Stephen E. Lahey
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195183313
- eISBN:
- 9780199870349
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195183313.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter provides the basic biographical material necessary to understand the course of Wyclif’s life. The first section traces Wyclif’s career at Oxford University, specifically at Merton and ...
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This chapter provides the basic biographical material necessary to understand the course of Wyclif’s life. The first section traces Wyclif’s career at Oxford University, specifically at Merton and Balliol Colleges. Wyclif was a prolific writer, and while establishing a precise chronology for his works as they have come down to us is difficult, given his apparently extensive re-editing of his works, the chapter describes the organization of his two major philosophical collections, the Summa de Ente and the Summa Theologie. The second section surveys Wyclif’s career in the service of the Duke of Lancaster, his subsequent dismissal from Oxford University, and his ongoing disputes with Bishop William Courtenay of London. During his final years in exile in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, Wyclif produced a significant body of writing, ranging from exegesis to polemics, remaining active in his criticisms of the ecclesiastical status quo.Less
This chapter provides the basic biographical material necessary to understand the course of Wyclif’s life. The first section traces Wyclif’s career at Oxford University, specifically at Merton and Balliol Colleges. Wyclif was a prolific writer, and while establishing a precise chronology for his works as they have come down to us is difficult, given his apparently extensive re-editing of his works, the chapter describes the organization of his two major philosophical collections, the Summa de Ente and the Summa Theologie. The second section surveys Wyclif’s career in the service of the Duke of Lancaster, his subsequent dismissal from Oxford University, and his ongoing disputes with Bishop William Courtenay of London. During his final years in exile in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, Wyclif produced a significant body of writing, ranging from exegesis to polemics, remaining active in his criticisms of the ecclesiastical status quo.
Monica Weis
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813130040
- eISBN:
- 9780813135717
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813130040.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
Nature was always vital in Thomas Merton's life, from the long hours he spent as a child watching his father paint landscapes in the fresh air, to his final years of solitude in the hermitage at Our ...
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Nature was always vital in Thomas Merton's life, from the long hours he spent as a child watching his father paint landscapes in the fresh air, to his final years of solitude in the hermitage at Our Lady of Gethsemani, where he contemplated and wrote about the beauty of his surroundings. Throughout his life, Merton's study of the natural world shaped his spirituality in profound ways, and he was one of the first writers to raise concern about ecological issues that have become critical in recent years. This book suggests that Merton's interest in nature, which developed significantly during his years at the Abbey of Gethsemani, laid the foundation for his growing environmental consciousness. Tracing Merton's awareness of the natural world from his childhood to the final years of his life, the book explores his deepening sense of place and desire for solitude, his love and responsibility for all living things, and his evolving ecological awareness.Less
Nature was always vital in Thomas Merton's life, from the long hours he spent as a child watching his father paint landscapes in the fresh air, to his final years of solitude in the hermitage at Our Lady of Gethsemani, where he contemplated and wrote about the beauty of his surroundings. Throughout his life, Merton's study of the natural world shaped his spirituality in profound ways, and he was one of the first writers to raise concern about ecological issues that have become critical in recent years. This book suggests that Merton's interest in nature, which developed significantly during his years at the Abbey of Gethsemani, laid the foundation for his growing environmental consciousness. Tracing Merton's awareness of the natural world from his childhood to the final years of his life, the book explores his deepening sense of place and desire for solitude, his love and responsibility for all living things, and his evolving ecological awareness.
John Levi Martin
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199773312
- eISBN:
- 9780199897223
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199773312.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Theory
Chapter 3 begins by examining the most egregious case of a lack of confidence in the adequacy of the conceptual structure of actors to explicate their own action, the doctrines of ...
