The old man in the sky -- The omnipresent person -- The unchangeable necessary being -- Negative (apophatic) theology -- Truth, goodness and beauty -- Pantheism -- Deism -- The God who changes and acts -- Instrumentalism -- Reductionism -- Postmodernism -- Relativism -- Wittgensteinian Christianity -- Religious experience -- The eternal thou -- Moral faith -- Forgiveness and grace -- The inward light.
Leslie Stevenson, a former Philosophy lecturer at St. Andrews University from 1968 to 2000, now holds the title of Honorary Reader after retirement. His extensive experience in academia provides a rich background for his insights into philosophical thought and education.
These essays on Kant's theoretical philosophy, besides deriving inspiration from him, bring insights from contemporary analytical philosophy to bear in interpreting some of his most deep and difficult themes. The topics covered include representation and reality, appearances and things in themselves, the given and synthesis, transcendental idealism, the limits of scientific explanation, knowledge, belief and faith, freedom of judgment, different levels of operation within the mind, and determinism and free will. Though written separately (and in some cases already published), the essays bear close relations with each other, and these inter-relations have been emphasized and signposted in preparing revised versions for this book. This collection of essays features a variety of concrete examples (and occasional humor) to illustrate and illuminate the very abstract themes of Kant's philosophy. It is designed to be readable with enjoyment and profit by those who do not count themselves as Kant scholars.
"Ten Theories of Human Nature compresses into a small space the essence of such ancient traditions as Confucianism, Hinduism, and the Old and New Testaments as well as the theories of Plato, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Jean-Paul Sartre. The authors juxtapose the ideas of these and other thinkers and traditions in a way that helps readers understand how humanity has struggled to comprehend its nature. To encourage readers to think critically for themselves and to underscore the similarities and differences between the many theories, the book examines each one on four points - the nature of the universe, the nature of humanity, the diagnosis of the ills of humanity, and the proposed cure for these problems. Ideal for introductory courses in human nature, philosophy, religious studies, and intellectual history, Ten Theories of Human Nature will engage and motivate students and other readers to consider how we can understand and improve both ourselves and human society."--Jacket
"Now in a new edition, this anthology provides an introduction to a wide variety of views on human nature. Drawing from diverse cultures over three millennia, Leslie Stevenson has chosen selections ranging from ancient religious texts to contemporary theories based on evolutionary science. An ideal companion to the editor's recent book, Ten Theories of Human Nature, 3/e (OUP, 1998), this interdisciplinary reader can also be used independently."--Jacket
This revised philosophy textbook has been updated and enlarged to include new recommendations for further reading and a new conclusion. Discussions of evolution, of sociobiology and of the importance of gender differences are among the features of this final chapter.