Allen Buchanan
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198295358
- eISBN:
- 9780191600982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198295359.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The purpose of this chapter is to articulate an understanding of basic human rights that is sufficiently clear and cogent to serve as the core of a justice‐based moral theory of international law. To ...
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The purpose of this chapter is to articulate an understanding of basic human rights that is sufficiently clear and cogent to serve as the core of a justice‐based moral theory of international law. To accomplish this goal, the concept of human rights is first analysed into its key elements, and the analysis is used to explain how assertions about human rights can be justified, and show that plausible justifications for basic human rights can be grounded in a diversity of moral and religious perspectives. Next, several objections to the claim that there are human rights or that they can play a fundamental role in a moral theory of international law are refuted, and it is argued that the right to minimally democratic governance should be included among the rights that international law ascribes to all persons—whether it is a human right or of instrumental value in securing human rights, or both. It is then shown that the use of coercion to protect basic human rights is compatible with a proper tolerance for the diversity of values, and the chapter concludes with a discussion of how the international legal order can cope with the ineliminable abstractness of human rights norms. The seven parts of the chapter are: I. Clarifying the Idea of Human Rights; II. The Justification of Assertions about the Existence of Human Rights; III. A Plurality of Converging Justifications for Human Rights; IV. Is democracy a Human Right?; V. Critiques of Human Rights; VI. Human Rights and the Bounds of Toleration; and VII. The Inelimable Indeterminacy of Human Rights and its Implications for the Moral Theory of International Law.Less
The purpose of this chapter is to articulate an understanding of basic human rights that is sufficiently clear and cogent to serve as the core of a justice‐based moral theory of international law. To accomplish this goal, the concept of human rights is first analysed into its key elements, and the analysis is used to explain how assertions about human rights can be justified, and show that plausible justifications for basic human rights can be grounded in a diversity of moral and religious perspectives. Next, several objections to the claim that there are human rights or that they can play a fundamental role in a moral theory of international law are refuted, and it is argued that the right to minimally democratic governance should be included among the rights that international law ascribes to all persons—whether it is a human right or of instrumental value in securing human rights, or both. It is then shown that the use of coercion to protect basic human rights is compatible with a proper tolerance for the diversity of values, and the chapter concludes with a discussion of how the international legal order can cope with the ineliminable abstractness of human rights norms. The seven parts of the chapter are: I. Clarifying the Idea of Human Rights; II. The Justification of Assertions about the Existence of Human Rights; III. A Plurality of Converging Justifications for Human Rights; IV. Is democracy a Human Right?; V. Critiques of Human Rights; VI. Human Rights and the Bounds of Toleration; and VII. The Inelimable Indeterminacy of Human Rights and its Implications for the Moral Theory of International Law.
Tilo Schabert
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226038056
- eISBN:
- 9780226185156
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226185156.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The very fact that human beings share a space, in which their bodies, as physical masses, cannot occupy the same place, raises the need for political existence. This is because bodily existence is ...
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The very fact that human beings share a space, in which their bodies, as physical masses, cannot occupy the same place, raises the need for political existence. This is because bodily existence is directly tied to the emergence of relations of power. Bodily existence makes human beings not only subjects of power, but also objects of power. This fact necessitates a civilization, i.e., a second birth of human beings. These connections are best seen when we compare the human situation to that of angels. It is because human beings, unlike angels, have an (empirical) body, that they require a political order. Such a political order is thus to be contrasted both with a-historical paradisiacal conditions, as well as with the para-empirical notion of a “natural man,” as Ibn Khaldûn has shown through his distinction between a “hypothetically” and an “empirically” proceeding political science.Less
The very fact that human beings share a space, in which their bodies, as physical masses, cannot occupy the same place, raises the need for political existence. This is because bodily existence is directly tied to the emergence of relations of power. Bodily existence makes human beings not only subjects of power, but also objects of power. This fact necessitates a civilization, i.e., a second birth of human beings. These connections are best seen when we compare the human situation to that of angels. It is because human beings, unlike angels, have an (empirical) body, that they require a political order. Such a political order is thus to be contrasted both with a-historical paradisiacal conditions, as well as with the para-empirical notion of a “natural man,” as Ibn Khaldûn has shown through his distinction between a “hypothetically” and an “empirically” proceeding political science.