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Chapter 3 begins by examining the most egregious case of a lack of confidence in the adequacy of the conceptual structure of actors to explicate their own action, the doctrines of Freudian psychoanalysis. These were developed in a social environment featuring a confrontation between a mentally unfit and utterly powerless patient and an authority figure. Closer examination of the processes whereby Freud developed his theories finds not that he uncovered the nature of psychological resistances, but that he wildly and blatantly imputed his own idiosyncratic chains of associations to patients and then made “cure” conditional on their acceptance of his claims. This denial of first person accounts found its way into the social sciences in the idea that there can be a kind of explanation that does not make reference to first person accounts. Merton famously called these “latent” functions—taking the distinction between latent and manifest from Freud’s work on dreams. The latent meanings of dreams were nothing other than what they meant to Freud—similarly, latent functions were nothing other than what things meant to the analyst. Such a procedure has been justified according to an unconvincing philosophy of science, or by our theory of the arbitrariness of actors’ cognitive system.Less
Chapter 3 begins by examining the most egregious case of a lack of confidence in the adequacy of the conceptual structure of actors to explicate their own action, the doctrines of Freudian psychoanalysis. These were developed in a social environment featuring a confrontation between a mentally unfit and utterly powerless patient and an authority figure. Closer examination of the processes whereby Freud developed his theories finds not that he uncovered the nature of psychological resistances, but that he wildly and blatantly imputed his own idiosyncratic chains of associations to patients and then made “cure” conditional on their acceptance of his claims. This denial of first person accounts found its way into the social sciences in the idea that there can be a kind of explanation that does not make reference to first person accounts. Merton famously called these “latent” functions—taking the distinction between latent and manifest from Freud’s work on dreams. The latent meanings of dreams were nothing other than what they meant to Freud—similarly, latent functions were nothing other than what things meant to the analyst. Such a procedure has been justified according to an unconvincing philosophy of science, or by our theory of the arbitrariness of actors’ cognitive system.
Samuel Dresner
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- March 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823221158
- eISBN:
- 9780823236749
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fso/9780823221158.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Born in Warsaw, Abraham Heschel earned a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Berlin, and taught in Berlin and Frankfurt. After being deported by the Nazis to Poland in 1938, ...
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Born in Warsaw, Abraham Heschel earned a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Berlin, and taught in Berlin and Frankfurt. After being deported by the Nazis to Poland in 1938, he taught in Warsaw and London. In 1940 he came to the United States, invited by Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. From 1945 until his death, he was professor of Jewish ethics and mysticism at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. Heschel's life and thought have been widely acclaimed. Thomas Merton, for example, described him as “the greatest religious writer in America”. New editions of his writings are constantly being published. His best-known works include The Earth Is the Lord's (1950), Man's Quest for God: Studies in Prayer and Symbolism (1954), God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism (1956), and The Prophets (1962). This book gives a personal insight into his life and views into the Hasidic movement and the important concept of halakha.Less
Born in Warsaw, Abraham Heschel earned a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Berlin, and taught in Berlin and Frankfurt. After being deported by the Nazis to Poland in 1938, he taught in Warsaw and London. In 1940 he came to the United States, invited by Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. From 1945 until his death, he was professor of Jewish ethics and mysticism at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. Heschel's life and thought have been widely acclaimed. Thomas Merton, for example, described him as “the greatest religious writer in America”. New editions of his writings are constantly being published. His best-known works include The Earth Is the Lord's (1950), Man's Quest for God: Studies in Prayer and Symbolism (1954), God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism (1956), and The Prophets (1962). This book gives a personal insight into his life and views into the Hasidic movement and the important concept of halakha.
Mark Sedgwick
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195152975
- eISBN:
- 9780199835225
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195152972.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter completes the history of Schuon’s Maryamiyya (formerly the Alawiyya), covering events from the 1970s to Schuon’s death in 1998. It considers the spread of the Maryamiyya, its involvement ...
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This chapter completes the history of Schuon’s Maryamiyya (formerly the Alawiyya), covering events from the 1970s to Schuon’s death in 1998. It considers the spread of the Maryamiyya, its involvement with two best-selling writers (one a Catholic monk, Thomas Merton, and the other a scholar, Huston Smith), and its influence through the books and other activities of Schuon’s followers. The chapter ends with a discussion of the controversial community around Schuon in Bloomington, Indiana, during the 1990s. This stage of the Maryamiyya’s history is notable for Native American “Indian” influences and for sacred nudity.Less
This chapter completes the history of Schuon’s Maryamiyya (formerly the Alawiyya), covering events from the 1970s to Schuon’s death in 1998. It considers the spread of the Maryamiyya, its involvement with two best-selling writers (one a Catholic monk, Thomas Merton, and the other a scholar, Huston Smith), and its influence through the books and other activities of Schuon’s followers. The chapter ends with a discussion of the controversial community around Schuon in Bloomington, Indiana, during the 1990s. This stage of the Maryamiyya’s history is notable for Native American “Indian” influences and for sacred nudity.
