Louis A. Girifalco
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199228966
- eISBN:
- 9780191711183
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199228966.003.0020
- Subject:
- Physics, History of Physics
Radio astronomy, as first applied by Penzias and Wilson, showed that all space is permeated by a low level of radiation. This is left over from the big bang at the beginning of the universe and is a ...
More
Radio astronomy, as first applied by Penzias and Wilson, showed that all space is permeated by a low level of radiation. This is left over from the big bang at the beginning of the universe and is a major factor in proving the validity of Big Bang theory. The existence of the cosmic background radiation, which is everywhere the same, raises the question of the possibility of using it to define an absolute space, and therefore negating relativity theory. It turns out that relativity is still valid because it deals with the relations between observable objects, and is correct regardless of the existence of a background radiation.Less
Radio astronomy, as first applied by Penzias and Wilson, showed that all space is permeated by a low level of radiation. This is left over from the big bang at the beginning of the universe and is a major factor in proving the validity of Big Bang theory. The existence of the cosmic background radiation, which is everywhere the same, raises the question of the possibility of using it to define an absolute space, and therefore negating relativity theory. It turns out that relativity is still valid because it deals with the relations between observable objects, and is correct regardless of the existence of a background radiation.
Joshua S. Bloom
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145570
- eISBN:
- 9781400837007
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145570.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Particle Physics / Astrophysics / Cosmology
Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest—and, until recently, among the least understood—cosmic events in the universe. Discovered by chance during the Cold War, these evanescent high-energy explosions ...
More
Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest—and, until recently, among the least understood—cosmic events in the universe. Discovered by chance during the Cold War, these evanescent high-energy explosions confounded astronomers for decades. But a rapid series of startling breakthroughs beginning in 1997 revealed that the majority of gamma-ray bursts are caused by the explosions of young and massive stars in the vast star-forming cauldrons of distant galaxies. New findings also point to very different origins for some events, serving to complicate but enrich our understanding of the exotic and violent universe. This book is an introduction to this fast-growing subject, written by an astrophysicist who is at the forefront of today's research into these incredible cosmic phenomena. The book gives readers a concise and accessible overview of gamma-ray bursts and the theoretical framework that physicists have developed to make sense of complex observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. The book traces the history of remarkable discoveries that led to our current understanding of gamma-ray bursts, and reveals the decisive role these phenomena could play in the grand pursuits of twenty-first century astrophysics, from studying gravity waves and unveiling the growth of stars and galaxies after the big bang to surmising the ultimate fate of the universe itself. This book is an essential primer to this exciting frontier of scientific inquiry, and a must-read for anyone seeking to keep pace with cutting-edge developments in physics today.Less
Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest—and, until recently, among the least understood—cosmic events in the universe. Discovered by chance during the Cold War, these evanescent high-energy explosions confounded astronomers for decades. But a rapid series of startling breakthroughs beginning in 1997 revealed that the majority of gamma-ray bursts are caused by the explosions of young and massive stars in the vast star-forming cauldrons of distant galaxies. New findings also point to very different origins for some events, serving to complicate but enrich our understanding of the exotic and violent universe. This book is an introduction to this fast-growing subject, written by an astrophysicist who is at the forefront of today's research into these incredible cosmic phenomena. The book gives readers a concise and accessible overview of gamma-ray bursts and the theoretical framework that physicists have developed to make sense of complex observations across the electromagnetic spectrum. The book traces the history of remarkable discoveries that led to our current understanding of gamma-ray bursts, and reveals the decisive role these phenomena could play in the grand pursuits of twenty-first century astrophysics, from studying gravity waves and unveiling the growth of stars and galaxies after the big bang to surmising the ultimate fate of the universe itself. This book is an essential primer to this exciting frontier of scientific inquiry, and a must-read for anyone seeking to keep pace with cutting-edge developments in physics today.
Sean McKeever and Michael Ridge
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199290659
- eISBN:
- 9780191603617
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199290652.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Particularists often try to draw support for their view from the alleged context sensitivity of reasons, and more specifically holism. According to holism about reasons, a consideration that is a ...
