Humanism, Antitheodicism, and the Critique of Meaning in Pragmatist Philosophy of Religion develops a distinctive approach to pragmatist philosophy of religion, and more generally to pragmatist investigations of the human search for meaning, by emphasizing what may be considered two closely interrelated main features of this tradition: humanism and antitheodicism. Humanism here emphasizes the need to focus on religion as a human practice within human concerns of meaningfulness and significance, as distinguished from any metaphysical search for cosmic meaning. Antitheodicism, in turn, stands for the refusal to accept any justification, divine or secular, for the experiences of meaninglessness that individuals undergoing horrendous suffering may have. Developing a critical form of pragmatism emphasizing these ideas, Sami Pihlström explores the relations between pragmatism and analytic philosophy in the philosophy of religion, especially regarding the question of religious meaning, as well as the significance of literature for philosophy of religion, with particular emphasis on William James's pragmatism.
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Arguing, humanistically, that we live in a "human world" inescapably colored by meaning, this book shows why the pursuit of meaningfulness is not ethically innocent but must be subjected to critique. Pragmatist critique of meaning both embraces critical humanism and rejects theodicies postulating ultimate meaning in suffering.
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IntroductionChapter 1: A Pragmatist Perspective on the Philosophy of ReligionChapter 2: Meaning, Metaphysics, and Humanism: Between Pragmatism and Analytic Philosophy of ReligionChapter 3: The Plurality of Pluralisms in William JamesChapter 4: A Poetic Pragmatism? Some Literary Voices in (and after) James’s Humanistic Philosophy of ReligionChapter 5: The Problem of Suffering, (Secular) Theodicies, and Humanistic AntitheodicismChapter 6: Natural and Transcendental Illusions in Kantian-Pragmatist Philosophical AnthropologyChapter 7: Losing (One’s) Religion? Conclusion: Our Tragic Search for Meaning
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781666926279
Publisert
2023-03-22
Utgiver
Vendor
Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Vekt
513 gr
Høyde
235 mm
Bredde
157 mm
Dybde
21 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
256

Forfatter

Om bidragsyterne

Sami Pihlström is professor of philosophy of religion at the University of Helsinki.