Thomas L. Brodie
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195138368
- eISBN:
- 9780199834037
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195138368.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Genesis has two levels or focal points – history of Israel (the patriarchs) and human life (or human existence). Both are important and indispensable, but for Genesis, human life is the more ...
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Genesis has two levels or focal points – history of Israel (the patriarchs) and human life (or human existence). Both are important and indispensable, but for Genesis, human life is the more fundamental of the two, and so the book is structured not according to the diversity of patriarchs but according to diverse aspects of human life, including space, time (the flow of generations), and stages of life and perception. As Israel's history is accompanied by a further level of meaning (namely human life), so also is Israel's land; “land” in Genesis means more than specific territory.Less
Genesis has two levels or focal points – history of Israel (the patriarchs) and human life (or human existence). Both are important and indispensable, but for Genesis, human life is the more fundamental of the two, and so the book is structured not according to the diversity of patriarchs but according to diverse aspects of human life, including space, time (the flow of generations), and stages of life and perception. As Israel's history is accompanied by a further level of meaning (namely human life), so also is Israel's land; “land” in Genesis means more than specific territory.
Frederick Neuhouser
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199542673
- eISBN:
- 9780191715402
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199542673.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This chapter seeks to determine what solutions might exist to the numerous problems that amour-propre imposes on human existence. The first section discusses Rousseau's account of how good social and ...
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This chapter seeks to determine what solutions might exist to the numerous problems that amour-propre imposes on human existence. The first section discusses Rousseau's account of how good social and political institutions can hold the development of inflamed amour-propre in check. The second section examines how the same end is achieved by Emile's domestic education.Less
This chapter seeks to determine what solutions might exist to the numerous problems that amour-propre imposes on human existence. The first section discusses Rousseau's account of how good social and political institutions can hold the development of inflamed amour-propre in check. The second section examines how the same end is achieved by Emile's domestic education.
Rufus Black
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198270201
- eISBN:
- 9780191683947
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198270201.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter probes whether the Grisez School is able to find a new means to secure the moorings of ethics to the givenness of reality. It explores the relationship between practical reason and the ...
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This chapter probes whether the Grisez School is able to find a new means to secure the moorings of ethics to the givenness of reality. It explores the relationship between practical reason and the reality and the role of self-evidence in the Grisez School's theory in three stages. First, it considers the relationship between human nature and the fulfilling objects and objectives towards which practical reason directs people. This provides the opportunity to begin an exploration of the question of self-evidence. Second, the chapter analyses the connections between principles of practical reason (which guide people in their pursuit of those fulfilling objects and objectives) and human nature and the conditions of human existence. Third, it considers the function of knowledge about reality in the actual process of moral deliberation.Less
This chapter probes whether the Grisez School is able to find a new means to secure the moorings of ethics to the givenness of reality. It explores the relationship between practical reason and the reality and the role of self-evidence in the Grisez School's theory in three stages. First, it considers the relationship between human nature and the fulfilling objects and objectives towards which practical reason directs people. This provides the opportunity to begin an exploration of the question of self-evidence. Second, the chapter analyses the connections between principles of practical reason (which guide people in their pursuit of those fulfilling objects and objectives) and human nature and the conditions of human existence. Third, it considers the function of knowledge about reality in the actual process of moral deliberation.
Keith Ward
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198269618
- eISBN:
- 9780191683718
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269618.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, World Religions
This chapter examines the Christian doctrine of original sin. It suggests that the contrast between the biblical narrative of human genesis and the evolutionary account of human origin is no longer ...
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This chapter examines the Christian doctrine of original sin. It suggests that the contrast between the biblical narrative of human genesis and the evolutionary account of human origin is no longer as great as it used to be. This is because recent theology has interpreted the Genesis narrative as primarily symbolic of the human situation rather than as literally descriptive. It explains that under this symbolism Adam simply means a person and Eden the ideal intended state of human existence.Less
This chapter examines the Christian doctrine of original sin. It suggests that the contrast between the biblical narrative of human genesis and the evolutionary account of human origin is no longer as great as it used to be. This is because recent theology has interpreted the Genesis narrative as primarily symbolic of the human situation rather than as literally descriptive. It explains that under this symbolism Adam simply means a person and Eden the ideal intended state of human existence.
