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"It was a wonderful experience interacting with you and appreciate the way you have planned and executed the whole publication process within the agreed timelines.”
Subrat SaurabhAuthor of Kuch Woh Pal
A Creed of Life is a dynamic process of belief. It is not fixed, but forever changing. The reviews written here were written within that evolutionary process. They must be read with that understanding in mind. In other words, they might have been written differently were they to be written today.
A Creed of Life is a dynamic process of belief. It is not fixed, but forever changing. The reviews written here were written within that evolutionary process. They must be read with that understanding in mind. In other words, they might have been written differently were they to be written today.
This book is an account by the of the author of his shift from scholastic scholastic philosophy to phenomenological philosophy.
This book is an account by the of the author of his shift from scholastic scholastic philosophy to phenomenological philosophy.
These essays concern the Church and State from a contemporary Western perspective. They are not historical in structure but philosophical in purpose. The first concerns the basis of Christian faith. The second concerns contemporary laïcité and the third is a personal reflection on life.
These essays concern the Church and State from a contemporary Western perspective. They are not historical in structure but philosophical in purpose. The first concerns the basis of Christian faith. The second concerns contemporary laïcité and the third is a personal reflection on life.
The justification for this bibliographical collection is that it forms the core for my Doctor of Literature Degree. The reader can form his or her own opinion if the assessment by the examining authority has been accurately formulated. With the exception of the first and last two listings, this compendium is a collection of my books published since 2000. Listed in chronological order it outlines the paths that my thinking has followed since then. My intention
The justification for this bibliographical collection is that it forms the core for my Doctor of Literature Degree. The reader can form his or her own opinion if the assessment by the examining authority has been accurately formulated. With the exception of the first and last two listings, this compendium is a collection of my books published since 2000. Listed in chronological order it outlines the paths that my thinking has followed since then. My intention in publishing it is that others might find a starting point somewhere in this list of philosophical investigations that could provide a starting point for their own investigations. None of the books are the last word or exhaustive of the subjects they cover. However, they represent a plateau of personal satisfaction that I had reached at the time of writing them. Wherever possible, I have made a digital copy freely available to the public via the Internet Archive or academia.edu.
I take as a “jumping off place” for this reflection the Conclusion that Werner Brock (DPhil) lecturer at the University of Freiburg made to his lectures published as An Introduction to Contemporary German Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 1935). Following the observation of J. H. Muirhead in the Foreword, that “readers will draw their own conclusions from his presentation of his subject in this book,” I am sufficiently conv
I take as a “jumping off place” for this reflection the Conclusion that Werner Brock (DPhil) lecturer at the University of Freiburg made to his lectures published as An Introduction to Contemporary German Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 1935). Following the observation of J. H. Muirhead in the Foreword, that “readers will draw their own conclusions from his presentation of his subject in this book,” I am sufficiently convinced of the merit of Brock’s lectures that I use his book as a foundation for the philosophical thinking I develop in this brief book.
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The essays collected into this volume represent an attempt by the author to philosophize creatively on four topics: Philosophy, Posthumanity, Ecology, and Adlerian Psychology in light of a posthuman understanding. Each has been written from a “dehellenized” point of view which makes them somewhat unconventional in their construction and presentation.
The essays collected into this volume represent an attempt by the author to philosophize creatively on four topics: Philosophy, Posthumanity, Ecology, and Adlerian Psychology in light of a posthuman understanding. Each has been written from a “dehellenized” point of view which makes them somewhat unconventional in their construction and presentation.
The essays collected into this volume represent an attempt by the author to philosophize creatively on three different topics; Video Gaming, God, and Philosophical Thought in light of a posthuman understanding. Each has been written from a “dehellenized” point of view which makes them somewhat unconventional in their construction and presentation.
The essays collected into this volume represent an attempt by the author to philosophize creatively on three different topics; Video Gaming, God, and Philosophical Thought in light of a posthuman understanding. Each has been written from a “dehellenized” point of view which makes them somewhat unconventional in their construction and presentation.
