teachings on the Last Things; which are ultimately brought together in a synthesis. This is an important contribution to a crucial part of the study of systematic theology.

Resonances: Neurobiology, Evolution and Theology

Resonances: Neurobiology, Evolution and Theology PDF Author: Markus Mühling
Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
ISBN: 3647570362
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
Markus Mühling presents an epistemological theory of revelation as perception and a relational-narrative theological ontology based on the concept of dramatic coherence, in which the triune life is understood not as an anomaly within ontology, but rather as the decisive condition of its possibility. Mühling further demonstrates that potential for resolving certain theological problems arises if new insights from the natural sciences, such as the theory of the ecological brain in the neurosciences and the theory of niche-construction in evolutionary theory, are taken into account. Similarly, he also proposes that neuroscience and evolutionary biology can procure advantages from a dialogue with theology.

Christian Ethics and Biomedical Innovation

Christian Ethics and Biomedical Innovation PDF Author: Stephen Goundrey-Smith
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 166695361X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
In Christian Ethics and Biomedical Innovation, Stephen Goundrey-Smith outlines a strategy for future adoption of human enhancement technologies which will ensure that such technologies are a common good, a strategy which is appropriate for a pluralistic society, yet consistent with Christian ethical principles. Drawing on the history of biomedical innovation to date in pharmaceutical medicine, he argues that technological capability alone is not enough, and that the responsible adoption of enhancement technologies will require active ethical deliberation and robust public policy discourse. Goundrey-Smith argues that biomedical technology, ethics, and public policy together form an essential triad for appropriate future enhancement technology adoption. This approach helps to ensure that biomedical technologies introduced will be common goods, and to reduce the risk of their instrumental use. The use of any technology is closely linked to its sociopolitical and cultural context and, drawing on Augustine’s The City of God, Goundrey-Smith presents a theological vision for good biomedical technology innovation in human society.

The Christian Doctrine of Humanity

The Christian Doctrine of Humanity PDF Author: Zondervan,
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
ISBN: 0310595487
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 251

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Book Description
Engaging with the Complex Subject of Theological Anthropology. Theological anthropology is a complicated doctrinal subject that needs to be elaborated with careful attention to its relation to other major doctrines. Among other things, it must confess the glory and misery of humanity, from creation in the image of God to the fall into a state of sin. It must reckon with a holism that spans distinctions between body, soul, and spirit, and a unity that encompasses male and female, as well as racial and cultural difference. The Christian Doctrine of Humanity represents the proceedings of the sixth annual Los Angeles Theology Conference, which sought, constructively and comprehensively, to engage the task of theological anthropology. The twelve diverse essays in this collection include discussions on: Human thought and the image of God. The relevance of biblical eschatology for philosophical anthropology. Living and flourishing in the Spirit. Vocation and the "oddness" of human nature. Each of the essays collected in this volume engage with Scripture as well as with others in the field—theologians both past and present, from different confessions—in order to provide constructive resources for contemporary systematic theology and to forge a theology for the future.

Evolutionary Debunking Arguments

Evolutionary Debunking Arguments PDF Author: Diego E. Machuca
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000648591
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 381

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Book Description
Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in evolutionary debunking arguments directed against certain types of belief, particularly moral and religious beliefs. According to those arguments, the evolutionary origins of the cognitive mechanisms that produce the targeted beliefs render these beliefs epistemically unjustified. The reason is that natural selection cares for reproduction and survival rather than truth, and false beliefs can in principle be as evolutionarily advantageous as true beliefs. The present volume brings together fourteen essays that examine evolutionary debunking arguments not only in ethics and philosophy of religion, but also in philosophy of mathematics, metaphysics, and epistemology. The essays move forward research on those arguments by shedding fresh light on old problems and proposing new lines of inquiry. The book will appeal to scholars and graduate students interested in the possible skeptical implications of evolutionary theory in any of the above domains.

The Routledge Companion to Christian Ethics

The Routledge Companion to Christian Ethics PDF Author: D. Stephen Long
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000785661
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 567

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Book Description
The Routledge Companion to Christian Ethics brings together two different but related disciplines; the first is contemplative or theoretical, asking what are the beliefs or doctrines that characterize Christianity, whilst the second is practical, asking what are the ethical practices that attend its teachings. The movement between the theoretical and practical aspects is not, however, one way, as doctrine and life are mutually informing. In this comprehensive volume, leading scholars address key topics, problems and debates in this hotly debated topic within a truly global context. Comprising over 35 chapters by a team of international contributors, the handbook is divided into three parts based on the three persons of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Within these sections, cutting-edge issues are examined, including: God and genetics War, peace, and violence White supremacy Creation and sexuality Digital ethics Transgender studies Climate change Immigration and refugees Adopting a practical approach that must consider new concerns that have arisen with recent social, political, and cultural shifts, The Routledge Companion to Christian Ethics is essential reading for students and researchers in Christian ethics, religious ethics and Christianity studies. The handbook will also be very useful for those in related fields such as ethics and philosophy.