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As the title of the present publication suggests, the ten essays of this book try to approach an inconvenient trauma of global human reality and the uniformity of media and cyberspace in which human lives suffer harm, loss of inner identity and of broader meaning. Indeed, our postmodern and post-identity times are characterized by a flux of rapid social changes, uncertainty, vague and shaking moral values, by violence and frightening information with its contradictory truths and genuine ambiguity; finally by the violence of unpredictable climate change resulting in various and frequent calamities and devastation of life. Doubt and time are the central concern of modern philosophy and remind us that violence is inherent in the human condition and that reflection on it, regardless of different cultural sensibilities, is ipso facto part of the mainstream of our individual and global concerns. These, and many other fascinating topics from Western and Chinese history, were explored and brought to light by a learned forum of distinguished scholars and experts whose contributions are contained in this publication.
Honour, Violence and Emotions in History is the first book to draw on emerging cross-disciplinary scholarship on the study of emotions to analyse the history of honour and violence across a broad range of cultures and regions. Written by leading cultural and social historians from around the world, the book considers how emotions - particularly shame, anger, disgust, jealousy, despair and fear - have been provoked and expressed through culturally-embedded and historically specific understandings of honour. The collection explores a range of contexts, from 17th-century China to 18th-century South Africa and 20th-century Europe, offering a broad and wide-ranging analysis of the interrelationships between honour, violence and emotions in history. This ground-breaking book will be of interest to all researchers studying the relationship between violence and the emotions.
As climate change continues to batter the coastlines of North America and elsewhere, and as extreme weather events provide abundant proof of its reality, religious leaders can no longer ignore the fact that the human has become a geologic force, a force that must be re-educated and re-formed in order to guarantee safe passage into a sustainable future. Hopefully, Jesuits and their lay partners can continue to provide leadership in regard to this issue, correctly identified by Fr Adolfo Nicolás, SJ, as a top priority. In this particular context, the role of religions and their valuable contributions must be evaluated. Religion’s role is not simply one of morality; rather, it seeks, especially in Christianity, to show the face of God. It is out of this relation that believers then seek to live towards the “good,” especially in relation to their neighbours, creation and God. Religious believers may have failed severely in communicating this relationship in the twenty-first century. This publication gathers together a roster of Western and Asian experts’ contributions from various fields of knowledge related to ecology, anthropology, religions and ethics, economics, technology, and to environmental and health protection studies. This collection of essays embracing a wide scope of current topics, theme and questions will renew awareness of the ecological dilemma and stimulate reflection on its spiritual and social dimensions.
We live in a time when we are overwhelmed with talk and images of violence. Whether on television, the internet, films or the video screen, we can’t escape representations of actual or fictional violence - another murder, another killing spree in a high school or movie theatre, another action movie filled with images of violence. Our age could well be called “The Age of Violence” because representations of real or imagined violence, sometimes fused together, are pervasive. But what do we mean by violence? What can violence achieve? Are there limits to violence and, if so, what are they? In this new book Richard Bernstein seeks to answer these questions by examining the work of five figures who have thought deeply about violence - Carl Schmitt, Walter Benjamin, Hannah Arendt, Frantz Fanon, and Jan Assmann. He shows that we have much to learn from their work about the meaning of violence in our times. Through the critical examination of their writings he also brings out the limits of violence. There are compelling reasons to commit ourselves to non-violence, and yet at the same time we have to acknowledge that there are exceptional circumstances in which violence can be justified. Bernstein argues that there can be no general criteria for determining when violence is justified. The only plausible way of dealing with this issue is to cultivate publics in which there is free and open discussion and in which individuals are committed to listen to one other: when public debate withers, there is nothing to prevent the triumph of murderous violence.
In his philosophical reflections on the art of lingering, acclaimed cultural theorist Byung-Chul Han argues that the value we attach today to the vita activa is producing a crisis in our sense of time. Our attachment to the vita activa creates an imperative to work which degrades the human being into a labouring animal, an animal laborans. At the same time, the hyperactivity which characterizes our daily routines robs human beings of the capacity to linger and the faculty of contemplation. It therefore becomes impossible to experience time as fulfilling. Drawing on a range of thinkers including Heidegger, Nietzsche and Arendt, Han argues that we can overcome this temporal crisis only by revitalizing the vita contemplativa and relearning the art of lingering. For what distinguishes humans from other animals is the capacity for reflection and contemplation, and when life regains this capacity, this art of lingering, it gains in time and space, in duration and vastness.