The notions I present here for consideration are, in fact, not new. In short, they are phenomenological notions. As ideas, expressed within the Western-Hellenic tradition, they have been discussed for a very long time in philosophy. They may appear “new to you” as a thinker exploring for the first time, or continuing to explore, the philosophical relationships that give meaning to life in the cosmos. Whatever “newness” there is in this
The notions I present here for consideration are, in fact, not new. In short, they are phenomenological notions. As ideas, expressed within the Western-Hellenic tradition, they have been discussed for a very long time in philosophy. They may appear “new to you” as a thinker exploring for the first time, or continuing to explore, the philosophical relationships that give meaning to life in the cosmos. Whatever “newness” there is in this brief book arises in the reader’s subjective awareness or consciousness of what the individual human mind has come to assign in place of its previous understanding. The reader may find much that is familiar in this small book but at the same time will be presented with a re-casting of ideas that constitutes a new conception of earlier ideas as notions and offers the possibility of a new philosophical perspective.
The essays in this book have been collected and adapted from my previously published books. They have been slightly revised from the point of view of grammar, but nothing substantial in their content has been changed. The one exception is my review of Beyond the Sea: Navigating Bioshock (2018, McGill-Queen’s University Press, edited by Felan Parker and Jessica Aldred). Listed chronologically the books are: The Ecology: A “New to You&rd
The essays in this book have been collected and adapted from my previously published books. They have been slightly revised from the point of view of grammar, but nothing substantial in their content has been changed. The one exception is my review of Beyond the Sea: Navigating Bioshock (2018, McGill-Queen’s University Press, edited by Felan Parker and Jessica Aldred). Listed chronologically the books are: The Ecology: A “New to You” View: An Orthodox Theological Ecology (2009); Phenomenological Philosophy and Reconstruction in Western Theism (2010); The Catholic Faith and the Social Construction of Religion: With Particular Attention to the Quebec Experience (2011); The “Avant-Garde” Theology of George Tyrrell: Its Philosophical Roots Changed My Theological Thinking, (2012); Faith and Queer Consciousness: Philosophical Thinking in a New Key (2018); On Posthuman Theism: “God Consciousness” and Leslie Dewart [1922-2009] (2019); Posthuman Theological Reflections (2019) and Beyond the Breakwater: Venturing into Posthuman Philosophical Waters (2020).
In the course of my presentation of Dewart’s philosophy in this book, I shall note particular insights of two other thinkers, whose religious philosophy I accept as dehellenized in Dewart’s meaning of the term. Auguste Sabatier (1839-1901) and Paul Trudinger, (1930-) never employ the term as far as I can determine. Both Sabatier and Trudinger base their philosophical interpretation on experience. Both suggest that one must decide against what one h
In the course of my presentation of Dewart’s philosophy in this book, I shall note particular insights of two other thinkers, whose religious philosophy I accept as dehellenized in Dewart’s meaning of the term. Auguste Sabatier (1839-1901) and Paul Trudinger, (1930-) never employ the term as far as I can determine. Both Sabatier and Trudinger base their philosophical interpretation on experience. Both suggest that one must decide against what one had been taught by religious authorities of their day. Trudinger gives examples from his belief in the Christian Creed and Sabatier gives examples from the philosophy and theology of the Church in his time. For Trudinger, the decision against one’s earlier instruction is a “shift in faith,” not a “loss of faith.” For Sabatier, “autonomy, in action, transforms authority by gradually displacing its seat. So much the more does authority contribute to the development of autonomy. From their interaction results the progress of humanity.” To my mind, both philosophical attitudes, Trudinger’s “shift in faith” and Sabatier’s “active autonomy,” are what Dewart describes as dehellenization of the philosophical attitude, in a positive sense.
In this essay I contemplate the possibility of posthuman philosophy within the religious and theological schools of thought. In doing this, I do not focus on the traditional philosophical humanism which characterizes the scholastic and neo-scholastic approach within Western philosophy. Rather, I focus on a “dehellenized” philosophical way of thinking that, I hold, characterizes the thresholds of a philosophical consciousness. That is to say, the He
In this essay I contemplate the possibility of posthuman philosophy within the religious and theological schools of thought. In doing this, I do not focus on the traditional philosophical humanism which characterizes the scholastic and neo-scholastic approach within Western philosophy. Rather, I focus on a “dehellenized” philosophical way of thinking that, I hold, characterizes the thresholds of a philosophical consciousness. That is to say, the Hellenistic philosophical principles that support Western humanism, are not used to support my understanding of a philosophy appropriate to posthumanity. As an existential philosopher, with a view to evolving as a posthuman philosopher, I evaluate aspects of the philosophical consciousness of William Gladstone (1809-1898) politician and George Tyrrell (theologian) in terms of both humanism and posthumanism from a phenomenological philosophical perspective. I realize that the phenomenological notion of humanity (in contrast to the classical idea of humanism) may not be adequately grasped by all philosophers. It seems to me that although many professionals appear to be somewhat conversant with general philosophical and theological notions that are pertinent to humanity, they nonetheless are struggling to clarify their understanding of an emerging posthuman philosophy.