Ian Wood
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263204
- eISBN:
- 9780191734205
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263204.003.0017
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
John Michael Wallace–Hadrill's career was marked by a series of distinctions, notably an Oxford D.Litt. in 1967, his election to the British Academy in 1969, and his CBE in 1982. He would also later ...
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John Michael Wallace–Hadrill's career was marked by a series of distinctions, notably an Oxford D.Litt. in 1967, his election to the British Academy in 1969, and his CBE in 1982. He would also later hold two prestigious chairs, in Manchester and Oxford. It is, however, through his publications that he is best known. The first of these appeared during his first years at Merton. The earliest article was a piece for the Manchester Guardian, on ‘Alfred the Great, 849–899, his European setting’. Although a slight piece, it already announced concerns that would recur throughout his work: Alfred would receive attention in Early Germanic Kingship. More important was the insistence on seeing English history in a Continental context.Less
John Michael Wallace–Hadrill's career was marked by a series of distinctions, notably an Oxford D.Litt. in 1967, his election to the British Academy in 1969, and his CBE in 1982. He would also later hold two prestigious chairs, in Manchester and Oxford. It is, however, through his publications that he is best known. The first of these appeared during his first years at Merton. The earliest article was a piece for the Manchester Guardian, on ‘Alfred the Great, 849–899, his European setting’. Although a slight piece, it already announced concerns that would recur throughout his work: Alfred would receive attention in Early Germanic Kingship. More important was the insistence on seeing English history in a Continental context.
John Y. Campbell and Luis M. Viceira
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198296942
- eISBN:
- 9780191596049
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198296940.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
One of the most important decisions many people face is the choice of a portfolio of assets for retirement savings. The leading academic paradigm of portfolio choice, the mean‐variance analysis of ...
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One of the most important decisions many people face is the choice of a portfolio of assets for retirement savings. The leading academic paradigm of portfolio choice, the mean‐variance analysis of Markowitz, does not give adequate guidance for this long‐term investment problem because it assumes that investors care only about the mean and variance of return over a single short period. The book develops an alternative paradigm, the inter‐temporal model of Merton, into an empirically usable framework with the following implications. The safe asset for a long‐term investor is not a Treasury bill, but a long‐term inflation‐indexed bond that provides a stable stream of real income. A nominal bond is a good substitute for an inflation‐indexed bond only if inflation risk is low. There is evidence that stock returns are mean‐reverting, with bull markets tending to follow bear markets and vice versa; this suggests that long‐term investors should increase their average stockholdings but should also vary their stockholdings with the overall level of the stock market. Investors with a stable stream of labour income can afford a greater exposure to stock market risk.Less
One of the most important decisions many people face is the choice of a portfolio of assets for retirement savings. The leading academic paradigm of portfolio choice, the mean‐variance analysis of Markowitz, does not give adequate guidance for this long‐term investment problem because it assumes that investors care only about the mean and variance of return over a single short period. The book develops an alternative paradigm, the inter‐temporal model of Merton, into an empirically usable framework with the following implications. The safe asset for a long‐term investor is not a Treasury bill, but a long‐term inflation‐indexed bond that provides a stable stream of real income. A nominal bond is a good substitute for an inflation‐indexed bond only if inflation risk is low. There is evidence that stock returns are mean‐reverting, with bull markets tending to follow bear markets and vice versa; this suggests that long‐term investors should increase their average stockholdings but should also vary their stockholdings with the overall level of the stock market. Investors with a stable stream of labour income can afford a greater exposure to stock market risk.
GREGORY C. CHOW
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195101928
- eISBN:
- 9780199855032
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195101928.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
Using stochastic differential equations instead of utilizing stochastic difference equations, most of the models involved in finance follow Merton’s work and are developed in continuous time. In this ...
