E. W. Heaton
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198263623
- eISBN:
- 9780191601156
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198263627.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The books of the Old Testament are often thought of as being remote and ‘primitive’. In fact, they were written by thoroughly learned men, educated in the traditional schools of ancient Israel. This ...
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The books of the Old Testament are often thought of as being remote and ‘primitive’. In fact, they were written by thoroughly learned men, educated in the traditional schools of ancient Israel. This book presents a fresh and enlivening case for the strong influence that this schooling must have had on the writers of the stories, poetry and proverbs of the Bible. The eight Bampton Lectures that form the first eight chapters of this book were delivered in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford, UK. The topics covered are: the evidence for schools in ancient Israel; comparisons between Egyptian and Israeli school-books and literature; ‘wisdom’ and school traditions in the Old Testament books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; the school tradition in the literary style of the teachings of the prophets and teachers; the narrative skills of the Jerusalem school tradition in the stories of the Old Testament; doubt and pessimism as expressed in Job and Ecclesiastes; and various aspects of belief and behaviour in the Old Testament, as reflected in the school tradition. The last chapter is a summing-up. The book is of interest to students and scholars of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) or religious studies, both in Judaism and Christianity.Less
The books of the Old Testament are often thought of as being remote and ‘primitive’. In fact, they were written by thoroughly learned men, educated in the traditional schools of ancient Israel. This book presents a fresh and enlivening case for the strong influence that this schooling must have had on the writers of the stories, poetry and proverbs of the Bible. The eight Bampton Lectures that form the first eight chapters of this book were delivered in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford, UK. The topics covered are: the evidence for schools in ancient Israel; comparisons between Egyptian and Israeli school-books and literature; ‘wisdom’ and school traditions in the Old Testament books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; the school tradition in the literary style of the teachings of the prophets and teachers; the narrative skills of the Jerusalem school tradition in the stories of the Old Testament; doubt and pessimism as expressed in Job and Ecclesiastes; and various aspects of belief and behaviour in the Old Testament, as reflected in the school tradition. The last chapter is a summing-up. The book is of interest to students and scholars of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) or religious studies, both in Judaism and Christianity.
Matthew Dal Santo (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199646791
- eISBN:
- 9780199949939
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199646791.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions, European History: BCE to 500CE
This book argues that the Dialogues on the Miracles of the Italian Fathers, Pope Gregory the Great's (590–604) most controversial work, should be considered from the perspective of a wide-ranging ...
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This book argues that the Dialogues on the Miracles of the Italian Fathers, Pope Gregory the Great's (590–604) most controversial work, should be considered from the perspective of a wide-ranging debate about the saints which took place in early Byzantine society. Like other contemporary works in Greek and Syriac, Gregory's Latin text debated the nature and plausibility of the saints' miracles and the propriety of the saints' cult. Rather than viewing the early Byzantine world as overwhelmingly pious or credulous, the book argues that many contemporaries questioned and challenged the claims of hagiographers and other promoters of the saints' miracles. From Italy to the heart of the Persian Empire at Ctesiphon, a healthy, sceptical, rationalism remained alive and well. The book's conclusion argues that doubt towards the saints reflected a current of political dissent in the East Roman or early Byzantine Empire, where patronage of Christian saints' shrines was used to sanction imperial autocracy. These far-reaching debates about religion and authority also help re-contextualize the emergence of Islam in the late ancient Near East.Less
This book argues that the Dialogues on the Miracles of the Italian Fathers, Pope Gregory the Great's (590–604) most controversial work, should be considered from the perspective of a wide-ranging debate about the saints which took place in early Byzantine society. Like other contemporary works in Greek and Syriac, Gregory's Latin text debated the nature and plausibility of the saints' miracles and the propriety of the saints' cult. Rather than viewing the early Byzantine world as overwhelmingly pious or credulous, the book argues that many contemporaries questioned and challenged the claims of hagiographers and other promoters of the saints' miracles. From Italy to the heart of the Persian Empire at Ctesiphon, a healthy, sceptical, rationalism remained alive and well. The book's conclusion argues that doubt towards the saints reflected a current of political dissent in the East Roman or early Byzantine Empire, where patronage of Christian saints' shrines was used to sanction imperial autocracy. These far-reaching debates about religion and authority also help re-contextualize the emergence of Islam in the late ancient Near East.