The philosophical perspective held by the theologian affects the theological interpretation given to experience. The philosophical understanding that supports Western contemporary interpretation and social construction of experience is no longer sustainable given the outdated perspective scholasticism that is dominant in the West. I suggest that an alternative view, a phenomenological method of interpretation, is not only more sustainable for Orthodox theologi
The philosophical perspective held by the theologian affects the theological interpretation given to experience. The philosophical understanding that supports Western contemporary interpretation and social construction of experience is no longer sustainable given the outdated perspective scholasticism that is dominant in the West. I suggest that an alternative view, a phenomenological method of interpretation, is not only more sustainable for Orthodox theological interpretation but that is reflects more accurately the Patristic perspective upon which Orthodox theology depends. To demonstrate this, I investigate two contemporary Orthodox theological issues, Ecology and Canon Law, from a phenomenological perspective. Within these topics I investigate language as participatory, not descriptive; epistemology as being, not knowing; and interpretation as continual, not fixed.
This book is a contribution to the existing body of philosophical and theological thought. It is a personal account, not an historical account or chronological one. The approach taken reflects the metamorphosis from a classical to a contemporary view of theology. The book is an excellent tool, one which faithfully reflects the word of God. It stresses that through personal engagement with the spirit of God one may begin to understand religious experience, ther
This book is a contribution to the existing body of philosophical and theological thought. It is a personal account, not an historical account or chronological one. The approach taken reflects the metamorphosis from a classical to a contemporary view of theology. The book is an excellent tool, one which faithfully reflects the word of God. It stresses that through personal engagement with the spirit of God one may begin to understand religious experience, thereby enabling one’s personal faith conviction. The primary purpose of theological study is spiritual growth, while intellectual understanding is of secondary importance. The deepening of theological understanding, it appears, has been achieved not by ecclesiastical officials, but by faithful individuals sometimes even in opposition to official interpretation. Furthermore, individuals need to accept their co-creative relationships with that which is divine. A viable future Church must relinquish its hold on sovereignty and centralization and institute a decision-making procedure through the principle of subsidiarity. An incursion into the Modernist movement clarifies new interpretations within theological thinking illuminating the potential development in the future Church. This book passes as not only an informative guide to reflection on the interpretation of truth, but serves as a must read for any serious student of theology, which compels the reader to examine his or her own life in the search for truth.
From a Western perspective this thesis concludes that faith from an Adlerian perspective may be understood as a pastoral and theological attitude arising out of an innate disposition described by Alfred Adler as social interest; Gemeinschaftsgefühl. Faith, traditionally considered as capable of “moving mountains” may now be understood as a creative power exercised by healthy individuals living in community. Similarly, hope finds its r
From a Western perspective this thesis concludes that faith from an Adlerian perspective may be understood as a pastoral and theological attitude arising out of an innate disposition described by Alfred Adler as social interest; Gemeinschaftsgefühl. Faith, traditionally considered as capable of “moving mountains” may now be understood as a creative power exercised by healthy individuals living in community. Similarly, hope finds its realization, not in a future idealized world, but in one’s present existence of a higher social interest cultivated on the part of the individual. Following Adler’s insights, charity being out-ward directed strengthens co-operation and reduces competition among individuals living in community.