Tilo Schabert
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226038056
- eISBN:
- 9780226185156
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226185156.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The rule of law is necessary in every human society. Human beings come together driven by the natural predicament of their bodily existence, which makes them dependent on mutual help. But the ...
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The rule of law is necessary in every human society. Human beings come together driven by the natural predicament of their bodily existence, which makes them dependent on mutual help. But the association of human beings gives rise to a second, “political,” predicament, insofar as humans, who have entered society for their own benefit and not that of others, may be inclined to prey on others and to become poachers of the common good. That is why a power standing above merely human power must be erected to rule them; this is the power of the law, which is not subject to human whims and desires but is essentially impartial. Such a super-human power gives the law the character of the “Absolute.” This character has been variously interpreted as the power of the divine (Aristotle), of reason (Cicero), or of the nature of things (Hobbes, Anonymous Iamblichi). This reflection shows that there is something in the law that goes beyond a mere human stipulation, namely a universal fore-knowledge of the Just.Less
The rule of law is necessary in every human society. Human beings come together driven by the natural predicament of their bodily existence, which makes them dependent on mutual help. But the association of human beings gives rise to a second, “political,” predicament, insofar as humans, who have entered society for their own benefit and not that of others, may be inclined to prey on others and to become poachers of the common good. That is why a power standing above merely human power must be erected to rule them; this is the power of the law, which is not subject to human whims and desires but is essentially impartial. Such a super-human power gives the law the character of the “Absolute.” This character has been variously interpreted as the power of the divine (Aristotle), of reason (Cicero), or of the nature of things (Hobbes, Anonymous Iamblichi). This reflection shows that there is something in the law that goes beyond a mere human stipulation, namely a universal fore-knowledge of the Just.
James Hanvey
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199552870
- eISBN:
- 9780191731037
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199552870.003.0018
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter discusses the thought of Henri Bouillard and its significance for Catholic theology before and after Vatican II. It examines Bouillard's understanding of the historical situatedness of ...
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This chapter discusses the thought of Henri Bouillard and its significance for Catholic theology before and after Vatican II. It examines Bouillard's understanding of the historical situatedness of faith and the implication this has for the hermeneutics of the church's understanding and expression of that faith. It examines Bouillard's engagement with major Protestant thinkers like Karl Barth, especially his understanding of the logic of faith and its existential and epistemological structures. It considers Bouillard's exploration of the nature of human freedom and divine presence and concludes with some observations on his importance for post‐conciliar theology.Less
This chapter discusses the thought of Henri Bouillard and its significance for Catholic theology before and after Vatican II. It examines Bouillard's understanding of the historical situatedness of faith and the implication this has for the hermeneutics of the church's understanding and expression of that faith. It examines Bouillard's engagement with major Protestant thinkers like Karl Barth, especially his understanding of the logic of faith and its existential and epistemological structures. It considers Bouillard's exploration of the nature of human freedom and divine presence and concludes with some observations on his importance for post‐conciliar theology.
Michael Jackson
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520272330
- eISBN:
- 9780520951914
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520272330.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Anthropology, Religion
The author extends his path-breaking work in existential anthropology by focusing on the interplay between two modes of human existence: that of participating in other peoples' lives and that of ...
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The author extends his path-breaking work in existential anthropology by focusing on the interplay between two modes of human existence: that of participating in other peoples' lives and that of turning inward to one's self. Grounding his discussion in the subtle shifts between being acted upon and taking action, he shows how the historical complexities and particularities found in human interactions reveal the dilemmas, conflicts, cares, and concerns that shape all of our lives. Through portraits of individuals encountered in the course of his travels, including friends and family, and anthropological fieldwork pursued over many years in such places as Sierra Leone and Australia, the author explores variations on this theme. As he describes the ways we address and negotiate the vexed relationships between “I” and “we”—the one and the many—he is also led to consider the place of thought in human life.Less
The author extends his path-breaking work in existential anthropology by focusing on the interplay between two modes of human existence: that of participating in other peoples' lives and that of turning inward to one's self. Grounding his discussion in the subtle shifts between being acted upon and taking action, he shows how the historical complexities and particularities found in human interactions reveal the dilemmas, conflicts, cares, and concerns that shape all of our lives. Through portraits of individuals encountered in the course of his travels, including friends and family, and anthropological fieldwork pursued over many years in such places as Sierra Leone and Australia, the author explores variations on this theme. As he describes the ways we address and negotiate the vexed relationships between “I” and “we”—the one and the many—he is also led to consider the place of thought in human life.
