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The Imagined, the Imaginary and the Symbolic
by Maurice GodelierExploring the close relationship between the real and the symbolic and imaginaryWhat you imagined is not always imaginary, but everything that is imaginary is imagined. It is by imagining that people make the impossible become possible. In mythology or religion, however, those things that are imagined are never experienced as being imaginary by believers. The realm of the imagined is even more real than the real; it is super-real, surreal.Lévi-Strauss held that "the real, the symbolic and the imaginary" are three separate orders. Maurice Godelier demonstrates the contrary: that the real is not separate from the symbolic and the imaginary. For instance, for a portion of humanity, rituals and sacred objects and places attest to the reality and therefore the truth that God, gods or spirits exist. The symbolic enables people to signify what they think and do, encompassing thought, spilling over into the whole body, but also pervading temples, palaces, tools, foods, mountains, the sea, the sky and the earth. It is real.Godelier's book goes to the strategic heart of the social sciences, for to examine the nature and role of the imaginary and the symbolic is also to attempt to account for the basic components of all societies and ultimately of human existence. And these aspects in turn shape our social and personal identity.
The Imam of the Christians: The World of Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, c. 750–850
by Philip WoodHow Christian leaders adapted the governmental practices and political thought of their Muslim rulers in the Abbasid caliphateThe Imam of the Christians examines how Christian leaders adopted and adapted the political practices and ideas of their Muslim rulers between 750 and 850 in the Abbasid caliphate in the Jazira (modern eastern Turkey and northern Syria). Focusing on the writings of Dionysius of Tel-Mahre, the patriarch of the Jacobite church, Philip Wood describes how this encounter produced an Islamicate Christianity that differed from the Christianities of Byzantium and western Europe in far more than just theology. In doing so, Wood opens a new window on the world of early Islam and Muslims’ interactions with other religious communities.Wood shows how Dionysius and other Christian clerics, by forging close ties with Muslim elites, were able to command greater power over their coreligionists, such as the right to issue canons regulating the lives of lay people, gather tithes, and use state troops to arrest opponents. In his writings, Dionysius advertises his ease in the courts of ʿAbd Allah ibn Tahir in Raqqa and the caliph al-Ma’mun in Baghdad, presenting himself as an effective advocate for the interests of his fellow Christians because of his knowledge of Arabic and his ability to redeploy Islamic ideas to his own advantage. Strikingly, Dionysius even claims that, like al-Ma’mun, he is an imam since he leads his people in prayer and rules them by popular consent.A wide-ranging examination of Middle Eastern Christian life during a critical period in the development of Islam, The Imam of the Christians is also a case study of the surprising workings of cultural and religious adaptation.
The Imbecile’s Guide to Public Philosophy
by Murzban JalThis book studies the role of serious philosophizing in everyday life and looks at how authoritarianism negates philosophical and public reason. It sheds light on how philosophy can go beyond its life as a discipline limited to an esoteric group of academia to manifest itself via radical discursive practices in public life which enable us to understand and resolve contemporary socio-political challenges. It studies philosophy as a discipline which deals with one's orientations based on experience, the logic of reasoning, critical thinking, and most of all radical and progressive beliefs. The book argues that the contemporary rise of capitalism in modern society, resonating Émile Durkheim’s cautions on "anomie", has favoured individualism, differentiation, marginalization, and exploitation, balanced on an eroding collective consciousness and a steady disintegration of humanity and reason. Taking this into consideration, it discusses how philosophy, both mainstream and marginal, can revive democracy in society which then is able to confront global authoritarianism led by the figure of the imbecile. Finally, it also provides a range of new perspectives on the questions of civic freedom, hegemony of language, social justice, identity, invisible paradigms, gender justice, democracy, multiculturalism, and decolonization. This book is an invigorating compilation of essays from diverse disciplines, engaging the need to create a humanistic public philosophy to transcend the state of imbecility. It will be of great interest to students, scholars and researchers of philosophy, contemporary politics, history, and sociology, as well as general readers.
The Imitation of Christ (Dover Thrift Editions Ser.)
by Thomas À Kempis Harold Bolton Aloysius CroftThis classic of Christian devotional literature has brought understanding and comfort to millions for centuries. Both Protestants and Catholics — as well as mystics and historians of religious thought — have studied these meditations on the life and teachings of Jesus, finding in them a path to prayer and spiritual guidance. Written in a candid and conversational style, The Imitation of Christ discusses liberation from worldly inclinations, recollection as a preparation for prayer, the consolations of prayer, and the place of eucharistic communion in a devout life. With its simple, readable text, this translation will appeal to new readers as well as to those already familiar with this religious classic.