More
Particularists often try to draw support for their view from the alleged context sensitivity of reasons, and more specifically holism. According to holism about reasons, a consideration that is a reason in one context may not be similarly a reason in another context because of differences in the presence or absence of defeating and enabling conditions. This chapter distinguishes several versions of the argument from holism, and shows that despite wide currency, no version establishes any significant particularist thesis.Less
Particularists often try to draw support for their view from the alleged context sensitivity of reasons, and more specifically holism. According to holism about reasons, a consideration that is a reason in one context may not be similarly a reason in another context because of differences in the presence or absence of defeating and enabling conditions. This chapter distinguishes several versions of the argument from holism, and shows that despite wide currency, no version establishes any significant particularist thesis.
Craig Bourne
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199212804
- eISBN:
- 9780191707094
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199212804.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
Some tense theorists think that the expansion of the universe can be used to define an absolute cosmic time that then serves to define the notion of absolute simultaneity required by tense theories. ...
More
Some tense theorists think that the expansion of the universe can be used to define an absolute cosmic time that then serves to define the notion of absolute simultaneity required by tense theories. I show how Mellor's argument against this strategy fails. Clarifying the strategy leads to an exposition of the Robertson‐Walker metric, which describes such expanding universes. I identify the real reasons why we should reject this way of defining absolute simultaneity and temporal becoming.Less
Some tense theorists think that the expansion of the universe can be used to define an absolute cosmic time that then serves to define the notion of absolute simultaneity required by tense theories. I show how Mellor's argument against this strategy fails. Clarifying the strategy leads to an exposition of the Robertson‐Walker metric, which describes such expanding universes. I identify the real reasons why we should reject this way of defining absolute simultaneity and temporal becoming.
P. J. E. Peebles
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780691209838
- eISBN:
- 9780691206714
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691209838.001.0001
- Subject:
- Physics, Particle Physics / Astrophysics / Cosmology
An instant landmark on its publication, this book remains the essential introduction to this vital area of research. Written by one of the world's most esteemed theoretical cosmologists, it provides ...
More
An instant landmark on its publication, this book remains the essential introduction to this vital area of research. Written by one of the world's most esteemed theoretical cosmologists, it provides an invaluable historical introduction to the subject, and an enduring overview of key methods, statistical measures, and techniques for dealing with cosmic evolution. With characteristic clarity and insight, the author focuses on the largest known structures — galaxy clusters — weighing the empirical evidence of the nature of clustering and the theories of how it evolves in an expanding universe. A must-have reference for students and researchers alike, this edition introduces a new generation of readers to a classic text in modern cosmology.Less
An instant landmark on its publication, this book remains the essential introduction to this vital area of research. Written by one of the world's most esteemed theoretical cosmologists, it provides an invaluable historical introduction to the subject, and an enduring overview of key methods, statistical measures, and techniques for dealing with cosmic evolution. With characteristic clarity and insight, the author focuses on the largest known structures — galaxy clusters — weighing the empirical evidence of the nature of clustering and the theories of how it evolves in an expanding universe. A must-have reference for students and researchers alike, this edition introduces a new generation of readers to a classic text in modern cosmology.
C. Stephen Evans
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199217168
- eISBN:
- 9780191712401
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199217168.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter argues that a theistic natural sign pointing to God's existence lies at the core of cosmological arguments; this sign is called “cosmic wonder” and is sometimes elicited by considering ...