Timothy Larsen
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199287871
- eISBN:
- 9780191713422
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199287871.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
For fifty years or more, a dominant motif in 19th-century British studies has been the Victorian crisis of faith or loss of faith. From Basil Willey to A. N. Wilson, books have been written that ...
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For fifty years or more, a dominant motif in 19th-century British studies has been the Victorian crisis of faith or loss of faith. From Basil Willey to A. N. Wilson, books have been written that recounted the stories of Victorians who lost their faith. This narrative has become so ingrained that it is often the principal theme presented when religion in 19th-century Britain is discussed in general histories, textbooks, and literary studies. Serving as a corrective to that tired and overblown approach, this book uncovers a new pattern: the Victorian crisis of doubt. A whole succession of freethinking or Secularist leaders in 19th-century England reconverted back to Christianity, including figures well known in social, political, and literary studies such as the radical publisher William Hone and the Chartist Thomas Cooper. As sceptics, they had read, written about, and lectured on all the latest ideas that served to undermine faith such as biblical criticism and Darwinism. Nevertheless, they went on to judge that faith was more intellectually compelling than doubt, and to defend Christian thought in their writings, lectures, and public debates with Secularists. They held an honest faith to match the familiar theme of honest doubt. This was a deep crisis in the popular, freethinking movement: again and again leading Secularist lecturers and editors defected from the cause and re-emerged as able opponents. The book explores in detail their reasons for rejecting scepticism and their responses to the intellectual challenges to faith in their day. This study serves not only to correct an exaggerated emphasis on the Victorian crisis of faith, but also to reveal the intellectual strength of Christianity in the 19th century.Less
For fifty years or more, a dominant motif in 19th-century British studies has been the Victorian crisis of faith or loss of faith. From Basil Willey to A. N. Wilson, books have been written that recounted the stories of Victorians who lost their faith. This narrative has become so ingrained that it is often the principal theme presented when religion in 19th-century Britain is discussed in general histories, textbooks, and literary studies. Serving as a corrective to that tired and overblown approach, this book uncovers a new pattern: the Victorian crisis of doubt. A whole succession of freethinking or Secularist leaders in 19th-century England reconverted back to Christianity, including figures well known in social, political, and literary studies such as the radical publisher William Hone and the Chartist Thomas Cooper. As sceptics, they had read, written about, and lectured on all the latest ideas that served to undermine faith such as biblical criticism and Darwinism. Nevertheless, they went on to judge that faith was more intellectually compelling than doubt, and to defend Christian thought in their writings, lectures, and public debates with Secularists. They held an honest faith to match the familiar theme of honest doubt. This was a deep crisis in the popular, freethinking movement: again and again leading Secularist lecturers and editors defected from the cause and re-emerged as able opponents. The book explores in detail their reasons for rejecting scepticism and their responses to the intellectual challenges to faith in their day. This study serves not only to correct an exaggerated emphasis on the Victorian crisis of faith, but also to reveal the intellectual strength of Christianity in the 19th century.
Robert Fogelin
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195177541
- eISBN:
- 9780199850143
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177541.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This chapter shows that for Hume, contexts in which radically skeptical doubts emerge and contexts in which our beliefs are generated by natural instincts are not discrete, isolated domains. Each ...
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This chapter shows that for Hume, contexts in which radically skeptical doubts emerge and contexts in which our beliefs are generated by natural instincts are not discrete, isolated domains. Each influences the other. Without the powerful force of natural belief, nothing can stop reason's inevitable slide into forlorn skepticism. Without the humbling force of skeptical doubts, nothing prevents our thoughts from going beyond their natural limits into the land of illusions. It is only through the pursuit of abstruse philosophy that we can gain a proper understanding of our cognitive limitations, an understanding that will allow us, in Hume's words, “to live at ease ever after.”Less
This chapter shows that for Hume, contexts in which radically skeptical doubts emerge and contexts in which our beliefs are generated by natural instincts are not discrete, isolated domains. Each influences the other. Without the powerful force of natural belief, nothing can stop reason's inevitable slide into forlorn skepticism. Without the humbling force of skeptical doubts, nothing prevents our thoughts from going beyond their natural limits into the land of illusions. It is only through the pursuit of abstruse philosophy that we can gain a proper understanding of our cognitive limitations, an understanding that will allow us, in Hume's words, “to live at ease ever after.”