Sergey Dolgopolski
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823229345
- eISBN:
- 9780823236725
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fso/9780823229345.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
True disagreements are hard to achieve, and even harder to maintain, for the ghost of final agreement constantly haunts them. The Babylonian Talmud, however, escapes from that ghost of agreement, and ...
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True disagreements are hard to achieve, and even harder to maintain, for the ghost of final agreement constantly haunts them. The Babylonian Talmud, however, escapes from that ghost of agreement, and provokes unsettling questions: Are there any conditions under which disagreement might constitute a genuine relationship between minds? Are disagreements always only temporary steps toward final agreement? Must a community of disagreement always imply agreement, as in an agreement to disagree? This book rethinks the task of philological, literary, historical, and cultural analysis of the Talmud. It introduces an aspect of this task that has best been approximated by the philosophical, anthropological, and ontological interrogation of human beings in relationship to the Other—whether animal, divine, or human. In both engagement and disengagement with post-Heideggerian traditions of thought, the book complements philological-historical and cultural approaches to Talmud with an anthropological, ontological, and Talmudic inquiry. It redefines the place of the Talmud and its study, both traditional and academic, in the intellectual map of the West, arguing that the Talmud is a scholarly art of its own and represents a fundamental intellectual discipline, not a mere application of logical, grammatical, or even rhetorical arts for the purpose of textual hermeneutics. In Talmudic intellectual art, disagreement is a fundamental category. This book rediscovers disagreement as the ultimate condition of finite human existence or co-existence.Less
True disagreements are hard to achieve, and even harder to maintain, for the ghost of final agreement constantly haunts them. The Babylonian Talmud, however, escapes from that ghost of agreement, and provokes unsettling questions: Are there any conditions under which disagreement might constitute a genuine relationship between minds? Are disagreements always only temporary steps toward final agreement? Must a community of disagreement always imply agreement, as in an agreement to disagree? This book rethinks the task of philological, literary, historical, and cultural analysis of the Talmud. It introduces an aspect of this task that has best been approximated by the philosophical, anthropological, and ontological interrogation of human beings in relationship to the Other—whether animal, divine, or human. In both engagement and disengagement with post-Heideggerian traditions of thought, the book complements philological-historical and cultural approaches to Talmud with an anthropological, ontological, and Talmudic inquiry. It redefines the place of the Talmud and its study, both traditional and academic, in the intellectual map of the West, arguing that the Talmud is a scholarly art of its own and represents a fundamental intellectual discipline, not a mere application of logical, grammatical, or even rhetorical arts for the purpose of textual hermeneutics. In Talmudic intellectual art, disagreement is a fundamental category. This book rediscovers disagreement as the ultimate condition of finite human existence or co-existence.
Joseph Blenkinsopp
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198755036
- eISBN:
- 9780191695131
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198755036.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
This chapter begins with a discussion of how the sages of Israel, and of the ancient world in general, attempted to make sense of human existence by postulating an intrinsic connection between act ...
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This chapter begins with a discussion of how the sages of Israel, and of the ancient world in general, attempted to make sense of human existence by postulating an intrinsic connection between act and consequence, and thereby lay the basis for a morally significant life. It then examines the book of Job and analyses the biblical Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth).Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of how the sages of Israel, and of the ancient world in general, attempted to make sense of human existence by postulating an intrinsic connection between act and consequence, and thereby lay the basis for a morally significant life. It then examines the book of Job and analyses the biblical Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth).
Ray L. Hart
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780226359625
- eISBN:
- 9780226359762
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226359762.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Anthropogony addresses how human existence manifests the unfinished God as a creative and redemptive process. If there is an essential connection between the inner differentiation of the divine life ...
