Transcendence: Critical Realism and God (Critical Realism: Interventions Routledge Critical Realism)

Transcendence: Critical Realism and God (Critical Realism: Interventions Routledge Critical Realism)


Yazar Margaret S. Archer
Yayınevi Routledge
ISBN 9780415336178
Baskı yılı 2004
Sayfa sayısı 194
Ağırlık 0.30 kg
Edisyon 1
Stok durumu Tükendi   

Atheism as a belief does not have to present intellectual credentials within academia. Yet to hold beliefs means giving reasons for doing so, ones which may be found wanting. Instead, atheism is the automatic default setting within the academic world. Conversely, religious belief confronts a double standard. Religious believers are not permitted to make truth claims but are instead forced to present their beliefs as part of one language game amongst many. Religious truth claims are expected to satisfy empiricist criteria of evidence but when they fail, as they must, religious belief becomes subject to the hermeneutics of suspicion. This book explores religious experience as a justifiable reason for religious belief. It uniquely demonstrates that the three pillars of critical realism - ontological intransitivity, epistemic relativity and judgemental rationality - can be applied to religion as to any other beliefs or theories. The three authors are critical realists by philosophical position. They seek to establish a level playing field between religion and secular ideas, which has not existed in the academic world for some generations, in order for reasoned debate to be conducted.
1 Introduction by Margaret S. Archer and Andrew Collier and Douglas V. Porpora 1
2 What do we mean by God? by Margaret S. Archer and Andrew Collier and Douglas V. Porpora 24
3 Realism, relativism and reason in religious belief by Andrew Collier 41
4 Judgemental rationality and Jesus by Douglas V. Porpora 49
5 Models of man : the admission of transcendence by Margaret S. Archer 63
6 The masters of suspicion and secularisation by Andrew Collier 82
7 Western mysticism and the limits of language by Margaret S. Archer 92
8 A propaedeutic to a propaedeutic on inter-religious dialogue by Douglas V. Porpora 108
9 Natural theology, revealed theology and religious experience by Andrew Collier 129
10 On understanding religious experience : St. Teresa as a challenge to social theory by Margaret S. Archer 138
11 The human project by Douglas V. Porpora 155
12 Emancipation, social and spiritual by Andrew Collier 168