The Imitation of Mary: How to Grow in Virtue and Merit God's Grace
by Quan D. TranIn this book, the author shows how to imitate the twelve essential qualities of Mary in order to unleash a torrent of graces in life. He explains that, like any gift, grace must be received, opened, and used. As you learn how, you'll begin to acquire the temperaments, dispositions, and qualities that are most pleasing to God, and you'll serve as a channel of God's grace for others.
The Immanence of Theology and the Absurdity of Faith: Believing in the World (Radical Theologies and Philosophies)
by Elijah Prewitt-DavisThe constant inundation of the affect and information experienced by contemporary individuals exposes the tragic nature of the world, making nihilism an epistemologically reasonable response. To counter the threat of nihilism, Elijiah Prewitt-Davis argues that knowledge must be replaced by belief. Against the common protestant concept of belief as strictly personal and interior, he proposes believing in the world as an absurd and immanent faith in the impossible—a belief that allows one to see and feel the potentialities simmering within the world as it is. Following Gilles Deleuze call to “transform belief,” Prewitt-Davis explores how belief heightens an affective attachment to our embeddedness on the world, revealing the potentialities with which time is always pregnant. Believing in the world as it is paradoxically becomes the mode of transforming the world inasmuch as the potential for something impossibly new is always immanently present.
The Immanent Word: The Turn to Language in German Philosophy, 1759-1801
by Katie TerezakisThe Immanent Word establishes that the philosophical study of language inaugurated in the 1759 works of Hamann and Lessing marks a paradigm shift in modern philosophy; it analyzes the transformation of that shift in works of Herder, Kant, Fichte, Novalis and Schlegel. It contends that recent studies of early linguistic philosophy obscure the most relevant commission of its thinkers, arguing against the theological appropriation of Hamann by John Milbank; against the "expressive" appropriation of Hamann and Herder by Christina Lafont and Charles Taylor; and against Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe and Jean-Luc Nancy’s uncritical championing of Schlegel’s ideological position.
The Immaterial Self: A Defence of the Cartesian Dualist Conception of the Mind (International Library of Philosophy)
by John FosterDualism argues that the mind is more than just the brain. It holds that there exists two very different realms, one mental and the other physical. Both are fundamental and one cannot be reduced to the other - there are minds and there is a physical world. This book examines and defends the most famous dualist account of the mind, the cartesian, which attributes the immaterial contents of the mind to an immaterial self.John Foster's new book exposes the inadequacies of the dominant materialist and reductionist accounts of the mind. In doing so he is in radical conflict with the current philosophical establishment. Ambitious and controversial, The Immaterial Self is the most powerful and effective defence of Cartesian dualism since Descartes' own
The Immeasurable Power of Prayer (The Buddhism of the Sun)
by Daisaku IkedaDoes prayer work? What does it mean to pray in Buddhism? In a world where problems, both personal and global, seem out of our control, Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda explains the power of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo: “ Daimoku is so powerful that there is nowhere in the universe it does not reach.” The Immeasurable Power of Prayer is a collection of essays where Daisaku Ikeda outlines the limitless power of prayer in Nichiren Buddhism. We learn that no matter how difficult our circumstances, through chanting, we develop the ability to take bold action, create value, and make positive changes.
The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon's Case for the Existence of the Soul
by Denyse O'Leary Michael EgnorA neuroscientist and surgeon makes an argument for the existence of a spiritual human soul in this eye-opening book. Many scientists and doctors believe that there is no such thing as the soul. That there is no part of us that persists beyond death. We are not spiritual in any respect. We are made up of cells and tissue, and completely controlled by a material organ in our heads: the brain. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Michael Egnor makes the case—based on 40 years of practice and over 7,000 brain surgeries—that science has gotten it all wrong. The human brain is incredible, mysterious, and powerful. But it&’s not what makes us who we are. The soul does that. Drawing on the most important research studies in neuroscience, Dr. Egnor presents evidence that the brain alone does not explain the mind. He explores, using modern neuroscience and his vast surgical experience, how inside every damaged brain there is a thinking, feeling person with a spiritual soul that transcends the brain. He also uses fascinating case studies to show how research on conjoined twins who share parts of their brains, on patients in deep coma who are still able to communicate with people around them, on near-death experiences, and on artificial intelligence all make a scientific case for the existence of the spiritual human soul. Engaging, thought-provoking, and groundbreaking, The Immortal Mind shows here that some aspect of who we are is spiritual and immortal, transcending the physical body.