This book is intended for the serious reader of Western philosophy. It is not an introductory text to philosophical interpretation, but a reflection by a philosopher who accepts that he is living at a threshold of a posthuman philosophical movement in the Anglo-American context. The book is written from a phenomenological philosophical perspective, rather than an analytical perspective rooted in Hellenistic metaphysical philosophy. It is written to illustrate
This book is intended for the serious reader of Western philosophy. It is not an introductory text to philosophical interpretation, but a reflection by a philosopher who accepts that he is living at a threshold of a posthuman philosophical movement in the Anglo-American context. The book is written from a phenomenological philosophical perspective, rather than an analytical perspective rooted in Hellenistic metaphysical philosophy. It is written to illustrate an alternative approach to understanding a contemporary social issue – the treatment of the human environment – from a philosophical perspective rather than from that of the modern sciences. It is divided into two parts that initially may seem unrelated. The first part is an introduction to the background that has given the rationale for writing the second part. Together, from reading both parts, one may recognize that the treatment of the environment must include the spiritual as well as the physical aspect that constitute the human environment. Such is a premise of this book.
In this book I discuss the philosophical construction of Christian theology from a subjective point of view. I follow an existential approach and rely on my experience to give direction to my thought. Drawing on insights from Dr. Leslie Dewart, I recast the ideas and notions inherited from the Hellenist philosophical tradition and present two "case studies" that illustrate the role of a dehellenized philodophy in the construction of contemporary Christian theo
In this book I discuss the philosophical construction of Christian theology from a subjective point of view. I follow an existential approach and rely on my experience to give direction to my thought. Drawing on insights from Dr. Leslie Dewart, I recast the ideas and notions inherited from the Hellenist philosophical tradition and present two "case studies" that illustrate the role of a dehellenized philodophy in the construction of contemporary Christian theology. These two case studies, the first "dehellenization" and the the second "Orthodox Canon Law" are deliberately poles apart to show that phenomenological theological construction, which transcends the conditions of time and culture, can assist in solving these contemporary theological problems.
This is a book on what I understand to be exploratory of posthuman philosophy. It is not a book on posthumanism, but rather interprets the pre-existing philosophical developments that lead up to the phenomenon of posthumanity. Posthuman philosophy is a contemporary intellectual philosophy that does not rely on the principles of ancient Greek metaphysics for its foundational principles of knowledge. Classical Western philosophy, i.e. scholasticism, heavily infl
This is a book on what I understand to be exploratory of posthuman philosophy. It is not a book on posthumanism, but rather interprets the pre-existing philosophical developments that lead up to the phenomenon of posthumanity. Posthuman philosophy is a contemporary intellectual philosophy that does not rely on the principles of ancient Greek metaphysics for its foundational principles of knowledge. Classical Western philosophy, i.e. scholasticism, heavily influenced by Hellenistic thought placed emphasis on reason as the distinguishing quality of mind that separated the human being from the animal being. Without denying reason, phenomenology (a posthuman philosophy) specifies the human being as a self-conscious human agent who directs the evolution of its lived-in environment. By this self-conscious direction of their environment human agents have “surpassed” the humanism of the Renaissance as well as the humanism of the secular Western culture and now stands on the threshold of a new stage of the evolutionary process of human thought, hence the term “posthuman.”
This book is not a devotional or pious work, nor is it a professional academic work. It is intended as an address to the educated and philosophically interested reader as well as the seasoned and possibly disaffected religious thinker. In short, it is an attempt to satisfy the human intellect in contemplating philosophical and theological notions where traditional understanding seems to have failed.
This book is not a devotional or pious work, nor is it a professional academic work. It is intended as an address to the educated and philosophically interested reader as well as the seasoned and possibly disaffected religious thinker. In short, it is an attempt to satisfy the human intellect in contemplating philosophical and theological notions where traditional understanding seems to have failed.
This book is not an introductory text. It presumes some philosophical background and interest in reasoned thought. I have written it as I approach my “retirement years” and thus it does not contain reference to the latest scholars who may be writing on this topic. I have reverted, for ease of memory, to names with which I was made familiar in my formative philosophical years. My contention for many years has been that theological problems are first
This book is not an introductory text. It presumes some philosophical background and interest in reasoned thought. I have written it as I approach my “retirement years” and thus it does not contain reference to the latest scholars who may be writing on this topic. I have reverted, for ease of memory, to names with which I was made familiar in my formative philosophical years. My contention for many years has been that theological problems are first and primarily philosophical problems and need to be solved as such. To my mind, Dr. Leslie Dewart’s understanding of “dehellenization,” not to be confused with “unhellenization,” provides a philosophical opportunity for fresh reflection on our inherited classical understanding which presents problems for theologians. I have attempted such fresh reflection in these pages. I leave it to the reader to decide whether or not my reflections have clarified the issues or clouded them.