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Anthropogony addresses how human existence manifests the unfinished God as a creative and redemptive process. If there is an essential connection between the inner differentiation of the divine life and the human being’s own inner differentiation, itself external to the divine life, the divine life is to be thought otherwise than in classical orthodoxy. Anthropologically speaking, this is the difference between imago dei and imaginem ad Verbum: the image of God and the image toward the Logos. The bicameral nature of human existence must be thought between two nots: as both becoming and unbecoming, as ascesis and living sacrifice.Less
Anthropogony addresses how human existence manifests the unfinished God as a creative and redemptive process. If there is an essential connection between the inner differentiation of the divine life and the human being’s own inner differentiation, itself external to the divine life, the divine life is to be thought otherwise than in classical orthodoxy. Anthropologically speaking, this is the difference between imago dei and imaginem ad Verbum: the image of God and the image toward the Logos. The bicameral nature of human existence must be thought between two nots: as both becoming and unbecoming, as ascesis and living sacrifice.
Keith Ward
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263937
- eISBN:
- 9780191682681
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263937.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, World Religions
This chapter considers the contentions of some major 20th-century theologians from four religious traditions—all seem to agree in the general reconstruction of the concept of God in a more dynamic ...
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This chapter considers the contentions of some major 20th-century theologians from four religious traditions—all seem to agree in the general reconstruction of the concept of God in a more dynamic and relational way. Thus it might fairly be seen as a distinctive reworking of the idea of God, partly in response to the rise of the natural sciences and partly occasioned by an increased realization of the possibility and importance of change and creativity in human existence. Within the Christian tradition, such a reconstruction can be seen as a way of taking seriously the ancient Christian insight that the eternal Word truly becomes flesh, in order that time itself might find its fulfilment in eternity.Less
This chapter considers the contentions of some major 20th-century theologians from four religious traditions—all seem to agree in the general reconstruction of the concept of God in a more dynamic and relational way. Thus it might fairly be seen as a distinctive reworking of the idea of God, partly in response to the rise of the natural sciences and partly occasioned by an increased realization of the possibility and importance of change and creativity in human existence. Within the Christian tradition, such a reconstruction can be seen as a way of taking seriously the ancient Christian insight that the eternal Word truly becomes flesh, in order that time itself might find its fulfilment in eternity.
Gurpreet Mahajan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198076971
- eISBN:
- 9780199080403
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198076971.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Indian Politics
This chapter discusses hermeneutic understanding, which is primarily a way of recovering the meaning of utterances and performances of historical agents. However, what distinguishes it from other ...
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This chapter discusses hermeneutic understanding, which is primarily a way of recovering the meaning of utterances and performances of historical agents. However, what distinguishes it from other modes of inquiry is the historical nature of its perception, namely, its claim about the historicality of human existence and the plurality of historical worlds. Advocates of hermeneutic understanding maintain that we can understand the actions and utterances of men and recover the link between life and experience embodied in these expressions only by reconstructing the life of the other. The purpose of a hermeneutic inquiry is twofold: (a) it seeks to understand the other and (b) it opens up new worlds and possibilities to us by making available the life of the other.Less
This chapter discusses hermeneutic understanding, which is primarily a way of recovering the meaning of utterances and performances of historical agents. However, what distinguishes it from other modes of inquiry is the historical nature of its perception, namely, its claim about the historicality of human existence and the plurality of historical worlds. Advocates of hermeneutic understanding maintain that we can understand the actions and utterances of men and recover the link between life and experience embodied in these expressions only by reconstructing the life of the other. The purpose of a hermeneutic inquiry is twofold: (a) it seeks to understand the other and (b) it opens up new worlds and possibilities to us by making available the life of the other.
Crystal L. Park
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195373585
- eISBN:
- 9780199893263
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195373585.003.0021
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology, Health Psychology
This chapter assesses the present state of integration within positive psychology regarding one particular aspect of human experience—meaning—which is central to human existence, regardless of the ...
