Janez Juhant Books

Since contemporary societies and cultures can be characterized by growing conflicts, loss of trust, globalized interdependence, the fragility of certain individual identities, and the prevalence of select collective identities, questions concerning dialogue are of crucial importance. From a philosophical, theological, anthropological, and sociological perspective, this book addresses the challenges and opportunities of dialogue in today's world. The book's contributions look into topics such intercultural and interreligious dialogue * the challenges for dialogue in post-communist societies in the context of modernity * the relationship between various philosophical and theological outlooks (Christian feminist theology, American pragmatism, Vattimo) and dialogue * the role of dialogue in a quest for universalism and global justice. ( Philosophy in Dialogue / Philosophie im Dialog - Vol. 1)

Fear is an emotion that is strongly connected with violence and with the darkest periods of history, including terrorism, genocides, and totalitarianism. It is especially important for theology, where it can be considered to have very positive aspects. However, worldwide cultures are too often burdened with unnecessary fear. There are different factors involved in the cultivation of an 'adequate culture' of fear, and one of them is the certainly that mankind does indeed know how to cultivate it. Therefore, awareness and knowledge about the concept of fear is necessary. This book helps to increase and widen that understanding. ( Theology East-West / Theologie Ost-West - Vol. 17)

The book considers reconciliation from various points of view: biblical foundations of reconciliation, philosophical aspects, Girardian and Bonhoefferian reflections on reconciliation, intellectual and (post)totalitarian history, psychotherapeutic approaches . The authors consider reconciliation also in very concrete (historical) contexts (Hungary, Russia, Slovenia, Islam and Christianity). Despite some disagreements, their common message is clear: human history and present times are covered with blood, suffering (of innocent victims) and negative emotions. Hence the only acceptable way is cultivation of the culture of reconciliation.

Neither any technological development nor any institutional mechanisms (economical, legal, political etc.) can compensate the lack of ethical persons. Reaching sustainable development and life of quality is possible only on the basis of view which is not trapped, flat and reducing, on the basis of an effort, which ca - founded on temperance and humility (in relation to the nature, self, others and (O)other) - (co)create cooperation, higher order synthesis and synergy of the crafts that are the conditio sine qua non of survival, harmonious world and (decent) existence of a human (as a human) in it.

The present book brings essays that deal with suicide and genocide from several aspects and points of view: historical, sociological, science of religion, psychological and therapeutic, educational, legal, philosophical and theological. Some of them combine several approaches and thus the book as a whole offers an integral inter-disciplinary insight into the nature, origins, function and connections of both phenomena. It also outlines the ways and models for their prevention and overcoming of their effects and consequences. It can be useful as for students as well for the experts in the fields of humanities and social science. The book is marked by the Central European origin of the authors which partly resulted in its special topics and stresses. Janez Juhant is Professor of Philosophy at the Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana, and a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Salzburg, working in the fields of ethics, anthropology and theology. Bojan Zalec is Associate Professor of Philosophy, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Institute of Philosophy and Social Ethics at the Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana, working in the fields of ethics and anthropology.

The ethical distress of the (post)modern world stimulates and directs us to reflect our ethical and cultural grounds. Man is a transcendent being. He cannot reach or put in order immediate goods he needs if he is not prepared to acknowledge the grounds of his person and develop the virtues of prudence, love, hope, faith, wisdom, justice, courage, temperance etc. These are ethical questions concerning different worldviews and cannot be solved only by scientific methods. Many people who in the past did not care for religion as such, now take seriously religious personal and societal aspects of humane life. The fundamental crucial questions of man are ethical questions. They are in various ways related or perplexed with the question of faith and of science.

The book deals with the relationship of religion, ideology, violence and peace. The authors discuss these topics and related phenomena-such as religious (in)tolerance, religious pluralism, political terror and post-secular culture from different aspects (education, marriage, culture of memory, business ethics)-in different concrete societal contexts, including Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Taiwan, and more. Against this background of different academic disciplines, philosophy, theology, science of religion, sociology, intellectual history, psychology, science of education and legal science, this book offers an integral and inter-disciplinary insight into the nature, origins, function and connections of religion, ideology, violence, and peace. (Series: Theology East-West / Theologie Ost-West, Vol. 19) [Subject: Religious Studies, Sociology, Peace Studies]

All civilizations have cultivated some kind of ars vivendi, and also our own (present) is no exception. At one hand the present society more deeply than ever interferes with secrets of life. Yet at the other hand, there are signs of non-mastering the life, the escape in the opposite direction, to non-life. There are even sings of turning to death. The former Pope John Paul II spoke about our culture as a culture of death. How can we consider the art of life as a challenge for solving difficult problems of man's life in the time being? We offer a scientific contribution (provided by scholars cultivating several scientific approaches and disciplines) to multilayered background from which alone the genuine sense of proper attitude toward them can grow.

Through globalization humanity is becoming more and more mutually dependent and even united, but at the same time the multidimensional differences and gaps between us are appearing as a challenge to this connectedness. „No one can live only on food.“ (Lk 4, 4) are words that clearly witness that the connective tissue of humanity can't be only of economical and political nature. Also the pasture the media offer to people is too often just an instrument of the owners and not the fulfilment of media's proper function to cultivate and spread (capacity for knowing) the truth. At one hand the interweaving of ideological streams is (mis)used by new gurus for taking the possession of control. At the other hand the representatives of established religions and value systems are searching for formulas for a successful competition on the global market. What are then the possibilities and ways of survival, well being and life worth of human person in the contemporary increasingly complex condition? This question is from various scientific aspects and different (religious) horizons reflected upon in our book. Janez Juhant & Bojan Zalec, the editors

From the old times on, doubtless ethics presents an important part of philosophy, mainly as guidance for solving practical problems. In the times of big social changes the ethical questions arise anew. The current times of scientific and technological radical changes, of globalization and instability, demand up-to-date ethical discussion and answers. According to all the differences in the world, which occur because of the media and technological capabilities present in the consciousness of ordinary people, one should ask himself how to find the directions of the action and activity of an individual, of people, of humanity. And as a result of the rapid development of scientific and technological power, the things are becoming more and more complicated and potentially dangerous. What was in the past solved only by God and by the nature itself, it is today also essentially influenced by humans themselves. Hence, the ethics and morality are far more important as they used to be and they concern the survival of humanity as such. However, the authors in this book have been trying to face these problems.