More
This chapter argues that a theistic natural sign pointing to God's existence lies at the core of cosmological arguments; this sign is called “cosmic wonder” and is sometimes elicited by considering questions like “Why is there something rather than nothing?” The author first explains some of the different types of the cosmological arguments, argues that the Easy Resistibility Principle explains why we should not be surprised that they fail as conclusive proofs, and considers the thesis that Cosmic Wonder is the source of the persistent intuition that undergirds the arguments. Finally, it is argued that traditional theists, non‐traditional theists, and non‐theists often sense the force of Cosmic Wonder. This fact indicates that it is widely accessible as a sign.Less
This chapter argues that a theistic natural sign pointing to God's existence lies at the core of cosmological arguments; this sign is called “cosmic wonder” and is sometimes elicited by considering questions like “Why is there something rather than nothing?” The author first explains some of the different types of the cosmological arguments, argues that the Easy Resistibility Principle explains why we should not be surprised that they fail as conclusive proofs, and considers the thesis that Cosmic Wonder is the source of the persistent intuition that undergirds the arguments. Finally, it is argued that traditional theists, non‐traditional theists, and non‐theists often sense the force of Cosmic Wonder. This fact indicates that it is widely accessible as a sign.
Joshua S. Bloom
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145570
- eISBN:
- 9781400837007
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145570.003.0006
- Subject:
- Physics, Particle Physics / Astrophysics / Cosmology
This chapter focuses on how gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are emerging as unique tools in the study of broad areas of astronomy and physics by virtue of their special properties. The unassailable fact ...
More
This chapter focuses on how gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are emerging as unique tools in the study of broad areas of astronomy and physics by virtue of their special properties. The unassailable fact about GRBs that makes them such great probes is that they are fantastically bright and so can be seen to the farthest reaches of the observable Universe. In parallel with the ongoing study of GRB events and progenitors, new lines of inquiry have burgeoned: using GRBs as unique probes of the Universe in ways that are almost completely divorced from the nature of GRBs themselves. Topics discussed include studies of gas, dust, and galaxies; the history of star formation; measuring reionization and the first objects in the universe; neutrinos, gravitational waves, and cosmic rays; quantum gravity and the expansion of the universe; and the future of GRBs.Less
This chapter focuses on how gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are emerging as unique tools in the study of broad areas of astronomy and physics by virtue of their special properties. The unassailable fact about GRBs that makes them such great probes is that they are fantastically bright and so can be seen to the farthest reaches of the observable Universe. In parallel with the ongoing study of GRB events and progenitors, new lines of inquiry have burgeoned: using GRBs as unique probes of the Universe in ways that are almost completely divorced from the nature of GRBs themselves. Topics discussed include studies of gas, dust, and galaxies; the history of star formation; measuring reionization and the first objects in the universe; neutrinos, gravitational waves, and cosmic rays; quantum gravity and the expansion of the universe; and the future of GRBs.
Candida R. Moss
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199739875
- eISBN:
- 9780199777259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739875.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Early Christian Studies
This chapter examines the interpretation of the martyrs’ deaths in the early church and the significance of this kind of death both for the martyrs and for other Christians. It focuses on the ...
More
This chapter examines the interpretation of the martyrs’ deaths in the early church and the significance of this kind of death both for the martyrs and for other Christians. It focuses on the presentation of martyrs as savior figures and the contribution this depiction makes for the history of soteriology. Against the dominant scholarly view, it argues that the martyr’s death was rarely viewed as a sacrifice for sin. Instead, it was interpreted differently in different accounts and regions. While allowing for the interweaving of various soteriological models, the chapter argues that martyrdom was viewed primarily as a victory over Satan in the apocalyptic cosmic battle and a moral example for imitation by the audiences of the account.Less
This chapter examines the interpretation of the martyrs’ deaths in the early church and the significance of this kind of death both for the martyrs and for other Christians. It focuses on the presentation of martyrs as savior figures and the contribution this depiction makes for the history of soteriology. Against the dominant scholarly view, it argues that the martyr’s death was rarely viewed as a sacrifice for sin. Instead, it was interpreted differently in different accounts and regions. While allowing for the interweaving of various soteriological models, the chapter argues that martyrdom was viewed primarily as a victory over Satan in the apocalyptic cosmic battle and a moral example for imitation by the audiences of the account.
Willis Jenkins
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195328516
- eISBN:
- 9780199869862
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195328516.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter uses the rubric of ecological spiritualities to gather together proposals united by their appropriation of deification themes, where communion with creation becomes part of union with ...