Christopher Hookway
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199256587
- eISBN:
- 9780191597718
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199256586.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
Charles Peirce's pragmatist philosophy contains important ideas for understanding the nature of epistemic rationality and rational self‐control. After a discussion of his views about the different ...
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Charles Peirce's pragmatist philosophy contains important ideas for understanding the nature of epistemic rationality and rational self‐control. After a discussion of his views about the different demands of theory and practice, the book explains his account of truth, before comparing it with the correspondence theory of truth and tracing its relations to his theory of indexical reference. This is followed by an investigation of his defence of a system of ‘scientific metaphysics’ and its role in rational inquiry. We then turn to a consideration of how his pragmatism and his account of rationality rest upon his acceptance of a modified version of the common‐sense philosophy. This theme in his thought leads him to emphasize the role of sentiments and emotions in epistemic evaluation, and this lies behind his distinctive views about doubt and about why we should not take scepticism seriously. The final two chapters of the book explore Peirce's argument for the reality of God and begin to address the question of how he thought his pragmatist philosophy could be proved.Less
Charles Peirce's pragmatist philosophy contains important ideas for understanding the nature of epistemic rationality and rational self‐control. After a discussion of his views about the different demands of theory and practice, the book explains his account of truth, before comparing it with the correspondence theory of truth and tracing its relations to his theory of indexical reference. This is followed by an investigation of his defence of a system of ‘scientific metaphysics’ and its role in rational inquiry. We then turn to a consideration of how his pragmatism and his account of rationality rest upon his acceptance of a modified version of the common‐sense philosophy. This theme in his thought leads him to emphasize the role of sentiments and emotions in epistemic evaluation, and this lies behind his distinctive views about doubt and about why we should not take scepticism seriously. The final two chapters of the book explore Peirce's argument for the reality of God and begin to address the question of how he thought his pragmatist philosophy could be proved.
Ismo Dunderberg
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199284962
- eISBN:
- 9780191603785
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199284962.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This chapter offers a closer discussion of the Johannine portrayal of Thomas. It argues that the author of John was unaware of the Syrian Thomas tradition: he never used the name Judas Thomas for ...
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This chapter offers a closer discussion of the Johannine portrayal of Thomas. It argues that the author of John was unaware of the Syrian Thomas tradition: he never used the name Judas Thomas for this figure. It is shown that the theological positions ascribed to Thomas in recent scholarship are far from evident. It is neither clear that Thomas doubts the possibility of physical resurrection, nor it is clear that he is portrayed as an advocate of those seeking mystical ascent and a visio dei. The negative aspects in the Johannine portrayal of Thomas are not unique in this gospel. Several other followers of Jesus are cast in equally negative terms. It is not conceivable to assume that behind all these figures would be Christian communities rejected by the author of John.Less
This chapter offers a closer discussion of the Johannine portrayal of Thomas. It argues that the author of John was unaware of the Syrian Thomas tradition: he never used the name Judas Thomas for this figure. It is shown that the theological positions ascribed to Thomas in recent scholarship are far from evident. It is neither clear that Thomas doubts the possibility of physical resurrection, nor it is clear that he is portrayed as an advocate of those seeking mystical ascent and a visio dei. The negative aspects in the Johannine portrayal of Thomas are not unique in this gospel. Several other followers of Jesus are cast in equally negative terms. It is not conceivable to assume that behind all these figures would be Christian communities rejected by the author of John.
L. Jonathan Cohen
- Published in print:
- 1977
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198244127
- eISBN:
- 9780191680748
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198244127.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology, Philosophy of Science
This chapter presents an elaboration on the difficulty about proof beyond reasonable doubt. It is more inclined to hold that a particular conclusion falls short of certainty because there is a ...
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This chapter presents an elaboration on the difficulty about proof beyond reasonable doubt. It is more inclined to hold that a particular conclusion falls short of certainty because there is a particular, specifiable reason for doubting it, than to hold that it is reasonable to doubt the conclusion because it falls short of certainty. Hence a scale of mathematical probability is used for assessing proof beyond reasonable doubt. What is needed instead is a list of all the points that have to be established in relation to each element in the crime. Not that a high statistical probability is necessarily useless; but it must enter into a proof as a fact from which to argue rather than as a measure of the extent to which a conclusion has been established, and its relevance must also be separately established.Less
This chapter presents an elaboration on the difficulty about proof beyond reasonable doubt. It is more inclined to hold that a particular conclusion falls short of certainty because there is a particular, specifiable reason for doubting it, than to hold that it is reasonable to doubt the conclusion because it falls short of certainty. Hence a scale of mathematical probability is used for assessing proof beyond reasonable doubt. What is needed instead is a list of all the points that have to be established in relation to each element in the crime. Not that a high statistical probability is necessarily useless; but it must enter into a proof as a fact from which to argue rather than as a measure of the extent to which a conclusion has been established, and its relevance must also be separately established.