While ancient civilizations worshipped strong, active emotions, modern societies have favored more peaceful attitudes, especially within the democratic process. We have largely forgotten the struggle to make use of thymos, the part of the soul that, following Plato, contains spirit, pride, and indignation. Rather, Christianity and psychoanalysis have promoted mutual understanding to overcome conflict. Through unique examples, Peter Sloterdijk, the preeminent posthumanist, argues exactly the opposite, showing how the history of Western civilization can be read as a suppression and return of rage. By way of reinterpreting the Iliad, Alexandre Dumas's Count of Monte Cristo, and recent Islamic political riots in Paris, Sloterdijk proves the fallacy that rage is an emotion capable of control. Global terrorism and economic frustrations have rendered strong emotions visibly resurgent, and the consequences of violent outbursts will determine international relations for decades to come. To better respond to rage and its complexity, Sloterdijk daringly breaks with entrenched dogma and contructs a new theory for confronting conflict. His approach acknowledges and respects the proper place of rage and channels it into productive political struggle.
Josiah Royce (1855–1916) has had a major influence on American intellectual life — both popular movements and cutting-edge thought — but his name often went unmentioned while his ideas marched forward. The leading American proponent of absolute idealism, Royce has come back into fashion in recent years. With several important new books appearing, the formation of a Josiah Royce Society, and the re-organization of the Royce papers at Harvard, the time is ripe for Time, Will, and Purpose. Randall Auxier delves into the primary texts written by Royce to retrieve the most poignant ideas, the ideas we need most in the present day, while he also offers a new framework for understanding the development of Royce’s philosophy. Auxier responds to everything that has been written about Royce, both early and recent.
This book discusses contemporary Chinese philosophy. It is the is the outcome of the author's own twenty year-long studies on the relationship between modernization and Chinese culture from the perspective of cultural reconstruction and philosophical reflection. The book highlights the author's opinions and research outcomes. Part I Culture 1 1 The Basic Spirit of Ancient Chinese Culture I. Schools of thought on the basic spirit of ancient Chinese culture II. The cultural spirit with humanism as its core 2 Types and Characteristics of Chinese Culture I. The culture of ethical politics that seeks good governance II. Characteristics of the studies of ancient Chinese culture 3 Thinkers and Cultural Traditions I. Thinkers and connotations of cultural traditions II. The major cultural tradition promoted by thinkers III. The main approaches taken by the thinkers to shaping cultural traditions IV. The relationship between thinkers and the cultural traditions V. Absorbing historic resources and reconstructing the cultural traditions 4 The Study of Ancient Chinese Culture and the Spirit of the Times I. The connotation, content and scope of studies of ancient Chinese culture II. The essence of the debate about ancient Chinese culture is how to achieve China’s modernization III. The interaction between ancient Chinese culture and the spirit of the times 5 Ancient Chinese Culture and the Chinese Spiritual Homeland I. What is the spiritual homeland? Anient Chinese culture III. Constructing the Chinese spiritual homeland 6 Traditional Chinese Thought on Humanism I. The indomitable spirit of observing the Way II. The ideal of worshipping the mean and valuing harmony III. The consciousness of tolerance of "cultural China" IV. The conservative and innovative consciousness of evolution V. The pursuit of morality and justice VI. The function of traditional Chinese humanism 7 Issues of the Chinese Culture and the Chinese Spirit I. The connotation and function of cultural spirit and national spirit II. The relationship between Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit III. The innovative study of the spirit of Chinese culture IV. The human spirit, cultural spirit and national spirit 8 The Developmental Direction of Chinese Culture and the Self-improvement of National Spirit: The Efforts of Chinese Cultural Modernization from the Perspective of Three "Cultural Declarations" I. The main content and the value themes of the three "Cultural Declarations" II. The value of the modern neo-Confucian "Cultural Declaration" III. The similarities and differences of the three "Cultural Declarations" IV. The enlightenment of the three "Cultural Declarations" for developmental directions of Chinese culture 9 Cultural Criticism and the Value Reconstruction: A prospective look at the future of Chinese culture I. Cultural critique, values reconstruction and civilization renaissance II. The cultural criticism and value reconstruction in the course of modern history III. The modern spiritual direction of reconstructing the values 10 National Cultural Qualities and Rebuilding the Humanistic Spirit I. The quality of national culture is a diverse and