More
This chapter uses the rubric of ecological spiritualities to gather together proposals united by their appropriation of deification themes, where communion with creation becomes part of union with God. It argues that theological variety proliferates within a so-called “strategy of ecological spirituality”, but its approaches share a common practical rationale: each makes environmental issues matter for Christian experience by appealing to the ecological dimensions of fully Christian personhood. Underlying creation's integrity and faithful stewardship (the other two strategies), say theorists, there is a radical relation of personhood and environment. Environmental lament and redress begin from a primary spiritual communion of humanity and earth, assumed into personal experience with God. As they describe how grace can heal that communion, restoring ecological dimensions to personhood as humans become closer to God, approaches within this strategy draw on a background pattern of grace as deification. The strategy illuminates the way of the world into divine participation, as it describes the cosmic significance of personal communion. Used more and less intensively, the deification pattern shapes multiple theologies that deploy cosmology and anthropology to diagnose and practically address environmental issues.Less
This chapter uses the rubric of ecological spiritualities to gather together proposals united by their appropriation of deification themes, where communion with creation becomes part of union with God. It argues that theological variety proliferates within a so-called “strategy of ecological spirituality”, but its approaches share a common practical rationale: each makes environmental issues matter for Christian experience by appealing to the ecological dimensions of fully Christian personhood. Underlying creation's integrity and faithful stewardship (the other two strategies), say theorists, there is a radical relation of personhood and environment. Environmental lament and redress begin from a primary spiritual communion of humanity and earth, assumed into personal experience with God. As they describe how grace can heal that communion, restoring ecological dimensions to personhood as humans become closer to God, approaches within this strategy draw on a background pattern of grace as deification. The strategy illuminates the way of the world into divine participation, as it describes the cosmic significance of personal communion. Used more and less intensively, the deification pattern shapes multiple theologies that deploy cosmology and anthropology to diagnose and practically address environmental issues.
A. J. Leggett
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199211241
- eISBN:
- 9780191706837
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199211241.003.0003
- Subject:
- Physics, Particle Physics / Astrophysics / Cosmology
This chapter starts by emphasizing that we can construct a picture of the universe as a whole only by extrapolating the laws of physics as we know them on earth to conditions almost unimaginably ...
More
This chapter starts by emphasizing that we can construct a picture of the universe as a whole only by extrapolating the laws of physics as we know them on earth to conditions almost unimaginably different from those prevailing here. It then reviews the information we can get from optical and other observations, and the picture of the current universe and its contents which emerges from it, with a discussion inter alia of the cosmic distance scale and the cosmological red shift. The ideas of special and general relativity are sketched, and some consequences such as gravitational radiation and black holes are discussed; possible futures of the universe are considered. Finally, it is indicated how extrapolation of the equations of general relativity into the past leads inexorably to the idea of a “hot big bang”.Less
This chapter starts by emphasizing that we can construct a picture of the universe as a whole only by extrapolating the laws of physics as we know them on earth to conditions almost unimaginably different from those prevailing here. It then reviews the information we can get from optical and other observations, and the picture of the current universe and its contents which emerges from it, with a discussion inter alia of the cosmic distance scale and the cosmological red shift. The ideas of special and general relativity are sketched, and some consequences such as gravitational radiation and black holes are discussed; possible futures of the universe are considered. Finally, it is indicated how extrapolation of the equations of general relativity into the past leads inexorably to the idea of a “hot big bang”.
Marilyn McCord Adams
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199591053
- eISBN:
- 9780191595554
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199591053.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
Medieval Christians insisted that sacraments are relevant only to human life in this present state, not to the prequel (paradise until the fall) or the sequel (cosmic conflagration, recreation of a ...
More
Medieval Christians insisted that sacraments are relevant only to human life in this present state, not to the prequel (paradise until the fall) or the sequel (cosmic conflagration, recreation of a stripped down material universe, the judgment, heaven and hell). This chapter argues that their picture of human history is driven by a contemplative ideal that misfits many of their other theoretical commitments regarding human nature, epistemology, and Christology. It closes by suggesting strategies for reintegration that make it less obvious that sacraments will cease.Less
Medieval Christians insisted that sacraments are relevant only to human life in this present state, not to the prequel (paradise until the fall) or the sequel (cosmic conflagration, recreation of a stripped down material universe, the judgment, heaven and hell). This chapter argues that their picture of human history is driven by a contemplative ideal that misfits many of their other theoretical commitments regarding human nature, epistemology, and Christology. It closes by suggesting strategies for reintegration that make it less obvious that sacraments will cease.