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Using stochastic differential equations instead of utilizing stochastic difference equations, most of the models involved in finance follow Merton’s work and are developed in continuous time. In this chapter, an alternative stochastic differential equation is introduced to replace the vector for state variables. The chapter introduces the Wiener process in which a change in the time variable is perceived to be normally distributed and with zero mean. After illustrating how dynamic programming is employed in a model that involves continuous time, we look into the illustration included in this chapter about how to solve such problems using the method of Lagrange multipliers. We also attempt to examine the optimal control function, optimum consumption, and other issues such as capital asset pricing in the event of shifts in investments.Less
Using stochastic differential equations instead of utilizing stochastic difference equations, most of the models involved in finance follow Merton’s work and are developed in continuous time. In this chapter, an alternative stochastic differential equation is introduced to replace the vector for state variables. The chapter introduces the Wiener process in which a change in the time variable is perceived to be normally distributed and with zero mean. After illustrating how dynamic programming is employed in a model that involves continuous time, we look into the illustration included in this chapter about how to solve such problems using the method of Lagrange multipliers. We also attempt to examine the optimal control function, optimum consumption, and other issues such as capital asset pricing in the event of shifts in investments.
E.J. Ashworth and P. V. Spade
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199510122
- eISBN:
- 9780191700941
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199510122.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This chapter discusses three main periods in the history of Oxford logic that occurred approximately between 1330 and 1500. It talks about three Merton authors who were accountable for the course of ...
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This chapter discusses three main periods in the history of Oxford logic that occurred approximately between 1330 and 1500. It talks about three Merton authors who were accountable for the course of much subsequent medieval logical theory — Thomas Bradwardine (1295–1349), William Heytesbury (1313–1372 or 1373), and Richard Billingham. This chapter also evaluates the logical activities that occurred during the late medieval period in Oxford by looking at the collections of texts that circulated in manuscript and were eventually printed as the two libelli sophistarum. It argues that the libelli sophistarum shows a disappointing picture of English logic in the fifteenth century. However, Oxford logic was excellent for it reached a level of sophistication and insight that was not gained anywhere else until the end of the seventeenth century with Leibniz, and not surpassed until the middle of the nineteenth century.Less
This chapter discusses three main periods in the history of Oxford logic that occurred approximately between 1330 and 1500. It talks about three Merton authors who were accountable for the course of much subsequent medieval logical theory — Thomas Bradwardine (1295–1349), William Heytesbury (1313–1372 or 1373), and Richard Billingham. This chapter also evaluates the logical activities that occurred during the late medieval period in Oxford by looking at the collections of texts that circulated in manuscript and were eventually printed as the two libelli sophistarum. It argues that the libelli sophistarum shows a disappointing picture of English logic in the fifteenth century. However, Oxford logic was excellent for it reached a level of sophistication and insight that was not gained anywhere else until the end of the seventeenth century with Leibniz, and not surpassed until the middle of the nineteenth century.
Cindy Dell Clark
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195376593
- eISBN:
- 9780199865437
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195376593.003.0005
- Subject:
- Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Clinical Child Psychology / School Psychology
A method attributed to Robert Merton, focus groups first disseminated in applied, commercial inquiry. In recent decades, focus groups have also infiltrated academic circles, including for ...
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A method attributed to Robert Merton, focus groups first disseminated in applied, commercial inquiry. In recent decades, focus groups have also infiltrated academic circles, including for child-centered research across disciplines. Drawing from both applied and academic experience, the chapter provides know-how for conducting a focus group study, including: 1) Inviting the children, 2) Choosing the setting, 3) A moderator’s craft, and 4) Special applications (such as for brainstorming). Featured tools include a questionnaire for recruiting participants, a spoken introduction used at the session’s outset, and tried and true approaches for stimulating discussion. Using a facilitator who is open, empathic, tenacious, good at play, accepting, and responsibly humble, and who can improvise non-verbal, concrete, age-appropriate activities, is advisable.Less
A method attributed to Robert Merton, focus groups first disseminated in applied, commercial inquiry. In recent decades, focus groups have also infiltrated academic circles, including for child-centered research across disciplines. Drawing from both applied and academic experience, the chapter provides know-how for conducting a focus group study, including: 1) Inviting the children, 2) Choosing the setting, 3) A moderator’s craft, and 4) Special applications (such as for brainstorming). Featured tools include a questionnaire for recruiting participants, a spoken introduction used at the session’s outset, and tried and true approaches for stimulating discussion. Using a facilitator who is open, empathic, tenacious, good at play, accepting, and responsibly humble, and who can improvise non-verbal, concrete, age-appropriate activities, is advisable.