Christopher Prendergast
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691155203
- eISBN:
- 9781400846313
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691155203.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
Marcel Proust was long the object of a cult in which the main point of reading his great novel In Search of Lost Time was to find, with its narrator, a redemptive epiphany in a pastry and a cup of ...
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Marcel Proust was long the object of a cult in which the main point of reading his great novel In Search of Lost Time was to find, with its narrator, a redemptive epiphany in a pastry and a cup of lime-blossom tea. We now live in less confident times, in ways that place great strain on the assumptions and beliefs that made those earlier readings possible. This has led to a new manner of reading Proust, against the grain. This book argues the case differently, with the grain, on the basis that Proust himself was prey to self-doubt and found numerous, if indirect, ways of letting us know. The book traces in detail the locations and forms of a quietly nondogmatic yet insistently skeptical voice that questions the redemptive aesthetic the novel is so often taken to celebrate, bringing the reader to wonder whether that aesthetic is but another instance of the mirage or the mad belief that, in other guises, figures prominently in In Search of Lost Time. In tracing the modalities of this self-pressuring voice, the book ranges far and wide, across a multiplicity of ideas, themes, sources, and stylistic registers in Proust's literary thought and writing practice, attentive at every point to inflections of detail, in a sustained account of Proust the skeptic for the contemporary reader.Less
Marcel Proust was long the object of a cult in which the main point of reading his great novel In Search of Lost Time was to find, with its narrator, a redemptive epiphany in a pastry and a cup of lime-blossom tea. We now live in less confident times, in ways that place great strain on the assumptions and beliefs that made those earlier readings possible. This has led to a new manner of reading Proust, against the grain. This book argues the case differently, with the grain, on the basis that Proust himself was prey to self-doubt and found numerous, if indirect, ways of letting us know. The book traces in detail the locations and forms of a quietly nondogmatic yet insistently skeptical voice that questions the redemptive aesthetic the novel is so often taken to celebrate, bringing the reader to wonder whether that aesthetic is but another instance of the mirage or the mad belief that, in other guises, figures prominently in In Search of Lost Time. In tracing the modalities of this self-pressuring voice, the book ranges far and wide, across a multiplicity of ideas, themes, sources, and stylistic registers in Proust's literary thought and writing practice, attentive at every point to inflections of detail, in a sustained account of Proust the skeptic for the contemporary reader.
Eugene V. Gallagher
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195177299
- eISBN:
- 9780199785537
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177299.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Students frequently come to classes about new religious movements disinclined to take them seriously as legitimate religions. Borrowing from literature about race and diversity in the classroom and ...
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Students frequently come to classes about new religious movements disinclined to take them seriously as legitimate religions. Borrowing from literature about race and diversity in the classroom and using Peter Elbow's description of methodological doubt and methodological belief as analytical tools, this chapter discusses strategies for overcoming student resistance to taking NRMs seriously as religions. It is argued that the rigorous cultivation of methodological belief as an approach to the study of NRMs offers an effective way to dissipate some negative effects of stereotypes of NRMs and develop adequate descriptions of them. Advocating a rhetorical model of teaching, the chapter provides examples of active learning assignments and offers suggestions about course design that can make the politics of representation of NRMs a continuing topic for class discussions.Less
Students frequently come to classes about new religious movements disinclined to take them seriously as legitimate religions. Borrowing from literature about race and diversity in the classroom and using Peter Elbow's description of methodological doubt and methodological belief as analytical tools, this chapter discusses strategies for overcoming student resistance to taking NRMs seriously as religions. It is argued that the rigorous cultivation of methodological belief as an approach to the study of NRMs offers an effective way to dissipate some negative effects of stereotypes of NRMs and develop adequate descriptions of them. Advocating a rhetorical model of teaching, the chapter provides examples of active learning assignments and offers suggestions about course design that can make the politics of representation of NRMs a continuing topic for class discussions.