Paul Marshall
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199279432
- eISBN:
- 9780191603440
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199279438.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The present study is devoted to mystical experiences of the natural world and the disparate ways in which they have been explained. Typically, these so-called ‘extrovertive mystical experiences’ are ...
More
The present study is devoted to mystical experiences of the natural world and the disparate ways in which they have been explained. Typically, these so-called ‘extrovertive mystical experiences’ are characterized by some combination of unity, deepened knowledge, sense of contact with reality, self-transcendence, altered time-experience, light, bliss, and love. The experiences are well represented in modern collections of spiritual testimonies, but unlike some other extraordinary experiences, they have received little sustained investigation in recent years. In Part I of the book, the experiences themselves take centre stage, with attention given to definition, phenomenology, present-day incidence, historical occurrence, circumstances, and after-effects. The classic characterizations of extrovertive experience are found wanting, and a more nuanced survey of characteristics is attempted. In Part II, attention turns to the explanation of extrovertive experience, with a survey and critique of a hundred years of explanations that range from the spiritual and metaphysical to the psychoanalytic, contextual, deconstructive, and neuropsychological. Theorists covered include R. M. Bucke and Edward Carpenter on the evolutionary path to cosmic consciousness, liberal Christian thinkers on the divine presence in nature, W. T. Stace and Robert Forman on pure consciousness, Bruce Garside and Steven Katz on the contextual construction of mystical experience, H. N. Wieman and Arthur Deikman on deconstructed, nondual awareness, R. C. Zaehner and Erich Neumann on regression to the Jungian unconscious, Sigmund Freud on the oceanic feeling, neuropsychologists on the biological basis of mystical experience, Aldous Huxley on filtration of Mind at Large, and idealist thinkers on contact with universal consciousness. A recurrent theme is the lack of attention given by theorists to extrovertive phenomenology: many explanations fall down because they fail to address the full range of experiential characteristics. Although no firm conclusion can at present be reached on the essential nature of extrovertive mystical experience, the author favours a transpersonal form of explanation that is rooted in idealist metaphysics, but which is also attentive to the contributions of neuropsychological, collective, and contextual factors.Less
The present study is devoted to mystical experiences of the natural world and the disparate ways in which they have been explained. Typically, these so-called ‘extrovertive mystical experiences’ are characterized by some combination of unity, deepened knowledge, sense of contact with reality, self-transcendence, altered time-experience, light, bliss, and love. The experiences are well represented in modern collections of spiritual testimonies, but unlike some other extraordinary experiences, they have received little sustained investigation in recent years. In Part I of the book, the experiences themselves take centre stage, with attention given to definition, phenomenology, present-day incidence, historical occurrence, circumstances, and after-effects. The classic characterizations of extrovertive experience are found wanting, and a more nuanced survey of characteristics is attempted. In Part II, attention turns to the explanation of extrovertive experience, with a survey and critique of a hundred years of explanations that range from the spiritual and metaphysical to the psychoanalytic, contextual, deconstructive, and neuropsychological. Theorists covered include R. M. Bucke and Edward Carpenter on the evolutionary path to cosmic consciousness, liberal Christian thinkers on the divine presence in nature, W. T. Stace and Robert Forman on pure consciousness, Bruce Garside and Steven Katz on the contextual construction of mystical experience, H. N. Wieman and Arthur Deikman on deconstructed, nondual awareness, R. C. Zaehner and Erich Neumann on regression to the Jungian unconscious, Sigmund Freud on the oceanic feeling, neuropsychologists on the biological basis of mystical experience, Aldous Huxley on filtration of Mind at Large, and idealist thinkers on contact with universal consciousness. A recurrent theme is the lack of attention given by theorists to extrovertive phenomenology: many explanations fall down because they fail to address the full range of experiential characteristics. Although no firm conclusion can at present be reached on the essential nature of extrovertive mystical experience, the author favours a transpersonal form of explanation that is rooted in idealist metaphysics, but which is also attentive to the contributions of neuropsychological, collective, and contextual factors.