William Harmless
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195300383
- eISBN:
- 9780199851560
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300383.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
Mystics are path-breaking religious practitioners who claim to have experience of the infinite, word-defying mystery that is God. Many have been gifted writers with an uncanny ability to communicate ...
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Mystics are path-breaking religious practitioners who claim to have experience of the infinite, word-defying mystery that is God. Many have been gifted writers with an uncanny ability to communicate the great realities of life with both a theologian's precision and a poet's lyricism. They use words to jolt us into recognizing ineffable mysteries surging beneath the surface of our lives and within the depths of our hearts and, by their artistry, can awaken us to see and savor fugitive glimpses of a God-drenched world. This book introduces readers to the scholarly study of mysticism. The author explores both mystics' lives and writings using a case-study method centered on detailed examinations of six major Christian mystics: Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Bonaventure, Meister Eckhart, and Evagrius Ponticus. Rather than presenting mysticism as a subtle web of psychological or theological abstractions, the author's case-study approach brings things down to earth, restoring mystics to their historical context. He highlights the pungent diversity of mystical experiences and mystical theologies. Stepping beyond Christianity, he also explores mystical elements within Islam and Buddhism, offering a chapter on the popular Sufi poet Rumi and one on the famous Japanese Zen master Dōgen. The author concludes with an overview of the century-long scholarly conversation on mysticism and offers an optic for understanding mystics, their communities, and their writings.Less
Mystics are path-breaking religious practitioners who claim to have experience of the infinite, word-defying mystery that is God. Many have been gifted writers with an uncanny ability to communicate the great realities of life with both a theologian's precision and a poet's lyricism. They use words to jolt us into recognizing ineffable mysteries surging beneath the surface of our lives and within the depths of our hearts and, by their artistry, can awaken us to see and savor fugitive glimpses of a God-drenched world. This book introduces readers to the scholarly study of mysticism. The author explores both mystics' lives and writings using a case-study method centered on detailed examinations of six major Christian mystics: Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Bonaventure, Meister Eckhart, and Evagrius Ponticus. Rather than presenting mysticism as a subtle web of psychological or theological abstractions, the author's case-study approach brings things down to earth, restoring mystics to their historical context. He highlights the pungent diversity of mystical experiences and mystical theologies. Stepping beyond Christianity, he also explores mystical elements within Islam and Buddhism, offering a chapter on the popular Sufi poet Rumi and one on the famous Japanese Zen master Dōgen. The author concludes with an overview of the century-long scholarly conversation on mysticism and offers an optic for understanding mystics, their communities, and their writings.
Noretta Koertge
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195172256
- eISBN:
- 9780199835546
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195172256.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter reviews the attempts of sociologists of science such as Parsons and Merton, and philosophers of science such as Kuhn, Lakatos, and Popper, to characterize the norms that guide the ...
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This chapter reviews the attempts of sociologists of science such as Parsons and Merton, and philosophers of science such as Kuhn, Lakatos, and Popper, to characterize the norms that guide the scientific community. In addition to positivist values such as logical coherence and empirical adequacy, scientists place a great deal of emphasis on heuristic power, conceptual simplicity, mathematical tractability, and explanatory depth. Popper’s view of science as a problem-solving activity marked by both cooperation and critical debate serves as a good reminder of the qualities that should be encouraged in public deliberations.Less
This chapter reviews the attempts of sociologists of science such as Parsons and Merton, and philosophers of science such as Kuhn, Lakatos, and Popper, to characterize the norms that guide the scientific community. In addition to positivist values such as logical coherence and empirical adequacy, scientists place a great deal of emphasis on heuristic power, conceptual simplicity, mathematical tractability, and explanatory depth. Popper’s view of science as a problem-solving activity marked by both cooperation and critical debate serves as a good reminder of the qualities that should be encouraged in public deliberations.
