Douglas A. Sweeney
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195154283
- eISBN:
- 9780199834709
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195154282.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The chief theological concern in Taylor's doctrine of original sin lay in avoiding the notion that sin resided as a property or component of humanity's natural constitution. While many Old Calvinists ...
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The chief theological concern in Taylor's doctrine of original sin lay in avoiding the notion that sin resided as a property or component of humanity's natural constitution. While many Old Calvinists held to the belief that depravity passed to humans through natural procreation, Taylor argued that this made God the author of sin, an unacceptable conclusion. In opposition to the Exercisers, Tasters, and Tylerites, who put the majority of their emphasis on human inability, the Taylorites worked hard to maintain what they believed to be continuity with the Edwardsian tradition as it related to the doctrine of original sin. Taylor recognized that there was a delicate balance between the doctrines of natural ability and divine dependence that required constant redress. In the end, the difference between Taylor's emphasis on the human ability to obey God in spite of the fact that sin was certain to prevail prior to regeneration proved largely semantic; but even this semantic difference was significant for his relationships with fellow Edwardsians and his identity as a theologian.Less
The chief theological concern in Taylor's doctrine of original sin lay in avoiding the notion that sin resided as a property or component of humanity's natural constitution. While many Old Calvinists held to the belief that depravity passed to humans through natural procreation, Taylor argued that this made God the author of sin, an unacceptable conclusion. In opposition to the Exercisers, Tasters, and Tylerites, who put the majority of their emphasis on human inability, the Taylorites worked hard to maintain what they believed to be continuity with the Edwardsian tradition as it related to the doctrine of original sin. Taylor recognized that there was a delicate balance between the doctrines of natural ability and divine dependence that required constant redress. In the end, the difference between Taylor's emphasis on the human ability to obey God in spite of the fact that sin was certain to prevail prior to regeneration proved largely semantic; but even this semantic difference was significant for his relationships with fellow Edwardsians and his identity as a theologian.
Paul Russell
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195152906
- eISBN:
- 9780199869343
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195152905.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
Hume claims that we are responsible for those qualities of mind or character that affect others and ourselves in pleasurable or painful ways. Insofar as our action and deportment express our ...
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Hume claims that we are responsible for those qualities of mind or character that affect others and ourselves in pleasurable or painful ways. Insofar as our action and deportment express our character, to that extent we are accountable for it. This brings us to the question of the extent to which our traits of character are shaped and conditioned by our own choices and willings. Hume maintains that our ability to shape or control our moral character is very limited, and that in this respect we are all inescapably subjected to “moral luck.” My discussion of these issues also covers Hume's controversial view that we are morally accountable for our natural abilities.Less
Hume claims that we are responsible for those qualities of mind or character that affect others and ourselves in pleasurable or painful ways. Insofar as our action and deportment express our character, to that extent we are accountable for it. This brings us to the question of the extent to which our traits of character are shaped and conditioned by our own choices and willings. Hume maintains that our ability to shape or control our moral character is very limited, and that in this respect we are all inescapably subjected to “moral luck.” My discussion of these issues also covers Hume's controversial view that we are morally accountable for our natural abilities.
Douglas A. Sweeney
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195154283
- eISBN:
- 9780199834709
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195154282.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Sweeney reconstructs the New England religious culture that shaped the life of Taylor, and that derived much of its theological substance from the two distinctive foci of Edwardsian New Divinity: its ...
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Sweeney reconstructs the New England religious culture that shaped the life of Taylor, and that derived much of its theological substance from the two distinctive foci of Edwardsian New Divinity: its distinction between natural and moral ability, and its insistence on immediate repentance. With the establishment of the New Divinity “schools of the prophets,” men such as Joseph Bellamy, Charles Backus, and Nathanael Emmons influenced the next generation of Edwardsian preachers and leaders. The direct result of widespread Edwardsian preaching in New England was what could only be called an Edwardsian enculturation of Calvinist New England by the first third of the nineteenth century.Less
Sweeney reconstructs the New England religious culture that shaped the life of Taylor, and that derived much of its theological substance from the two distinctive foci of Edwardsian New Divinity: its distinction between natural and moral ability, and its insistence on immediate repentance. With the establishment of the New Divinity “schools of the prophets,” men such as Joseph Bellamy, Charles Backus, and Nathanael Emmons influenced the next generation of Edwardsian preachers and leaders. The direct result of widespread Edwardsian preaching in New England was what could only be called an Edwardsian enculturation of Calvinist New England by the first third of the nineteenth century.
Françoys Gagné
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199794003
- eISBN:
- 9780199345212
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199794003.003.0010
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter pursues two main goals: (a) demonstrate that natural abilities—and their outstanding expression as gifts—really exist (the mainstream Pronat position), and that recent attacks by a few ...