Hans H. Penner
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195385823
- eISBN:
- 9780199870073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195385823.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter begins with a discussion of cosmic aeons. The architecture of cosmic space in this pulsating universe consists of three spheres: the highest sphere is without form or sensation; the ...
More
This chapter begins with a discussion of cosmic aeons. The architecture of cosmic space in this pulsating universe consists of three spheres: the highest sphere is without form or sensation; the middle sphere is form only, without sensation; the lowest sphere consists of both form and sensation; it includes our world. The chapter presents declaration of Buddha Dipankara: “Do you see this ascetic lying on the path? Innumerable aeons from now he will be a Buddha in the world. His mother will be named Maya, his father Suddhodana, and he will be called Gotama.”Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of cosmic aeons. The architecture of cosmic space in this pulsating universe consists of three spheres: the highest sphere is without form or sensation; the middle sphere is form only, without sensation; the lowest sphere consists of both form and sensation; it includes our world. The chapter presents declaration of Buddha Dipankara: “Do you see this ascetic lying on the path? Innumerable aeons from now he will be a Buddha in the world. His mother will be named Maya, his father Suddhodana, and he will be called Gotama.”
Mary Douglas
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199244195
- eISBN:
- 9780191600548
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199244197.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Leviticus has a different style from Deuteronomy, and often the teaching differs, but through two millennia Leviticus has been read through Deuteronomy, with divergences reconciled by imposing the ...
More
Leviticus has a different style from Deuteronomy, and often the teaching differs, but through two millennia Leviticus has been read through Deuteronomy, with divergences reconciled by imposing the Deuteronomic version on the Levitical one. Even the most basic concepts have different meanings in the two books: when Deuteronomy uses a concept of the body it is the body politic, while in Leviticus it is a cosmic symbol. The two books were very likely to have been composed by writers living in different social circles, who could have been contemporaries, but it seems that there was some break in the continuity of interpretation of Leviticus. The Leviticus writer is theocratic, his institutions are sacred and he records the instructions that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai about how to perform his cult and how to live together as a holy people; in contrast the Deuteronomy writer is governmental, his institutions secular, he has more interest in human affairs and is generally more sympathetic. These are two ways of thinking about religion, and the Leviticus way belongs to a now obsolete and completely foreign order of thought which the rest of this chapter and the next will examine.Less
Leviticus has a different style from Deuteronomy, and often the teaching differs, but through two millennia Leviticus has been read through Deuteronomy, with divergences reconciled by imposing the Deuteronomic version on the Levitical one. Even the most basic concepts have different meanings in the two books: when Deuteronomy uses a concept of the body it is the body politic, while in Leviticus it is a cosmic symbol. The two books were very likely to have been composed by writers living in different social circles, who could have been contemporaries, but it seems that there was some break in the continuity of interpretation of Leviticus. The Leviticus writer is theocratic, his institutions are sacred and he records the instructions that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai about how to perform his cult and how to live together as a holy people; in contrast the Deuteronomy writer is governmental, his institutions secular, he has more interest in human affairs and is generally more sympathetic. These are two ways of thinking about religion, and the Leviticus way belongs to a now obsolete and completely foreign order of thought which the rest of this chapter and the next will examine.
Katja Maria Vogt
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195320091
- eISBN:
- 9780199869657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195320091.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
In addition to outlining the overall argument—that early Stoic political philosophy is deeply tied to the Stoic conceptions of reason, nature, and wisdom—the introduction explains two methodological ...
