The Humane Perspective
Philosophical Reflections on Human Nature, the Search for Meaning, and the Role of Religion
Published on 11. July 2024
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-0-19-891891-2 (ISBN)
Description
The book brings together fourteen essays from the work of John Cottingham on moral philosophy and the philosophy of religion spanning the past fifteen years. The papers are closely related in so far as they all deal with the perennial moral and spiritual challenges of human existence, and the search for meaning and value in human life. As well as being thematically linked, they also share a common style and methodology, illustrating the distinctive goal that has increasingly informed the author's work in recent years, that of promoting a more 'humane' conception of philosophizing. While in no way discarding the technical tools of the professional philosopher such as abstract argumentation and analysis, whose value and importance are unquestionable, this approach is notable for drawing on the full range of resources available to the human mind, including those that depend on literary, artistic, poetic, imaginative, aesthetic, and emotional modes of awareness. In contrast to the model of the philosopher as a kind of detached scrutineer, the essays exemplify the belief that there is a distinctive and valuable kind of philosophical understanding that requires a more involved and engaged stance. The philosophical questions dealt in the volume all fall broadly within the familiar domains of moral philosophy and the philosophy of religion, but the reflections offered on these areas of human thought and practice always aim to be sensitive to how morality and religion actually operate in the lives of the human beings involved.
Reviews / Votes
The Humane Perspective is a welcome call to dare to think-in all of its varied meanings. * Deborah Casewell, Ratio Journal * These essays, along with his broader work on humane philosophy, are a singular service to contemporary anglophone philosophy and its future. * Zachary Mabee, Philosophy in Review * John Cottingham has been, and is, a key figure in reshaping philosophy of religion and philosophical theology. His prose is crystal clear, generous, appealing, littered with example and rich in metaphor and explanation. The argument has an underlying rigour, without the trappings of formalisms and technicality. The opening chapter brings out that this is a programme and a movement that has had a significant impact, and continues to influence and shape the thinking of a wide range of scholars. * Christopher Insole, Professor of Philosophical Theology and Ethics, University of Durham * The Humane Perspective reveals the unity of Cottingham's influential work in the areas of philosophy of religion, moral philosophy, and meaning in life. Cottingham is the leading figure advocating a 'humane' approach to philosophy, an approach that continues to grow in its influence and its enduring impact. The volume is written in a beautifully literate and engaging way that is widely accessible and of broad interest. * David McPherson, Professor of Philosophy, University of Florida * Builds on the beautiful and highly engaging approach to questions of meaning, morality, and religion in his many previous books... A far-ranging book that develops some very original and provocative ideas ... An excellent collection of essays [which] will provide readers, including those well-versed in the more standard fare of analytic philosophy of religion, with many new ideas to consider and leave them much better off for having done so. * Christopher Hauser, Faith and Philosophy * John Cottingham's work marks a turning point in the development of contemporary philosophy of religion. The Humane Perspective provides an original and attractive option not just for philosophers of religion but also for all those who take distance from reductive naturalism and from the dominant analytic paradigm, and want to explore aspects of the spiritual dimension and grounds of value realism. * Stelios Virvidakis, Philosophical Investigations *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
513 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-891891-2 (9780198918912)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
John Cottingham
The Humane Perspective
Philosophical Reflections on Human Nature, the Search for Meaning, and the Role of Religion
E-Book
07/2024
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€76.99
Available for download
John Cottingham
The Humane Perspective
Philosophical Reflections on Human Nature, the Search for Meaning, and the Role of Religion
E-Book
07/2024
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€76.99
Available for download
Person
John Cottingham is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Reading University, where he was Head of Department and Chair of Graduate Studies. He has served as Chairman of the British Society for the History of Philosophy, as President of the British Society for Philosophy of Religion, and as editor of the journal Ratio. He has published fifteen books as sole author, plus seventeen editions, translations, and edited collections, and over 150 articles. His research in moral philosophy and philosophy of religion focuses on the meaning of life and the relation between religious belief and practice. He is a leading authority on the philosophy of Descartes.
Content
Preface and Acknowledgements Part One: Manifesto and Method 1: The Humane Perspective Appendix to Chapter 1: Conspectus of the Volume 2: What is Humane Philosophy and Why it is At Risk? Part Two: Morality and Meaning 3: Integrity and Fragmentation 4: Happiness, Temporality, and Meaning 5: Philosophy, the Good Life, and Spirituality 6: Conversion, Self-discovery, and Moral Change Part Three: Science and its Limits 7: Confronting the Cosmos: Scientific Rationality and Human Understanding 8: Transcending Science: Humane Models of Religious Understanding 9: Brain Laterality and Religious Awareness 10: Which Naturalism? Part Four: Reaching for the Transcendent 11: Religion and the Mystery of Existence 12: From Desire to Encounter: the Human Quest for the Infinite 13: The Meaning of Life and Transcendence 14: Engagement, Immersion, and Enactment: the Role of Spiritual Praxis in Religious Belief Bibliography Index