The Immortalization Commission
by John GrayA great philosopher will change the way you think about your life.For most of human history, religion provided a clear explanation of life and death. But in the late 19th and early 20th centuries new ideas -- from psychiatry to evolution to Communist -- seemed to suggest that our fate was now in our own hands. We would ourselves become God.This is the theme of a remarkable new book by one of the world's greatest lving philosophers. It is a brilliant and frightening look at the problems and opportunities of a world coming to grips with humankind's now solitary, unaided place in the universe. Gray takes two major examples: the belief that the science-backed Communism of the new USSR could reshape the planet, and the belief among a group of Edwardian intellectuals -- popularized through mediums and automatic writing -- that there was a non-religious form of life after death.Gray presents an extraordinary cast of philosophers, journalists, politicians, charlatans and mass murderers, all of whom felt driven by a specifically scientific and modern world view. He raises a host of fascinating questions about what it means to be human. The implications of Gray's book will haunt its readers for the rest of their lives.From the Hardcover edition.
The Immutable Laws of Mankind
by Alastair DavidsonThe key question for the history of universal human rights is why it took so long for them to become established as law. The main theme of this book is that the attainment of universal human rights required heroic struggle, first by individuals and then by ever-increasing numbers of people who supported those views against the major historical trends. Universal human rights are won from a hostile majority by outsiders. The chapters in the book describe the milestones in that struggle. The history presented in this book shows that, in most places at most times, even today, for concrete material reasons a great many people oppose the notion that all individuals have equal rights. The dominant history since the 1600s has been that of a mass struggle for the national-democratic state. This book argues that this struggle for national rights has been practically and logically contradictory with the struggle for universal rights. It would only be otherwise if there were free migration and access to citizenship on demand by anybody. This has never been the case. Rather than drawing only on European sources and being limited to major literary figures, this book is written from the Gramscian perspective that ideas mean little until they are taken up as mass ideologies. It draws on sources from Asia and America and on knowledge about mass attitudes, globally and throughout history.
The Immutable Laws of the Akashic Field: Universal Truths for a Better Life and a Better World
by Ervin LaszloConnecting Cutting-Edge Science with Classical WisdomThe Akashic Field is a cosmic field in which all information and knowledge is interconnected and preserved. Our very reality is anchored in this vast sea of connected information that gives rise to everything—from specks of stardust in the outer cosmos to consciousness itself. In The Immutable Laws of the Akashic Field, Dr. Ervin Laszlo, renowned authority in the fields of new science, consciousness, and spirituality, has written an accessible introduction to the mysteries of the Akashic Field, explaining how leading science supports this ancient intuition of the deep reality of the universe. The Immutable Laws of the Akashic Field also features contributions from other leading voices, including Dr. Maria Sagi, Christopher M. Bache, and Kingsley L. Dennis along with a foreword by Marianne Williamson. This approachable text offers a brilliant introduction to and bold affirmation of one of the most profound wonders of our universe.
The Impact and Value of Science (Routledge Revivals)
by Douglas W. HillFirst published in 1945, The Impact and Value of Science is both a plea and a challenge: a plea for more and more science – not to increase the sum total of technical knowledge nor to extend present material amenities, but in the words of the author for the sake of "mental maturity." It is a challenge to try the method of science. Every man is a scientist and every scientist a useful citizen. Dr. Hill has been both an industrial and academic scientist but here he is concerned with something much wider than textbook conception of science. He gives a clear answer to those who argue that scientific progress is leading to man’s destruction by showing that if the scientific method is applied in "non-scientific" fields – in religion, ethics, politics – man will learn how to use the technical inventions of science as stepping stones in social and economic progress. With space tourism and climate crisis marking the two ends of scientific development in current times, this book is of value to everyone but especially to students of climate change, public policy and ethics.
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Rights Legislation: A Plea for an AI Convention
by John-Stewart GordonThe unmatched technological achievements in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, computer science, and related fields over the last few decades can be considered a success story. The technological sophistication has been so groundbreaking in various types of applications that many experts believe that we will see, at some point or another, the emergence of general AI (AGI) and, eventually, superintelligence. This book examines the impact of AI on human rights by focusing on potential risks and human rights legislation and proposes creating a Universal Convention for the Rights of AI Systems (AI Convention).