More
In addition to outlining the overall argument—that early Stoic political philosophy is deeply tied to the Stoic conceptions of reason, nature, and wisdom—the introduction explains two methodological assumptions. First, what we consider a contribution to ancient political philosophy need not be limited to questions about justice, institutions, and constitutions. Thus the Stoics' discussion of the law, and of the ways in which we should consider the concerns of all human beings as relevant to us, are well described as contributions to political thought. Second, after a brief historical sketch of early Stoicism, it is argued that the notion of ‘early Stoic philosophy’ is a worthwhile construct for the purposes of reconstructing the political thought of the early Stoics (most importantly, Zeno and Chrysippus).Less
In addition to outlining the overall argument—that early Stoic political philosophy is deeply tied to the Stoic conceptions of reason, nature, and wisdom—the introduction explains two methodological assumptions. First, what we consider a contribution to ancient political philosophy need not be limited to questions about justice, institutions, and constitutions. Thus the Stoics' discussion of the law, and of the ways in which we should consider the concerns of all human beings as relevant to us, are well described as contributions to political thought. Second, after a brief historical sketch of early Stoicism, it is argued that the notion of ‘early Stoic philosophy’ is a worthwhile construct for the purposes of reconstructing the political thought of the early Stoics (most importantly, Zeno and Chrysippus).
Katja Maria Vogt
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195320091
- eISBN:
- 9780199869657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195320091.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
The Stoics propose a cosmopolitan theory, but not in a modern sense of the term: their cosmic city is the cosmos. The Stoic theory is also not well described as impartialist or universalist; it calls ...
More
The Stoics propose a cosmopolitan theory, but not in a modern sense of the term: their cosmic city is the cosmos. The Stoic theory is also not well described as impartialist or universalist; it calls for a certain kind of affiliation with all human beings. It is argued that the evidence does not speak in favor of seeing a marked development within early Stoicism: it does not seem that, while Zeno conceives of a city of sages, Chrysippus comes to compare the cosmos with a city, thus creating the notion of a cosmic city. Rather, it seems that early Stoic political philosophy is, throughout, concerned with a complex mix of two ideas—that the cosmos is the common home of all human beings, and thus like a city, and that, in order to truly live by the law of this cosmic city and thus be its citizen, one must be wise. These ideas are deeply connected with Stoic thought about affiliation (oikeiôsis): we should view everyone as belonging to us, thus understanding something which is the case (all human beings do belong to us as fellow‐inhabitants of the world); but only through gaining a full understanding of what this means (i.e., by becoming wise) can we achieve a full integration into the cosmos.Less
The Stoics propose a cosmopolitan theory, but not in a modern sense of the term: their cosmic city is the cosmos. The Stoic theory is also not well described as impartialist or universalist; it calls for a certain kind of affiliation with all human beings. It is argued that the evidence does not speak in favor of seeing a marked development within early Stoicism: it does not seem that, while Zeno conceives of a city of sages, Chrysippus comes to compare the cosmos with a city, thus creating the notion of a cosmic city. Rather, it seems that early Stoic political philosophy is, throughout, concerned with a complex mix of two ideas—that the cosmos is the common home of all human beings, and thus like a city, and that, in order to truly live by the law of this cosmic city and thus be its citizen, one must be wise. These ideas are deeply connected with Stoic thought about affiliation (oikeiôsis): we should view everyone as belonging to us, thus understanding something which is the case (all human beings do belong to us as fellow‐inhabitants of the world); but only through gaining a full understanding of what this means (i.e., by becoming wise) can we achieve a full integration into the cosmos.
Sean M. McDonough
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199576470
- eISBN:
- 9780191722585
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199576470.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Even a cursory look at the statements concerning Christ and creation shows that they were formulated primarily by way of analogy with the relational aspect of Christ's redemptive work. Just as God ...
