Suchergebnisse

One of the urgent tasks of modern philosophy is to find a path between the rationalism of the Enlightenment and the relativism of postmodernism. Rationalism alone cannot suffice to solve today's problems, but neither can we dispense with reasonable critique. The task is to find ways to broaden the scope of rational thought without losing its critical power. The first part of this volume explores the ideas of Enlightenment philosophers and shows nuances often absent from the common view of the Enlightenment. The second part deals with some of the modern heirs of Enlightenment, such as Durkheim, Habermas, and Derrida. In the third part this volume looks at alternatives to Enlightenment thought in West European, Russian and Buddhist philosophy. Part four provides, over against the Enlightenment, a new starting point for the philosophy of religion in thinking about human beings, God, and the description of phenomena.

Religion is undergoing a transformation in current Western society. In addition to organized religions, there is a notable movement towards spirituality that is not associated with any institutions but in which experiences and notions of transcendence are still important. Transcendence can be described as God, the absolute, Mystery, the Other, the other as alterity, depending on one's worldview. In this book, these shifts in the views of transcendence in various areas of culture such as philosophy, theology, art, and politics are explored on the basis of a fourfold heuristic model (proposed by Wessel Stoker). In conversation with this model, various authors, established scholars in their fields, explain the meaning and role, or the critique, of transcendence in the thought of contemporary thinkers, fields of discourse, or cultural domains. Looking Beyond? will stimulate further research on the theme of transcendence in contemporary culture, but can also serve as a textbook for courses in various disciplines, ranging from philosophy to theology, cultural studies, literature, art, and politics.

Preliminary Material -- Introductory Essay: Theology of Culture, Secularity, and Plurality /Wessel Stoker -- The Background and Nature of the Deep Changes in the Religious Realities in Modern Europe /André Droogers -- The Concept of Culture in Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, and Karl Barth /Cornelis van der Kooi -- The Role of Faith in Science and in Religion /Keith Ward -- Christian Faith and Reason: A Hermeneutical Approach /Edwin Koster -- Amor Mundi in a (Post)Liberal Era: The Relevance of an Arendtian Theme for Christian Self-Understanding Today /Ronald A. Kuipers -- Equality, Difference, and Justice /Ton van Prooijen -- Business Ethics and Intrinsic Motivation in a Pluralist World /Connie Aarsbergen -- Renewal of Civilization: Toward Justice and Peace /Henk E.S. Woldring -- Populism: A Blessing in Disguise for Democracy? /Govert J. Buijs -- Poverty, Oppression, and Christian Faith /Jerald D. Gort -- The Public Role of Churches in Present Democratic South Africa /Etienne de Villiers -- Imagination and Art in the Christian Faith: On Imagination and Art in the Church /Desiree Berendsen -- Language, Literature, and Transcendence: The Contribution of F.R. Leavis /Henry Jansen -- Readiness and Timing: The Early Modern Virtues of Hamlet's Providential Christianity /Lourens Minnema -- Indigenous Spirituality and Sustainable Development: A Critical Appraisal of African Renaissance Rhetoric /Frans Wijsen -- African Philosophy, Contextualisation, Multiculturalism /W.L. van der Merwe -- Untouchables, Christians, and Hindus: How the Sacred World Order is Preserved and Renounced /Victor van Bijlert -- Contemporary Christian-Hindu Relations in Britain and the Netherlands /Jan Peter Schouten -- Superseded, Obstructive, or Crucial?: Christian Views of Judaism and its Sacred Texts /Alberdina Houtman -- Recent Developments in Christian-Jewish Dialogue /Simon Schoon -- Sympathy and Empathy: The Compassionate Bodhisattva and the Love of Christ /John D'Arcy May -- Christian and Buddhist Spiritualities: Their Differences and Complementarities /Christa Anbeek -- Present-Day Europe and Islam in Encounter: Emerging European Islam and its Dialogue Partners /Gé Speelman -- The Council of Churches in the Netherlands and its Encounter with Islam /Alle G. Hoekema -- Proximity and Distance China and the Christian West: An Essay in Intercultural Philosophy /Sander Griffioen -- Christian Views of the New Religiosities of the Western World /Reender Kranenborg -- Recent Ecclesiological Developments in the World Council of Churches: Continuity or Discontinuity? /Conrad J. Wethmar -- Conversion in the Ecumenical Debate: Great Joy or Great Discomfort? /Jan van Butselaar -- Confessio and Traditio: A Reformed Approach in Dialogue with the Lutheran Tradition /Michael Weinrich -- Christianity and Culture: WARC at the Millennium /George Newlands -- Intercultural Theology as the Integration of Ecumenism and Missiology: The Example of Current Latin American Christology /Martien E. Brinkman -- God Has No Favourites: Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue The Unity of God's Creation /Anton Houtepen -- Index of Subjects -- Index of Names -- Contributors.