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This chapter assesses the present state of integration within positive psychology regarding one particular aspect of human experience—meaning—which is central to human existence, regardless of the valence of that meaning. It examines the extent to which meaning is adequately captured in positive psychology perspectives and then describes what seems to be missing from this view at present. As a potential remedy, it proposes the grounding of positive psychological inquiry into issues of meaning and meaning making in an existential spiritual framework. Such a framework could bridge the fairly extensive but distinct work being conducted on meaning and stress-related growth and that on positive psychology, benefitting both areas of inquiry. The chapter concludes with ideas about how research on meaning, so framed, might move forward.Less
This chapter assesses the present state of integration within positive psychology regarding one particular aspect of human experience—meaning—which is central to human existence, regardless of the valence of that meaning. It examines the extent to which meaning is adequately captured in positive psychology perspectives and then describes what seems to be missing from this view at present. As a potential remedy, it proposes the grounding of positive psychological inquiry into issues of meaning and meaning making in an existential spiritual framework. Such a framework could bridge the fairly extensive but distinct work being conducted on meaning and stress-related growth and that on positive psychology, benefitting both areas of inquiry. The chapter concludes with ideas about how research on meaning, so framed, might move forward.
William B. Hurlbut
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195143584
- eISBN:
- 9780199848119
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195143584.003.0026
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
The Cartesian dualism of mind and body is an unsatisfactory sidestepping of the central issues under discussion here. The beginnings of sociality are seen even in the most primordial configurations ...
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The Cartesian dualism of mind and body is an unsatisfactory sidestepping of the central issues under discussion here. The beginnings of sociality are seen even in the most primordial configurations of living matter. The progressive integration of an organism's “inner life” with its external action and presentation of self was further extended in Homo sapiens with the radical cerebral reorganization that accompanied the transition to human upright posture. Empathy is the ability to identify with and understand the situations, motives, and feelings of another. It is so natural to us that we rarely ponder the mystery of its mechanism. Human existence is by nature intrinsically social, located within the context of community and culture. Insight into the other person enabled by the capacity for empathy can be used for open communication or for calculated deception. The cultural universals seem to cluster around the two central issues of flourishing and freedom.Less
The Cartesian dualism of mind and body is an unsatisfactory sidestepping of the central issues under discussion here. The beginnings of sociality are seen even in the most primordial configurations of living matter. The progressive integration of an organism's “inner life” with its external action and presentation of self was further extended in Homo sapiens with the radical cerebral reorganization that accompanied the transition to human upright posture. Empathy is the ability to identify with and understand the situations, motives, and feelings of another. It is so natural to us that we rarely ponder the mystery of its mechanism. Human existence is by nature intrinsically social, located within the context of community and culture. Insight into the other person enabled by the capacity for empathy can be used for open communication or for calculated deception. The cultural universals seem to cluster around the two central issues of flourishing and freedom.
George Anastaplo
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813125336
- eISBN:
- 9780813135243
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813125336.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter shows that an awareness of human mortality is evident throughout the Constitution of 1787 and in its Amendments. It notes that such an awareness is implicit in the traditional civic ...
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This chapter shows that an awareness of human mortality is evident throughout the Constitution of 1787 and in its Amendments. It notes that such an awareness is implicit in the traditional civic trinity of “Life, Liberty, and Property.” It observes that the conversion of “Property” into “Pursuit of Happiness,” as in the Declaration of Independence, may acknowledge further the transitory aspects of human existence. It further observes that the Preamble, in expressing the concern of the Framers to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to [them]selves and [their] Posterity,” attempts to build upon the stable elements in our ever-changing lives. It notes that “posterity” suggests that although one may not personally endure forever, at least on Earth, one may have descendants, just as one has had ancestors.Less
This chapter shows that an awareness of human mortality is evident throughout the Constitution of 1787 and in its Amendments. It notes that such an awareness is implicit in the traditional civic trinity of “Life, Liberty, and Property.” It observes that the conversion of “Property” into “Pursuit of Happiness,” as in the Declaration of Independence, may acknowledge further the transitory aspects of human existence. It further observes that the Preamble, in expressing the concern of the Framers to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to [them]selves and [their] Posterity,” attempts to build upon the stable elements in our ever-changing lives. It notes that “posterity” suggests that although one may not personally endure forever, at least on Earth, one may have descendants, just as one has had ancestors.
Noel Malcolm
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263242
- eISBN:
- 9780191734014
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263242.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This lecture discusses a new interpretation of Tommaso Campanella's most famous work, the Città del sole, as well as the motivation for the anti-Spanish rebellion in 1599. Campanella, along with a ...