More
Even a cursory look at the statements concerning Christ and creation shows that they were formulated primarily by way of analogy with the relational aspect of Christ's redemptive work. Just as God saves people ‘through Christ’, so he created the world ‘through Christ’. Such a move was facilitated by the inextricable links between creation and redemption in the Hebrew Bible. But it is also part of a broader pattern in the ancient world, where cosmic order and social order were regularly seen as closely allied concepts. A variety of texts, from Sumerian hymns to Hellenistic philosophical treatises, are cited to demonstrate this point.Less
Even a cursory look at the statements concerning Christ and creation shows that they were formulated primarily by way of analogy with the relational aspect of Christ's redemptive work. Just as God saves people ‘through Christ’, so he created the world ‘through Christ’. Such a move was facilitated by the inextricable links between creation and redemption in the Hebrew Bible. But it is also part of a broader pattern in the ancient world, where cosmic order and social order were regularly seen as closely allied concepts. A variety of texts, from Sumerian hymns to Hellenistic philosophical treatises, are cited to demonstrate this point.
Paul Marshall
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199279432
- eISBN:
- 9780191603440
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199279438.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The study of explanations in Part II commences with some notable transpersonal approaches to extrovertive mystical experience from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. R. M. Bucke and ...
More
The study of explanations in Part II commences with some notable transpersonal approaches to extrovertive mystical experience from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. R. M. Bucke and Edward Carpenter put forward evolutionary theories of cosmic consciousness, and Carpenter’s theory of race-consciousness and the Ideas anticipated C. G. Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious and the archetypes. Liberal Christian thinkers balanced transcendent mysticism with the immanent path of nature mysticism, and thereby established an influential twofold typology of mystical experience. These thinkers looked outside a narrowly conceived Christianity for ideas that would enrich their explanatory frameworks: W. R. Inge drew on Plotinian philosophy, Evelyn Underhill on Henri Bergson’s vitalism, and Rudolf Otto on post-Kantian epistemology.Less
The study of explanations in Part II commences with some notable transpersonal approaches to extrovertive mystical experience from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. R. M. Bucke and Edward Carpenter put forward evolutionary theories of cosmic consciousness, and Carpenter’s theory of race-consciousness and the Ideas anticipated C. G. Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious and the archetypes. Liberal Christian thinkers balanced transcendent mysticism with the immanent path of nature mysticism, and thereby established an influential twofold typology of mystical experience. These thinkers looked outside a narrowly conceived Christianity for ideas that would enrich their explanatory frameworks: W. R. Inge drew on Plotinian philosophy, Evelyn Underhill on Henri Bergson’s vitalism, and Rudolf Otto on post-Kantian epistemology.
Douglas V. Porpora
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195134919
- eISBN:
- 9780199834563
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195134915.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Explores the ways in which religious experience and other kinds of peak experience lend a narrative coherence to the whole of life and thus become resources for self‐making. Included among the ...
More
Explores the ways in which religious experience and other kinds of peak experience lend a narrative coherence to the whole of life and thus become resources for self‐making. Included among the experiences investigated are an Eastern experience of cosmic consciousness and a Christian fundamentalist experience of salvation.Less
Explores the ways in which religious experience and other kinds of peak experience lend a narrative coherence to the whole of life and thus become resources for self‐making. Included among the experiences investigated are an Eastern experience of cosmic consciousness and a Christian fundamentalist experience of salvation.
Dimitri El Murr
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199236343
- eISBN:
- 9780191717130
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199236343.003.0015
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The central myth of the Politicus, concerning the cyclical nature of the cosmos, has been the subject of much exegetical controversy. This chapter explores the passage within the wider context of ...
More
The central myth of the Politicus, concerning the cyclical nature of the cosmos, has been the subject of much exegetical controversy. This chapter explores the passage within the wider context of Greek Golden Age imagery (from Hesiod to Attic Comedy), and defends the view that Plato's myth describes two (not three) stages of cosmic development. Plato's message is that in neither state of the cosmos can the art of statesmanship be perfectly exemplified.Less
The central myth of the Politicus, concerning the cyclical nature of the cosmos, has been the subject of much exegetical controversy. This chapter explores the passage within the wider context of Greek Golden Age imagery (from Hesiod to Attic Comedy), and defends the view that Plato's myth describes two (not three) stages of cosmic development. Plato's message is that in neither state of the cosmos can the art of statesmanship be perfectly exemplified.