H. A. Prichard
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199250196
- eISBN:
- 9780191598265
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199250197.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Concerning the nature of desires that pertain to actions, considers the view that we cannot desire something unless we know or think, first, that it does not exist, and second, that it does not exist ...
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Concerning the nature of desires that pertain to actions, considers the view that we cannot desire something unless we know or think, first, that it does not exist, and second, that it does not exist now. Finds a core of truth in this, but modifies the formula to claim that ‘we can only desire the existence of that of the existence of which in the past, present, or future, as the case may be, we are uncertain.’ Put more simply, a desire is not a desire for the existence of something, but rather a desire for something to be (or to have been, or to be going to be). It follows from this view that we cannot desire something to be the case when we think that, without a doubt, it will be the case.Less
Concerning the nature of desires that pertain to actions, considers the view that we cannot desire something unless we know or think, first, that it does not exist, and second, that it does not exist now. Finds a core of truth in this, but modifies the formula to claim that ‘we can only desire the existence of that of the existence of which in the past, present, or future, as the case may be, we are uncertain.’ Put more simply, a desire is not a desire for the existence of something, but rather a desire for something to be (or to have been, or to be going to be). It follows from this view that we cannot desire something to be the case when we think that, without a doubt, it will be the case.
Aviad Kleinberg
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231174701
- eISBN:
- 9780231540247
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231174701.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Where the finger of Doubting Thomas ends up in the flesh of St. Francis of Assisi.
Where the finger of Doubting Thomas ends up in the flesh of St. Francis of Assisi.
Solomon Schimmel
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195188264
- eISBN:
- 9780199870509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195188264.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter explains the author's motives for writing this book, which originated in his being raised as an Orthodox Jew, to which he was deeply committed from early childhood until adulthood. He ...
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This chapter explains the author's motives for writing this book, which originated in his being raised as an Orthodox Jew, to which he was deeply committed from early childhood until adulthood. He received an intensive education in traditional Jewish religious life, literature, and belief, at home and in yeshivot (Jewish parochial schools), but from a young age harbored doubts about the core theological belief of Orthodoxy that the Pentateuch was revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai. Upon exposure to modern biblical scholarship, philosophical and literary critiques of religion, and modern biology and science he eventually concluded, in his early twenties, that he could no longer believe that which he had been taught from childhood. The chapter describes the emotional effects and social consequences of losing a faith which one loves (and in some respects continues to love), and the intellectual freedom earned by rejecting Orthodox beliefs and becoming a heretic.Less
This chapter explains the author's motives for writing this book, which originated in his being raised as an Orthodox Jew, to which he was deeply committed from early childhood until adulthood. He received an intensive education in traditional Jewish religious life, literature, and belief, at home and in yeshivot (Jewish parochial schools), but from a young age harbored doubts about the core theological belief of Orthodoxy that the Pentateuch was revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai. Upon exposure to modern biblical scholarship, philosophical and literary critiques of religion, and modern biology and science he eventually concluded, in his early twenties, that he could no longer believe that which he had been taught from childhood. The chapter describes the emotional effects and social consequences of losing a faith which one loves (and in some respects continues to love), and the intellectual freedom earned by rejecting Orthodox beliefs and becoming a heretic.
Nathan Salmon
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199284726
- eISBN:
- 9780191713774
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199284726.003.0013
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Language
This chapter proposes natural definitions for a variety of doxastic notions, including disbelief, doubt, and suspension of judgment. Some plausible axioms are considered. A number of questionable ...
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This chapter proposes natural definitions for a variety of doxastic notions, including disbelief, doubt, and suspension of judgment. Some plausible axioms are considered. A number of questionable theorems, excluding the prospect of being of two minds, are derived from the union of the proposed definitions and axioms. An alternative basis is proposed. The so-called hidden indexical theory of Mark Crimmins, Stephen Schiffer, and John Perry is criticized.Less
This chapter proposes natural definitions for a variety of doxastic notions, including disbelief, doubt, and suspension of judgment. Some plausible axioms are considered. A number of questionable theorems, excluding the prospect of being of two minds, are derived from the union of the proposed definitions and axioms. An alternative basis is proposed. The so-called hidden indexical theory of Mark Crimmins, Stephen Schiffer, and John Perry is criticized.
Christopher McKnight Nichols
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195342536
- eISBN:
- 9780199867042
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195342536.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter examines three important strands of progressive thought in the late nineteenth century to reveal the tensions between ideas about progress, religion, and science, and resulting ...