Edward Morris
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231170543
- eISBN:
- 9780231540506
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231170543.003.0009
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Business History
The chapter traces the major role of Myron Scholes in the development of investment derivatives.
The chapter traces the major role of Myron Scholes in the development of investment derivatives.
Una M. Cadegan
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801451126
- eISBN:
- 9780801468988
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801451126.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
Until the close of the Second Vatican Council in 1965, the stance of the Roman Catholic Church toward the social, cultural, economic, and political developments of the twentieth century was largely ...
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Until the close of the Second Vatican Council in 1965, the stance of the Roman Catholic Church toward the social, cultural, economic, and political developments of the twentieth century was largely antagonistic. Yet, in and through the period from World War I to Vatican II, the Church did engage with, react to, and even accommodate various aspects of modernity. This book shows how the Church's official position on literary culture developed over this crucial period. The Catholic Church in the United States maintained an Index of Forbidden Books and the Legion of Decency (founded in 1933) lobbied Hollywood to edit or ban movies, pulp magazines, and comic books that were morally suspect. These regulations posed an obstacle for the self-understanding of Catholic American readers, writers, and scholars. But Catholics developed a rationale by which they could both respect the laws of the Church as it sought to protect the integrity of doctrine and also engage the culture of artistic and commercial freedom in which they operated as Americans. Catholic literary figures including Flannery O'Connor and Thomas Merton are important to the book's argument, particularly as their careers and the reception of their work demonstrate shifts in the relationship between Catholicism and literary culture.Less
Until the close of the Second Vatican Council in 1965, the stance of the Roman Catholic Church toward the social, cultural, economic, and political developments of the twentieth century was largely antagonistic. Yet, in and through the period from World War I to Vatican II, the Church did engage with, react to, and even accommodate various aspects of modernity. This book shows how the Church's official position on literary culture developed over this crucial period. The Catholic Church in the United States maintained an Index of Forbidden Books and the Legion of Decency (founded in 1933) lobbied Hollywood to edit or ban movies, pulp magazines, and comic books that were morally suspect. These regulations posed an obstacle for the self-understanding of Catholic American readers, writers, and scholars. But Catholics developed a rationale by which they could both respect the laws of the Church as it sought to protect the integrity of doctrine and also engage the culture of artistic and commercial freedom in which they operated as Americans. Catholic literary figures including Flannery O'Connor and Thomas Merton are important to the book's argument, particularly as their careers and the reception of their work demonstrate shifts in the relationship between Catholicism and literary culture.
RALPH EVANS
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198201908
- eISBN:
- 9780191675065
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198201908.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History, Social History
Merton College, Oxford, held an estate of middling size formed in the later 13th century of manors in several parts of England, which had been held previously by various lords. The tenurial structure ...
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Merton College, Oxford, held an estate of middling size formed in the later 13th century of manors in several parts of England, which had been held previously by various lords. The tenurial structure of the manors with which Walter of Merton endowed his college were already well established, but the college proved capable of pursuing policies which could significantly adjust the balance between free land, unfree land, and demesne on some of its manors. This chapter considers the question of whether the college's character as a body of university clerks influenced its behaviour as a landlord.Less
Merton College, Oxford, held an estate of middling size formed in the later 13th century of manors in several parts of England, which had been held previously by various lords. The tenurial structure of the manors with which Walter of Merton endowed his college were already well established, but the college proved capable of pursuing policies which could significantly adjust the balance between free land, unfree land, and demesne on some of its manors. This chapter considers the question of whether the college's character as a body of university clerks influenced its behaviour as a landlord.
S.J. William Harmless
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195300383
- eISBN:
- 9780199851560
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300383.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter looks at a recent mystic, the American monk Thomas Merton (1915–1968). He was arguably the most popular spiritual writer of the twentieth century and is best known for his autobiography, ...