The Impact of Critical Rationalism: Expanding the Popperian Legacy through the Works of Ian C. Jarvie
by Raphael Sassower Nathaniel LaorAs a student and disciple of Karl Popper and longtime managing editor of Philosophy of the Social Sciences, Ian C. Jarvie extended the notion of Critical Rationalism to be useful in anthropology, aesthetics, film studies, and various social sciences. In this Festschrift, contributors from a range of interests and disciplines engage with the Popperian legacy and Jarvie’s scholarly and editorial work in Critical Rationalism to contextualize it in the broader, contemporary intellectual landscape. These original essays not only honor Jarvie’s legacy, but expand it to cross the philosophical divide between analytic and continental schools of thought. In so doing, the authors bring the state-of-the-art achievements of Critical Rationalism to the forefront of current academic debates.
The Impact of Idealism: Aesthetics and Literature
by Nicholas Boyle Ian Cooper Liz Disley Christoph JammeThe first study of its kind, The Impact of Idealism assesses the impact of classical German philosophy on science, religion and culture. This volume explores German Idealism's impact on the literature, art and aesthetics of the last two centuries. Each essay focuses on the legacy of an idea or concept from the high point of German philosophy around 1800, tracing out its influence on the intervening period and its importance for contemporary discussions. As well as a broad geographical and historical range, including Greek tragedy, George Eliot, Thomas Mann and Samuel Beckett, and key musicians and artists such as Wagner, Andy Warhol and Frank Lloyd Wright, the volume's thematic focus is broad. Engaging closely with the key aesthetic texts of German Idealism, this collection uses examples from literature, music, art, architecture and museum studies to demonstrate Idealism's continuing influence.
The Impact of Idealism: Historical, Social and Political Thought
by Nicholas Boyle John Walker Liz DisleyThe first study of its kind, The Impact of Idealism assesses the impact of classical German philosophy on science, religion and culture. This volume explores German Idealism's impact on the historical, social and political thought of the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Each essay focuses on an idea or concept from the high point of German philosophy around 1800, tracing out its influence on the intervening period and its importance for contemporary discussions. New light is shed on key developments of Idealist thought, such as Marxism, critical theory and feminism, and previously unexamined areas of Idealism's influence are discussed for the first time. This unique, interdisciplinary collection traces the impact of Kant, Hegel, Schelling, Fichte and others in Britain, Europe, North America and beyond. Its insights represent vital contributions to their respective fields, as well as to our understanding of German Idealism itself.
The Impact of Idealism: Philosophy and Natural Sciences
by Nicholas Boyle Karl Ameriks Liz DisleyThe first study of its kind, The Impact of Idealism assesses the impact of classical German philosophy on science, religion and culture. This volume explores German Idealism's impact on philosophy and scientific thought. Fourteen essays, by leading authorities in their respective fields, each focus on the legacy of a particular idea that emerged around 1800, when the underlying concepts of modern philosophy were being formed, challenged and criticised, leaving a legacy that extends to all physical areas and all topics in the philosophical world. From British Idealism to phenomenology, existentialism, pragmatism and French postmodernism, the story of German Idealism's impact on philosophy is here interwoven with man's scientific journey of self-discovery in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries - from Darwin to Nietzsche to Freud and beyond. Spanning the analytical and Continental divide, this first volume examines Idealism's impact on contemporary philosophical discussions.
The Impact of Idealism: Religion
by Nicholas Boyle Nicholas Adams Liz DisleyThe first study of its kind, The Impact of Idealism assesses the impact of classical German philosophy on science, religion and culture. This volume explores German Idealism's impact on theology and religious ideas in the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries. With contributions from leading scholars, this collection not only demonstrates the vast range of Idealism's theological influence across different centuries, countries, continents, traditions and religions, but also, in doing so, provides fresh insight into the original ideas and themes with which Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Schelling and others were concerned. As well as tracing out the Idealist influence in the work of nineteenth and twentieth-century theologians, philosophers of religion, and theological traditions, from Schleiermacher to Karl Barth to Radical Orthodoxy, the essays in this collection bring each debate up to date with a strong focus on Idealism's contemporary relevance.