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This chapter examines three important strands of progressive thought in the late nineteenth century to reveal the tensions between ideas about progress, religion, and science, and resulting predictions about America's religious future. This chapter first delineates a populist‐secular group of thinkers, exemplified by Robert Ingersoll, “the great agnostic” proponent of freethinking, whose prophecies blended the older jeremiad form with a heightened emphasis on atheistical science and Enlightment rationality. The second strand of thought explored in this chapter came from the ranks of progressive intellectuals, represented in part by the powerful pragmatic philosophy of religion developed by William James in his book, Varieties of Religious Experience. Finally, this chapter argues for a third diverse group comprised largely of ministers and social gospel activists, such as Walter Rauschenbusch, who attempted to reform the nation along explicitly Christian lines.Less
This chapter examines three important strands of progressive thought in the late nineteenth century to reveal the tensions between ideas about progress, religion, and science, and resulting predictions about America's religious future. This chapter first delineates a populist‐secular group of thinkers, exemplified by Robert Ingersoll, “the great agnostic” proponent of freethinking, whose prophecies blended the older jeremiad form with a heightened emphasis on atheistical science and Enlightment rationality. The second strand of thought explored in this chapter came from the ranks of progressive intellectuals, represented in part by the powerful pragmatic philosophy of religion developed by William James in his book, Varieties of Religious Experience. Finally, this chapter argues for a third diverse group comprised largely of ministers and social gospel activists, such as Walter Rauschenbusch, who attempted to reform the nation along explicitly Christian lines.
Anna Wierzbicka
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195174748
- eISBN:
- 9780199788514
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195174748.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This chapter investigates, in a historical and cultural perspective, the meaning of the word reasonable, and in particular, of the phrases reasonable man and reasonable doubt, which play an important ...
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This chapter investigates, in a historical and cultural perspective, the meaning of the word reasonable, and in particular, of the phrases reasonable man and reasonable doubt, which play an important role in Anglo-American law. Drawing on studies of the British Enlightenment such as Porter (2000), it traces the modern English concept of “reasonableness” back to the intellectual revolution brought about by the writings of John Locke, who (as Porter says) “replaced rationalism with reasonableness, in a manner which became programmatic for the Enlightenment in Britain”. The chapter also argues that the meaning of the word reasonable has changed over the last two centuries and that as a result, the meaning of phrases like reasonable man and beyond reasonable doubt has also changed. It further argues that since these phrases were continually in use for over two centuries and became entrenched in Anglo-American law as well as in ordinary language, and since the older meaning of reasonable is no longer known to most speakers, the change has, generally speaking, gone unnoticed. The chapter also shows how the meaning of the English word reasonable differs from that of the French word raisonable, and how semantic differences of this kind reflect differences in cultural ideals, traditions, and attitudes.Less
This chapter investigates, in a historical and cultural perspective, the meaning of the word reasonable, and in particular, of the phrases reasonable man and reasonable doubt, which play an important role in Anglo-American law. Drawing on studies of the British Enlightenment such as Porter (2000), it traces the modern English concept of “reasonableness” back to the intellectual revolution brought about by the writings of John Locke, who (as Porter says) “replaced rationalism with reasonableness, in a manner which became programmatic for the Enlightenment in Britain”. The chapter also argues that the meaning of the word reasonable has changed over the last two centuries and that as a result, the meaning of phrases like reasonable man and beyond reasonable doubt has also changed. It further argues that since these phrases were continually in use for over two centuries and became entrenched in Anglo-American law as well as in ordinary language, and since the older meaning of reasonable is no longer known to most speakers, the change has, generally speaking, gone unnoticed. The chapter also shows how the meaning of the English word reasonable differs from that of the French word raisonable, and how semantic differences of this kind reflect differences in cultural ideals, traditions, and attitudes.
B. Keith Putt (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823230457
- eISBN:
- 9780823235223
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fso/9780823230457.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
Merold Westphal has been in the foremost ranks of philosophers who proclaim a new post-secular philosophy. By articulating an epistemology sensitive to the realities of cognitive ...