open system II. The value orientations of the human spirit III. The relationship between the cultural qualities of the nation and the spirit of humanity IV. How to rebuild the human spirit V. The main contents of the new humanistic spirit vi Between Tradition and Modernity 11 Economic Globalization and the Construction of National Culture I. Economic globalization cannot counteract cultural nationality II. A rational view of nationalism III. Adhering to and enhancing the cultural nationality 12 Cultural Globalization and Cultural Construction in Contemporary China I. "Cultural globalization" is a factual judgment II. Cultural globalization is subordinate to cultural diversity Part II Philosophy 13 Confucian Cultural Tradition and National Cohesion I. The specifi c meaning of the traditional Confucian culture and its spiritual values II. The cultural connotation of Chinese national cohesion and modern values III. The relationship between tradition of Confucian culture and Chinese national cohesion 14 Confucian Culture and the Construction of a Contemporary Humanistic Spirit I. A rational pursuit of Confucian culture II. The practical needs of contemporary culture building III. The positive value of Confucian culture and the construction of contemporary humanistic spirit 15 Approaches to Promoting Economic Development through Confucian Culture I. Dual roles of Confucian culture in economic development II. A practical approach to promoting economic development through Confucian culture 16 Modernization and Marginalization of Confucianism I. The origin and connotation of modernization and marginalization of Confucianism II. On the modernization of Confucianism III. On the marginalization of Confucianism IV. The tension between the modernization and marginalization of Confucianism 17 Confucianism and Schools of Thoughts in Modern China. I. Tripartite situation of culture: Conservatives, reformists and revolutionaries II. Academic schools of thought: Marxism, Western schools and Neo-Confucianism III. Approaches to cultural reconstruction: Seeking gradual improvement through radical means IV. The contemporary fate of Confucianism 18 Formation of Ruling by Rites in the Han dynasty and its Ideological Features I. The embryonic stage of ruling by rites: The establishment of the country by the Emperor Gaozu of Han to the period of Emperors Wendi and Jingdi of the Han dynasty II. The establishment stage of ruling by rites: the periods from Emperor Wudi to Emperors Zhaodi and Xuandi of the Han dynasty III. The mature stages: During the period of Emperor Zhangdi of the Eastern Han dynasty IV. The ideological characteristics of the Han dynasty 19 The Political Philosophy of Dong Zhongshu I. The political theory of benevolent governance with morality given priority over penalty II. The theory of the historical cycle of three unities III. The theory of political order of "Heaven changeth not, likewise the Way changeth not" 20 Dong Zhongshu’s Thought on Heaven and Man and its Signifi cance in Cultural History I. The theory of mutual interaction between Heaven and humanity II. The theory of harmony between man and nature III. The theory of the unity of nature and mankind with the ruler in the center IV. The signifi cance of Dong Zhongshu’s theory of nature and mankind in cultural history 21 Dong Zhongshu’s Way of Thinking I. The integrated logical approach of analogy and alignment II. The holistic, intuitive and experiential way of thinking III. The reform principles of respecting Heaven and the practice of the ancient times viii Between Tradition and Modernity 22 The Cultural Interpretation of Dong Zhongshu’s ideal I. The great aspiration and noble ideal of the unity of the country II. The pursuit of harmony and fairness III. The strategic vision of long-term stability 23 The Confucian Orientation and Characteristics of the New School in Kang Youwei’s "On Dong Zhongshu’s Study of Spring-Autumn" I. The structure of On Dong Zhongshu’s Study of Spring-Autumn 330 II. The content and themes of "On Dong Zhongshu’s Study of Spring-Autumn" III. "On Dong Zhongshu’s Study of Spring-Autumn" and the Reformation Movement IV. The Guangdong fl avor of "On Dong Zhongshu’s Study of Spring-Autumn" 24 Challenges and Issues of Developing Contemporary Neo-Confucianism I. The dilemma between openness and conservatism II. The gap between the ambition of reviving Confucianism and the desolate reality of the Confucian school III. The confl ict between the traditional values and norms of "Back to Basics" and the modern concept of openness IV. The divorce between the spirit of criticism and the consciousness of self-refl ection V. The paradox between the intentions of modernizing Confucianism and the reality of its marginalization VI. The total lack of an ideal carrier of Confucian values and ideals 25 A Close Examination of the Study of Chinese Philosophy in the 20th Century and a Prospective Look at its Development in the New Century I. The fi rst half of the twentieth century II. The second half of the twentieth century III. Achievements and shortcomings in the century IV. A look into the new century The Postscript of the English version
A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.