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This lecture discusses a new interpretation of Tommaso Campanella's most famous work, the Città del sole, as well as the motivation for the anti-Spanish rebellion in 1599. Campanella, along with a number of writers during the Counter-Reformation, had a rather special interest in the Ottoman Empire. The Città del sole incorporates many features of the Ottoman society and Islamic practice into its idealised picture of a natural human existence.Less
This lecture discusses a new interpretation of Tommaso Campanella's most famous work, the Città del sole, as well as the motivation for the anti-Spanish rebellion in 1599. Campanella, along with a number of writers during the Counter-Reformation, had a rather special interest in the Ottoman Empire. The Città del sole incorporates many features of the Ottoman society and Islamic practice into its idealised picture of a natural human existence.
Fred Dallmayr
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813124575
- eISBN:
- 9780813134994
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813124575.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
To whom should we look for moral guidance during times of global violence, scarcity, and corruption? For two millennia, Aristotle's writings have taught that the ethically “good life” is the highest ...
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To whom should we look for moral guidance during times of global violence, scarcity, and corruption? For two millennia, Aristotle's writings have taught that the ethically “good life” is the highest purpose of human existence. This book traces the development of this notion, illuminating the connections between Greek philosophy, Judeo-Christian tradition, Eastern religions, and postindustrial social criticism. This is, however, not merely an academic exercise. The book's investigations apply directly to a number of contemporary issues: the relevance of the classics, the global spread of democracy, appropriate responses to evil, and the public role of religion in a democracy. It reinvigorates the notion of the good life as a hallmark of personal conduct, civic virtue, and political engagement, seeking to roust a complacent and self-indulgent citizenry out of a fog of modern amusements and distractions.Less
To whom should we look for moral guidance during times of global violence, scarcity, and corruption? For two millennia, Aristotle's writings have taught that the ethically “good life” is the highest purpose of human existence. This book traces the development of this notion, illuminating the connections between Greek philosophy, Judeo-Christian tradition, Eastern religions, and postindustrial social criticism. This is, however, not merely an academic exercise. The book's investigations apply directly to a number of contemporary issues: the relevance of the classics, the global spread of democracy, appropriate responses to evil, and the public role of religion in a democracy. It reinvigorates the notion of the good life as a hallmark of personal conduct, civic virtue, and political engagement, seeking to roust a complacent and self-indulgent citizenry out of a fog of modern amusements and distractions.
Giorgio Agamben
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262037594
- eISBN:
- 9780262345231
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262037594.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This book charts a journey that ranges from poems of chivalry to philosophy, from Yvain to Hegel, from Beatrice to Heidegger. An ancient legend identifies Demon, Chance, Love, and Necessity as the ...
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This book charts a journey that ranges from poems of chivalry to philosophy, from Yvain to Hegel, from Beatrice to Heidegger. An ancient legend identifies Demon, Chance, Love, and Necessity as the four gods who preside over the birth of every human being. We must all pay tribute to these deities and should not try to elude or dupe them. To accept them, the book suggests, is to live one's life as an adventure—not in the trivial sense of the term, with lightness and disenchantment, but with the understanding that adventure, as a specific way of being, is the most profound experience in our human existence. The four gods of legend are joined at the end by a goddess, the most elusive and mysterious of all: Elpis, Hope. In Greek mythology, Hope remains in Pandora's box, not because it postpones its fulfillment to an invisible beyond but because somehow it has always been already satisfied. Here, the book presents Hope as the ultimate gift of the human adventure on Earth.Less
This book charts a journey that ranges from poems of chivalry to philosophy, from Yvain to Hegel, from Beatrice to Heidegger. An ancient legend identifies Demon, Chance, Love, and Necessity as the four gods who preside over the birth of every human being. We must all pay tribute to these deities and should not try to elude or dupe them. To accept them, the book suggests, is to live one's life as an adventure—not in the trivial sense of the term, with lightness and disenchantment, but with the understanding that adventure, as a specific way of being, is the most profound experience in our human existence. The four gods of legend are joined at the end by a goddess, the most elusive and mysterious of all: Elpis, Hope. In Greek mythology, Hope remains in Pandora's box, not because it postpones its fulfillment to an invisible beyond but because somehow it has always been already satisfied. Here, the book presents Hope as the ultimate gift of the human adventure on Earth.