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Merold Westphal has been in the foremost ranks of philosophers who proclaim a new post-secular philosophy. By articulating an epistemology sensitive to the realities of cognitive finitude and moral weakness, he defends a wisdom that begins in both humility and commitment, one that always confesses that human beings can encounter meaning and truth only as human beings, never as gods. This book focuses on this wisdom of humility that characterizes Westphal's thought and explores how that wisdom, expressed through the redemptive dynamic of doubt, can contribute to developing a post-secular apologetic for faith. This book can function both as an accessible introduction to Westphal for those who have not read him extensively and also as an informed critical appreciation and extension of his work for those who are more experienced readers.Less
Merold Westphal has been in the foremost ranks of philosophers who proclaim a new post-secular philosophy. By articulating an epistemology sensitive to the realities of cognitive finitude and moral weakness, he defends a wisdom that begins in both humility and commitment, one that always confesses that human beings can encounter meaning and truth only as human beings, never as gods. This book focuses on this wisdom of humility that characterizes Westphal's thought and explores how that wisdom, expressed through the redemptive dynamic of doubt, can contribute to developing a post-secular apologetic for faith. This book can function both as an accessible introduction to Westphal for those who have not read him extensively and also as an informed critical appreciation and extension of his work for those who are more experienced readers.
Richard Crouter
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195379679
- eISBN:
- 9780199869169
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195379679.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This book’s final chapter inquires into the consequences of living in the light of Niebuhr’s complex teaching. The illusions of naive optimism reign today just as in his lifetime. Niebuhr’s legacy of ...
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This book’s final chapter inquires into the consequences of living in the light of Niebuhr’s complex teaching. The illusions of naive optimism reign today just as in his lifetime. Niebuhr’s legacy of critical Christian thought invites us to reflect on the need for self-knowledge, doubt, and toleration in today’s world. Niebuhr’s Christian social ethics appreciates the advances of the natural and social sciences without placing supreme confidence in their authority and certitude. His hard-edged realism is badly needed in a world full of wishful thinking; self-critical Niebuhrianism is the best response to the new atheistic critics, such as Christopher Hitchens. Niebuhr agrees with contemporary novelist Marilynne Robinson and literary critic Terry Eagleton that supreme certitude yields an attitude that makes “Christianity un-Christian.” His sense of human limits does not negate human achievement so much as it puts human hope into a grander, more complex way of understanding.Less
This book’s final chapter inquires into the consequences of living in the light of Niebuhr’s complex teaching. The illusions of naive optimism reign today just as in his lifetime. Niebuhr’s legacy of critical Christian thought invites us to reflect on the need for self-knowledge, doubt, and toleration in today’s world. Niebuhr’s Christian social ethics appreciates the advances of the natural and social sciences without placing supreme confidence in their authority and certitude. His hard-edged realism is badly needed in a world full of wishful thinking; self-critical Niebuhrianism is the best response to the new atheistic critics, such as Christopher Hitchens. Niebuhr agrees with contemporary novelist Marilynne Robinson and literary critic Terry Eagleton that supreme certitude yields an attitude that makes “Christianity un-Christian.” His sense of human limits does not negate human achievement so much as it puts human hope into a grander, more complex way of understanding.
E. W. Heaton
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198263623
- eISBN:
- 9780191601156
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198263627.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The presuppositions of the comfortable outlook – ‘God’s in his heaven: All’s right with the world’ – had been questioned from time to time over the centuries, but Job and Ecclesiastes are the only ...