A characteristic of our time is the absence of a predominant world vision guiding the peoples of the earth. Even our West is without a life-scheme to which the total community at least partially subscribes. All current philosophic blueprints for man and his habitat are minority opinions. As a result, there is an openness of mind in our contemporaries to hear the theories of all the groups which make up our human family. It is not surprising, then, that so many
A characteristic of our time is the absence of a predominant world vision guiding the peoples of the earth. Even our West is without a life-scheme to which the total community at least partially subscribes. All current philosophic blueprints for man and his habitat are minority opinions. As a result, there is an openness of mind in our contemporaries to hear the theories of all the groups which make up our human family. It is not surprising, then, that so many thoughtful men are energetically curious to find out just how the Catholic Church considers life and society. … We are in a time of crisis. A new period of history is aborning. Such a movement carries with it a high responsibility for the men who live in it. Much which we know or knew will go, and new things will come. The new structure of things, in order to be highly satisfactory, should retain the solid values we have gained. [Gustave Weigel (1956:9/10) in Freemantle, Anne The Papal Encyclicals in their Historical Context Mentor Books, New American Library.] This quote lays the foundation for On Posthuman Theism which critically examines the relationship between conscious human agency and the role of technology, environmental and cultural factors making up the 21st Century’s understanding of reality and cosmology.
This is a book on Western philosophy. And in the Western tradition philosophy can serve theology as theologians know. My thinking is philosophical and at the same time is related to theology. While the two are distinct within a Western religious context they are not unrelated as some contemporary philosophers might suggest. Therefore, I contend that philosophy, as an intellectual tool, when used within theological interpretation could help anyone seeking knowl
This is a book on Western philosophy. And in the Western tradition philosophy can serve theology as theologians know. My thinking is philosophical and at the same time is related to theology. While the two are distinct within a Western religious context they are not unrelated as some contemporary philosophers might suggest. Therefore, I contend that philosophy, as an intellectual tool, when used within theological interpretation could help anyone seeking knowledge of queer issues in a religious context. Thus, individuals must look at themselves and perceive more than what lies on the surface of their experience. They must take into account their evolutionary history, overcome the negative consequences of past failures in life, and subsequently reorient themselves to the future. In this effort, they would be philosophizing in a new key. Philosophizing in a new key means that the sexual peculiarities of human nature are to be recognized and respected in light of LGBTQ issues. This recognition of sexual peculiarities and subsequent respect for human nature have significant consequences for the gay person.
There must be be renewed efforts to increase respect by all political, religious, and social institutions for the modern view that political society’s primary interests are in fostering peace, justice, freedom and equality, not in advancing religion. This is the basic meaning of the separation of church and state. The obvious tension here, of course, is that historically, religion has been the basis for every dimension of life, including the political. I
There must be be renewed efforts to increase respect by all political, religious, and social institutions for the modern view that political society’s primary interests are in fostering peace, justice, freedom and equality, not in advancing religion. This is the basic meaning of the separation of church and state. The obvious tension here, of course, is that historically, religion has been the basis for every dimension of life, including the political. In the final analysis, we, as members of the human community, owe it to ourselves and to our progeny to make religious liberty a reality of everyone. There is no more important project as we enter the twenty–first century. (Derek Davis, "Thoughts on Religious Persecutiuon Around the Globe" in Journal of Church and State (1998) Volume 40, 2.
In this work, Allan Savage allows us into his scholarly and inquisitive mind as he retraces his philosophical and theological background, sharing with us, essentially, his conclusions with respect to his personal, spiritual journey. Having found himself in a world being propelled forward by social, cultural and religious change and being unsatisfied with the answers provided by his classical formation, he came to find a home in existential, phenomenological
In this work, Allan Savage allows us into his scholarly and inquisitive mind as he retraces his philosophical and theological background, sharing with us, essentially, his conclusions with respect to his personal, spiritual journey. Having found himself in a world being propelled forward by social, cultural and religious change and being unsatisfied with the answers provided by his classical formation, he came to find a home in existential, phenomenological philosophy. Within the Western school of scholastic philosophical thought, he viewed the answers to his questions regarding his personal, contemporary experience as rooted in a static past, one with authoritarian answers assumed to be relevant for all time.
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