Colloquium 4 Hermeneutical Platonism in Plutarch’s Isis and Osiris

I here examine the underlying order of Plutarch’s Isis and Osiris, following compositional cues the author uses to highlight its themes, in order to draw out distinctive features of Plutarch’s philosophical agenda. After placing the text in the context of Plutarch’s general themes and his other main Platonic-hermeneutical works, I follow the indications of key framing devices to bring to the surface his structuring concerns first with the erotic character of the cosmos, in which human eros is at home, and second with the intentions of ancient lawgivers to civilize human communities, both of which he sees represented in the Isis myth. The text thus exemplifies both Plutarch’s recovery of the unity in Plato of metaphysics and political philosophy and his manner of achieving that recovery through a coordinated threefold hermeneutics of wisdom traditions and human and cosmic phenomena.

Some False Step

This first chapter argues that the philosophy of pessimism is well grounded, quite independent of any particular religious orientation. At its core, the philosophy of pessimism simply offers (on the whole) dismal predictions about what nearly all of us can expect to experience in our private lives and interpersonal relationships, about the welfare of our fellow creatures, about the character of our social institutions and global politics, and about our prospects for progress on these matters in the future. The collective evidence for this view drawn from the plight of animals, the natural dispositions of human persons, our checkered history of social and political institutions, the world’s religions and wisdom traditions, and humanity’s achievements in art, literature, music, and philosophy is clear and compelling. Moreover, the chapter argues that this pessimism is overdetermined and even more austere for the Christian who takes the doctrines of the Fall and Original Sin seriously. Yet the good news for the Christian is that this philosophy of pessimism can be tempered by reasons for optimism—reasons which furnish a hope for salvation and also a hope that before every tear is wiped away, the groans of creation and the sufferings of its creatures will have properly inspired us to cooperate with God in the process of Atonement. Finally, special attention is given to the Felix Culpa theodicy as a further source of optimism for the Christian.

Wisdom Influence

One would expect to see points of contact between the Israelite Wisdom Literature preserved in the Bible and the other components of that collection. Scholars have proposed Wisdom influence in books from most parts of the biblical corpus, including the Pentateuch, the Deuteronomistic History, the Psalms, and the Prophets. This essay proposes three criteria for evaluating such proposals and demonstrates their application to specific texts. The results range from no evidence of actual Wisdom influence to clear cases of direct influence from Israel’s Wisdom traditions on other types of biblical literature.

Retribution in the Wisdom Literature

Many scholars are reluctant to recognize the theological commonality among the wisdom literature. However, the concept retribution may connect the texts since it becomes their common question. Yet, their perspectives on retributive theology are diverse; in fact, they seem contradictory. This leads to the research question that I wish to address, i.e., how to understand the tension between these writing when they speak about the retribution. this essay will examine the concept of retribution in the OT, comprehend its meaning in the wisdom traditions, and compare it to other OT traditions.

Curriculum Wisdom and Educational Leadership

Curriculum wisdom was developed by curriculum theorists in the United States and has roots tracing back to Ancient Greek wisdom traditions as well as the European Enlightenment. Curriculum wisdom envisions educators as lead professionals for democratic ways of living. As such, it is a pedagogically grounded approach to curriculum development and leadership and is an aspirational, ethical vision for empowering contemporary educators. To support this vision, the essay introduces two interdependent scaffoldings. Curriculum workers engage in 3Ds—deliberation, discipline, and democracy—for the purposes of developing holistic 3Ss—subject, self, and social—understandings. Rounding out the essay is a discussion of a fourfold problem-solving process for democratic curriculum development and leadership.

The Imperative for Community-Driven Approaches and Radical Inclusion

This chapter argues that what well-being means must be articulated at the grassroots level, rather than imposed by experts or governments. People in communities already have the answers to what well-being means to them. It is embedded in the wisdom traditions and the lived experiences, aspirations, hopes, and values of people all over the world. Instead of assuming that leaders will bring the well-being agenda to communities, leaders should instead look at what is happening already and build on what communities are already doing. Additionally, a benefit of engaging communities, people, and organizations as true partners in the work of defining well-being is that this engagement is a starting point for fostering grassroots demand for the implementation of a shared well-being agenda. At the same time, it is critical to practice radical inclusion and ensure that people from communities that are often—and have historically been—excluded from meaningful input and decision-making are engaged and contribute to an understanding of what well-being means. In addition to indigenous communities and racial or ethnic groups, this may include those who are living in poverty, experiencing homelessness, incarcerated, and struggling with substance abuse.