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The presuppositions of the comfortable outlook – ‘God’s in his heaven: All’s right with the world’ – had been questioned from time to time over the centuries, but Job and Ecclesiastes are the only major works in the Old Testament deliberately undertaken to articulate the doubt and debate then current in the Israeli schools. They are generally thought to come from the fifth or fourth and third centuries BC respectively, but there is no evidence to support the speculation that it was at this period that the age-old conflict between the theories of the theologians and the facts of life became more than usually acute. The two parts of the chapter look first at doubt, disaster, despair and pessimism in Job and then at the same attitudes in Ecclesiastes, and in doing so make comparisons between the two books. The Egyptian and Babylonian precedents to passages in Job suggest that its author is writing within a convention well established in the circles of schoolmen of the Ancient Near East, rather than presenting actual experiences, and the sustained protest of Job’s speeches challenges the two principal (and contradictory) dogmas that had become fossilized in the Israeli school tradition: ‘God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform’, and ‘God’s way in the world is not in the least mysterious and may be traced in the prosperity of the righteous and the suffering of the wicked’. Any interpretation of Ecclesiastes, who like Job was a literary stylist, must give due weight to the fact that he was a teacher, but the application of doleful description in the body of the work is discriminating, and probably represents his thought.Less
The presuppositions of the comfortable outlook – ‘God’s in his heaven: All’s right with the world’ – had been questioned from time to time over the centuries, but Job and Ecclesiastes are the only major works in the Old Testament deliberately undertaken to articulate the doubt and debate then current in the Israeli schools. They are generally thought to come from the fifth or fourth and third centuries BC respectively, but there is no evidence to support the speculation that it was at this period that the age-old conflict between the theories of the theologians and the facts of life became more than usually acute. The two parts of the chapter look first at doubt, disaster, despair and pessimism in Job and then at the same attitudes in Ecclesiastes, and in doing so make comparisons between the two books. The Egyptian and Babylonian precedents to passages in Job suggest that its author is writing within a convention well established in the circles of schoolmen of the Ancient Near East, rather than presenting actual experiences, and the sustained protest of Job’s speeches challenges the two principal (and contradictory) dogmas that had become fossilized in the Israeli school tradition: ‘God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform’, and ‘God’s way in the world is not in the least mysterious and may be traced in the prosperity of the righteous and the suffering of the wicked’. Any interpretation of Ecclesiastes, who like Job was a literary stylist, must give due weight to the fact that he was a teacher, but the application of doleful description in the body of the work is discriminating, and probably represents his thought.
Ned Schantz
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195335910
- eISBN:
- 9780199868902
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335910.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, Film, Media, and Cultural Studies, Women's Literature
This chapter pursues the problem of coincidence on the telephone in its greatest cinematic example—Sorry, Wrong Number—all the way to the ambivalent dream of telepathy, a major fantasy of novelistic ...
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This chapter pursues the problem of coincidence on the telephone in its greatest cinematic example—Sorry, Wrong Number—all the way to the ambivalent dream of telepathy, a major fantasy of novelistic culture and troubling concern for film. Telepathy then structures a sustained comparison between film and the novel in terms of access to characters’ minds, a comparison developed in an extended reading of Shadow of a Doubt. Hitchcock’s film finally represents a turning away from telepathy and female knowledge—the double—edged legacy of the novel—toward a cinema of female mobility and speed.Less
This chapter pursues the problem of coincidence on the telephone in its greatest cinematic example—Sorry, Wrong Number—all the way to the ambivalent dream of telepathy, a major fantasy of novelistic culture and troubling concern for film. Telepathy then structures a sustained comparison between film and the novel in terms of access to characters’ minds, a comparison developed in an extended reading of Shadow of a Doubt. Hitchcock’s film finally represents a turning away from telepathy and female knowledge—the double—edged legacy of the novel—toward a cinema of female mobility and speed.
Robert J. Fogelin
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195089875
- eISBN:
- 9780199833238
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195089871.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
Having completed the examination of competing accounts of how knowledge claims function, this chapter returns to and elaborates the account presented of them in Ch. 1. In our everyday use of ...
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Having completed the examination of competing accounts of how knowledge claims function, this chapter returns to and elaborates the account presented of them in Ch. 1. In our everyday use of knowledge claims, we rely on justificatory procedures that we have learned. Looking things up is an obvious example. Doubts also take place within justificatory procedures. We doubt things because they fail to meet certain standards. Three sorts of doubt are distinguished: hyperbolic doubts, eliminable but impractical doubts, and eliminable legitimate doubts. In daily life, we operate at the third or lowest level of scrutiny. When engaged in doing epistemology, however, philosophers tend to operate at the two higher levels of scrutiny with the result that they encounter Gettier problems or wind up in skepticism. This sets the stage for Part 2 in which various responses to skepticism are examined.Less
Having completed the examination of competing accounts of how knowledge claims function, this chapter returns to and elaborates the account presented of them in Ch. 1. In our everyday use of knowledge claims, we rely on justificatory procedures that we have learned. Looking things up is an obvious example. Doubts also take place within justificatory procedures. We doubt things because they fail to meet certain standards. Three sorts of doubt are distinguished: hyperbolic doubts, eliminable but impractical doubts, and eliminable legitimate doubts. In daily life, we operate at the third or lowest level of scrutiny. When engaged in doing epistemology, however, philosophers tend to operate at the two higher levels of scrutiny with the result that they encounter Gettier problems or wind up in skepticism. This sets the stage for Part 2 in which various responses to skepticism are examined.