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This chapter looks at a recent mystic, the American monk Thomas Merton (1915–1968). He was arguably the most popular spiritual writer of the twentieth century and is best known for his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain. Merton combined a passion for contemplation with a sharp-edged social conscience and an openness to the world's great spiritual traditions, especially Zen Buddhism. In many ways, Merton is an emblem for this whole book. This chapter explores mystical elements in Thomas Merton's life and writings. It begins with an extended biographical sketch followed with an analysis of a few elements of Merton's mystical theology. The figures and trends that interested Merton and shaped his spirituality include the early Cistercians, the apophatic tradition, the desert fathers, and interreligious dialogue. For Merton, the journey to God is a journey through an ordinary, everyday landscape, but changed somehow, charged with the presence of God.Less
This chapter looks at a recent mystic, the American monk Thomas Merton (1915–1968). He was arguably the most popular spiritual writer of the twentieth century and is best known for his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain. Merton combined a passion for contemplation with a sharp-edged social conscience and an openness to the world's great spiritual traditions, especially Zen Buddhism. In many ways, Merton is an emblem for this whole book. This chapter explores mystical elements in Thomas Merton's life and writings. It begins with an extended biographical sketch followed with an analysis of a few elements of Merton's mystical theology. The figures and trends that interested Merton and shaped his spirituality include the early Cistercians, the apophatic tradition, the desert fathers, and interreligious dialogue. For Merton, the journey to God is a journey through an ordinary, everyday landscape, but changed somehow, charged with the presence of God.
S.J. William Harmless
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195300383
- eISBN:
- 9780199851560
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300383.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter examines Dōgen (1200–1253), the founder of Sōtō Zen and Japan's finest spiritual writer. The term zen as Dōgen once noted, is short for zazen which means “seated meditation”. Zen is thus ...
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This chapter examines Dōgen (1200–1253), the founder of Sōtō Zen and Japan's finest spiritual writer. The term zen as Dōgen once noted, is short for zazen which means “seated meditation”. Zen is thus the “meditation school” of Buddhism. If one defines mysticism as it is often defined, as the experience of the soul's union with God, then clearly Dōgen is no mystic. He is utterly silent about God's existence, let alone about any claim of union with God. Yet in other ways Zen seems deeply mystical — more self-consciously mystical than either Christianity or Islam. Buddhism places at its very center a carefully calibrated and exacting contemplative discipline: zazen. And Buddhism focuses its practitioners' best efforts on seeking a sudden awakening experience. This enlightenment is a life-altering, world-shattering breakthrough. It offers an utterly new way of seeing, thinking, feeling, acting, and being.Less
This chapter examines Dōgen (1200–1253), the founder of Sōtō Zen and Japan's finest spiritual writer. The term zen as Dōgen once noted, is short for zazen which means “seated meditation”. Zen is thus the “meditation school” of Buddhism. If one defines mysticism as it is often defined, as the experience of the soul's union with God, then clearly Dōgen is no mystic. He is utterly silent about God's existence, let alone about any claim of union with God. Yet in other ways Zen seems deeply mystical — more self-consciously mystical than either Christianity or Islam. Buddhism places at its very center a carefully calibrated and exacting contemplative discipline: zazen. And Buddhism focuses its practitioners' best efforts on seeking a sudden awakening experience. This enlightenment is a life-altering, world-shattering breakthrough. It offers an utterly new way of seeing, thinking, feeling, acting, and being.
Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195096514
- eISBN:
- 9780199853380
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195096514.003.0016
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
During the 20th century, the United States undertook one of the most expansive programs of higher education ever witnessed. In the next century, whether such expansion continues or not, the ...