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This chapter pursues two main goals: (a) demonstrate that natural abilities—and their outstanding expression as gifts—really exist (the mainstream Pronat position), and that recent attacks by a few researchers who deny their existence (the Antinat position) can be easily parried empirically; (b) expose questionable scholarly behavior by some Antinat researchers. Part I surveys the author’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT), then examines the concept of natural ability, pointing out its six defining characteristics; it finally demonstrates with extensive empirical evidence that both general intelligence and physical natural abilities meet all six defining criteria of a natural ability. Part II illustrates how some influent Antinat researchers deliberately exclude relevant evidence, accumulate irrelevant information, ignore crucial objections, and select from published studies only the results that support their position. These cases of deliberate (mal)practice show their lack of desire to examine objectively all the available evidence and reassess their entrenched beliefs.Less
This chapter pursues two main goals: (a) demonstrate that natural abilities—and their outstanding expression as gifts—really exist (the mainstream Pronat position), and that recent attacks by a few researchers who deny their existence (the Antinat position) can be easily parried empirically; (b) expose questionable scholarly behavior by some Antinat researchers. Part I surveys the author’s Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT), then examines the concept of natural ability, pointing out its six defining characteristics; it finally demonstrates with extensive empirical evidence that both general intelligence and physical natural abilities meet all six defining criteria of a natural ability. Part II illustrates how some influent Antinat researchers deliberately exclude relevant evidence, accumulate irrelevant information, ignore crucial objections, and select from published studies only the results that support their position. These cases of deliberate (mal)practice show their lack of desire to examine objectively all the available evidence and reassess their entrenched beliefs.
Allen Guelzo
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199756292
- eISBN:
- 9780199950379
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199756292.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The two books by Edwards that received the most attention from both proponents and opponents of the New England Theology were his Freedom of the Will (1754) and Original Sin (1758). This chapter ...
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The two books by Edwards that received the most attention from both proponents and opponents of the New England Theology were his Freedom of the Will (1754) and Original Sin (1758). This chapter offers a summary of their contents and significance in the development of Edwards’s legacies. In Freedom of the Will, Edwards developed his well-known distinction between the unregenerate sinner’s “natural ability” to repent and live a life that pleases God and her “moral inability” to do the same. In Original Sin, Edwards showed the massive extent of human depravity in an attempt to combat the optimistic anthropologies of more liberal British moralists. Along the way, Edwards emphasized the affectional dynamics of both depravity and regenerate moral living. He also argued for the radical dependence of the universe and humanity on God, from moment to moment, for their existence.Less
The two books by Edwards that received the most attention from both proponents and opponents of the New England Theology were his Freedom of the Will (1754) and Original Sin (1758). This chapter offers a summary of their contents and significance in the development of Edwards’s legacies. In Freedom of the Will, Edwards developed his well-known distinction between the unregenerate sinner’s “natural ability” to repent and live a life that pleases God and her “moral inability” to do the same. In Original Sin, Edwards showed the massive extent of human depravity in an attempt to combat the optimistic anthropologies of more liberal British moralists. Along the way, Edwards emphasized the affectional dynamics of both depravity and regenerate moral living. He also argued for the radical dependence of the universe and humanity on God, from moment to moment, for their existence.
Oliver D. Crisp
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199755295
- eISBN:
- 9780199979486
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199755295.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Chapter 3 considers how Edwards's doctrine of God as a simple pure act can make sense of divine freedom. In dialogue with several recent treatments of these matters, the chapter argues that Edwards's ...
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Chapter 3 considers how Edwards's doctrine of God as a simple pure act can make sense of divine freedom. In dialogue with several recent treatments of these matters, the chapter argues that Edwards's position is coherent. God is free, according to Edwards. But he is also determined to act as he does by his own nature. In this way, and unlike many of the Reformed before him, Edwards embraces what we might think of as a consistent theological compatibilism. Not only are creatures determined to act as they do, yet free. God also is determined to act as he does (by his nature), and yet free in those actions.Less
Chapter 3 considers how Edwards's doctrine of God as a simple pure act can make sense of divine freedom. In dialogue with several recent treatments of these matters, the chapter argues that Edwards's position is coherent. God is free, according to Edwards. But he is also determined to act as he does by his own nature. In this way, and unlike many of the Reformed before him, Edwards embraces what we might think of as a consistent theological compatibilism. Not only are creatures determined to act as they do, yet free. God also is determined to act as he does (by his nature), and yet free in those actions.
Thenille Braun Janzen, Paolo Ammirante, and William Forde Thompson
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780199685851
- eISBN:
- 9780191806049
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199685851.003.0016
- Subject:
- Psychology, Music Psychology, Developmental Psychology
Music is intimately connected with the experience of rhythmic movement. This unique relation between music and movement depends on a complex set of timing skills that are developed throughout ...
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Music is intimately connected with the experience of rhythmic movement. This unique relation between music and movement depends on a complex set of timing skills that are developed throughout childhood. However, extraordinary cases of rhythmic prodigies seem to challenge our understanding of the normal course of motor development. This chapter examines the existing literature on timing skills in order to identify some milestones in the development of timing skills that are essential for the production of accurate rhythmic movements. We consider the importance of formal music training and weekly practice for the development of timing skills involved in discrete and continuous rhythmic movements, and we describe a preliminary study in which we compare the timing skills of a prodigy musician with those of age-matched musicians and nonmusicians.Less
Music is intimately connected with the experience of rhythmic movement. This unique relation between music and movement depends on a complex set of timing skills that are developed throughout childhood. However, extraordinary cases of rhythmic prodigies seem to challenge our understanding of the normal course of motor development. This chapter examines the existing literature on timing skills in order to identify some milestones in the development of timing skills that are essential for the production of accurate rhythmic movements. We consider the importance of formal music training and weekly practice for the development of timing skills involved in discrete and continuous rhythmic movements, and we describe a preliminary study in which we compare the timing skills of a prodigy musician with those of age-matched musicians and nonmusicians.