The Impact of Religion, Personality, Values and Worldviews on Attitudes Towards Human Rights: An Empirical-theological Study Among Nigerian Youth (Religion and Human Rights #11)
by Modestus Chiedozie AdimekweThis book provides a rigorous investigation into the adoption and culture of human rights in Nigeria, with a focus on the human rights attitudes of Nigerian students. Exploring the perceived paradox of enthusiastic endorsement of human rights instruments and their poor application in Nigeria, the author uses an empirical-theological research design to understand how young people in Nigeria evaluate human rights and which factors trigger their evaluation. In doing so, this book is the first to empirically examine the predictors of human rights attitudes among Nigerians and provides new insights into the degree of social significance of the religiosity of adolescents in the country. It also offers a compelling quantitative analysis differences in human rights attitudes among Nigerian youth along religious lines. Given the importance of a culture of human rights in our increasingly diverse societies and the salience of religion on this matter in Nigeria, and across the Africancontinent, this book provides a valuable perspective on the interrelationships between religion, value orientations, personality traits, socio-political context, and human rights. Being concerned with the future of human rights in Nigeria, the author argues that it is crucial to understand ‘the religious factor’ among Nigerian students today. This book is therefore recommended to educators, especially teachers of Religion Education, and scholars working in educational settings, but will also be of interest to researchers in social sciences, public administrators, and policymakers.
The Impact of Science on Society (Routledge Classics)
by Bertrand RussellMany of the revolutionary effects of science and technology are obvious enough. Bertrand Russell saw in the 1950s that there are also many negative aspects of scientific innovation. Insightful and controversial in equal measure, Russell argues that science offers the world greater well-being than it has ever known, on the condition that prosperity is dispersed; power is diffused by means of a single, world government; birth rates do not become too high; and war is abolished. Russell acknowledges that is a tall order, but remains essentially optimistic. He imagines mankind in a 'race between human skill as to means and human folly as to ends', but believes human society will ultimately choose the path of reason. This Routledge Classics edition includes a new Preface by Tim Sluckin.
The Impact of Wars on World Politics, 1775–2023: Hope and Despair (Contributions to International Relations)
by Deepak TripathiIn a study of cyclical history, this book presents a grand sweep of modern history and how decades of savage wars, and turbulence, led to a brief era of exhilaration and hope, followed by despair in the new century. The collapse of the Berlin Wall (1989) and the Soviet Union (1991), marking the end of the Cold War, were celebrated with great euphoria. The book points out that the defeat of Soviet communism by the Western allies was one of the most consequential outcomes of great power conflict in the twentieth century, comparable to the defeat of fascism in the Second World War, and of the Central Powers led by Germany and Austria-Hungary in the First World War. However, optimistic predictions of a peaceful and orderly world after the Cold War proved wrong, and new challenges emerged across the globe such as international and regional conflicts, climate change, and mass migration. The book explains how the initial excitement and hope after the collapse of the Soviet Union turned to new challenges, and despair, continuing the cycle of history. Tripathi's scholarly rigor, combined with his journalistic clarity, makes this book a landmark publication that stands out for its depth, relevance, and the urgent message it conveys about the necessity of learning from history to navigate the challenges of the future. Ashok Swain, Professor & Head, Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University This book is a strong, well-written, and explorative testimony of war and conflict, their roots and dynamics, as well as consequences and impact on politics and human lives. Nora Sveaass, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo
The Impact of the First World War on British Universities: Emerging from the Shadows
by John TaylorThe First World War had innumerable consequences for all aspects of society; universities and education being no exception. This book details the myriad impacts of the war on British universities: telling how universities survived the war, their contribution to the war effort and the changes that the war itself brought about. In doing so, the author highlights the changing relationship between universities and government: arguing that a transformation took place during these years, that saw universities moving from a relatively closed world pre-1914 to a more active and open role within the national economy and society. The author makes extensive use of original documentary material to paint a vivid picture of the experiences of British universities during the war years, combining academic analysis with contemporary accounts and descriptions. This uniquely researched book will appeal to students and scholars of the history of higher education, social history and the First World War.
The Impacts of Neoliberal Discourse and Language in Education: Critical Perspectives on a Rhetoric of Equality, Well-Being, and Justice (Routledge Studies in Education, Neoliberalism, and Marxism)
by Mitja SardočThis edited collection combines quantitative content and critical discourse analysis to reveal a shift in the rhetoric used as part of the neoliberal agenda in education. It does so by analysing, uncovering, and commenting on language as a central tool of education. Focussing on vocabulary, metaphors, and slogans used in strategy documents, advertising, policy, and public discourse, the text illustrates how concepts such as justice, opportunity, well-being, talent, and disadvantage have been hijacked by educational institutes, governments, and universities. Showing how neoliberalism has changed discourses about education and educational policy, these chapters trace issues such as anti-intellectualism, commercialization, meritocracy, and an erasure of racial difference back to a contradictory growth in egalitarian rhetoric. Given its global scope, this volume offers a timely intervention in the studies of neoliberalism and education by developing a holistic vision of how the language of neoliberalism has changed how we think about education. It will prove to be an essential resource for scholars and researchers working at the intersections of education, policymaking, and neoliberalism.