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During the 20th century, the United States undertook one of the most expansive programs of higher education ever witnessed. In the next century, whether such expansion continues or not, the college-educated person will make a major difference in shaping the future. So will the professoriate and those who administer the nation's colleges and universities. Their effect on American religion will be considerable. But what will this effect be? Is it possible to combine a deep personal commitment to the Christian faith with the life of the mind? Or is critical thought simply incompatible with Christian orthodoxy? As the 20th century began, conservative Christianity appeared to be already at war with the prevailing values of an enlightened society. In 1938, noted sociologist Robert Merton published an influential book in which he examined the connection between Puritanism and the rise of science in 17th-century England. We might say that Christianity sacralizes—makes sacred—the intellectual life. It gives the questions we struggle with in our work and in our lives a larger significance.Less
During the 20th century, the United States undertook one of the most expansive programs of higher education ever witnessed. In the next century, whether such expansion continues or not, the college-educated person will make a major difference in shaping the future. So will the professoriate and those who administer the nation's colleges and universities. Their effect on American religion will be considerable. But what will this effect be? Is it possible to combine a deep personal commitment to the Christian faith with the life of the mind? Or is critical thought simply incompatible with Christian orthodoxy? As the 20th century began, conservative Christianity appeared to be already at war with the prevailing values of an enlightened society. In 1938, noted sociologist Robert Merton published an influential book in which he examined the connection between Puritanism and the rise of science in 17th-century England. We might say that Christianity sacralizes—makes sacred—the intellectual life. It gives the questions we struggle with in our work and in our lives a larger significance.
Laura Nader
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781501752247
- eISBN:
- 9781501752254
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501752247.003.0003
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
This chapter talks about Dell Hymes, who put together a book of collected essays called Reinventing Anthropology at the invitation of Pantheon Books' “anti-text” series. It describes Reinventing ...
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This chapter talks about Dell Hymes, who put together a book of collected essays called Reinventing Anthropology at the invitation of Pantheon Books' “anti-text” series. It describes Reinventing Anthropology as a volume about racism, ecology, community and disciplinary censorship, which was not universally well received as noted by the Chicago anthropologist Fred Eggan. It also looks at the letter that was written in response to a query to the Columbia University sociologist Robert Merton about Thorstein Veblen and his use of the concept of trained incapacity. The chapter questions the role of sociology in understanding the way in which white-collar crime escaped the national crime index. It mentions the sociologist James Short, who wrote and document the paradigms used that allowed corporate criminals to escape crime statistics.Less
This chapter talks about Dell Hymes, who put together a book of collected essays called Reinventing Anthropology at the invitation of Pantheon Books' “anti-text” series. It describes Reinventing Anthropology as a volume about racism, ecology, community and disciplinary censorship, which was not universally well received as noted by the Chicago anthropologist Fred Eggan. It also looks at the letter that was written in response to a query to the Columbia University sociologist Robert Merton about Thorstein Veblen and his use of the concept of trained incapacity. The chapter questions the role of sociology in understanding the way in which white-collar crime escaped the national crime index. It mentions the sociologist James Short, who wrote and document the paradigms used that allowed corporate criminals to escape crime statistics.
Ilkka Niiniluoto
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199251612
- eISBN:
- 9780191598098
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199251614.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
Besides systematic philosophical arguments, there are various extra‐scientific reasons that have been presented for or against realism. This discussion about the relations of knowledge and happiness ...
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Besides systematic philosophical arguments, there are various extra‐scientific reasons that have been presented for or against realism. This discussion about the relations of knowledge and happiness (good human life) started already among the ancient philosophers (Aristotle, sceptics), and has continued ever since. Such religious, moral, and political considerations do not directly speak in favour or against the truth of scientific realism, but they raise important issues about science policy that have recently been topical in the so‐called Science Wars. Against Rorty's postmodern pragmatism and Feyerabend's epistemological anarchism, it is argued that critical scientific realism, with its commitment to the ethos of science as described by Merton's ethical norms, is in many ways a desirable philosophical outlook in a free, democratic, liberal society.Less
Besides systematic philosophical arguments, there are various extra‐scientific reasons that have been presented for or against realism. This discussion about the relations of knowledge and happiness (good human life) started already among the ancient philosophers (Aristotle, sceptics), and has continued ever since. Such religious, moral, and political considerations do not directly speak in favour or against the truth of scientific realism, but they raise important issues about science policy that have recently been topical in the so‐called Science Wars. Against Rorty's postmodern pragmatism and Feyerabend's epistemological anarchism, it is argued that critical scientific realism, with its commitment to the ethos of science as described by Merton's ethical norms, is in many ways a desirable philosophical outlook in a free, democratic, liberal society.
