Ecology as a New Foundation for Natural Theology

The erosion of metaphysics that began in Modernity has led to the discredit of the whole project of natural theology as a means to reach God, establish the classical divine attributes, and account for divine action. After the deconstruction of classical metaphysics propelled by thinkers associated with the Protestant tradition and by philosophers affiliated with the Nietzschean critique, it may appear that only an apophatic approach to God would then be possible. However, the attempt to establish a consensual foundation for the theological discourse has not lost its relevance. In this sense, the attempts to revitalize natural theology are most welcome. It would be naive, however, to think that approaches to natural theology based on classical metaphysics will easily gather consensus. This will not happen. The departing point for a renewed and credible approach to natural theology cannot be the theoretical universal reason associated with Modernity, which is no longer acknowledged as a common ground. As such, a viable approach to natural theology has to find a new consensual starting point. The goal of this article is to argue that the emergence of a new ecological urgency and sensibility, which nowadays gather a high degree of consensus, offers an opportunity for the renewal of natural theology. It is our aim: (i) to show the extent to which God grounds the intrinsic value of nature, which, as such, deserves respect, and (ii) to suggest that the reverence for nature may naturally lead contemporary human beings to God.

Philosophical expertise of πολιτικής in the post-truth era

The article discusses the transformation of the world system of the post-truth era, which is affecting the central meanings of culture. The necessity of a philosophical analysis of semantic interventions which are becoming the part of the strategy of conscious construction of reality is substantiated. Basing on the transcendentalist tradition, phenomenological sociology in particular, the author shows that the crisis of legitimacy of universal reason leads to the possibility of conscious construction of a social reality as a value-semantic universe, which is becoming one of the tools of ideological confrontation and political struggle in modern conditions. The ideological narratives used both for self-justification of cultural subjectivity and for influencing the subjectivity of competitors are linked into integral systems, which are built around the central meanings of culture, and serve, on the one hand, as the basis for the interpretation of individual events, and on the other, as a factor of the identity’s formation and the basis of the entire communities’ practical activities, to the extent of national and civilization projects. This approach allows to: 1) associate the construction of social reality with its semantic dimension; 2) see the principles, methods, goals, beneficiaries, etc. of a conscious construction of reality; 3) suggest ways of countering the conscious interference in the semantic sphere of culture. As a result, the need for a philosophical examination of the geopolitical process and national (civilizational) development strategies is argued, which makes the paradigm narratives and the semantic dimension of social reality more coherent and stable as a whole with respect to the external interference.

Competing Narratives in the Russell-Copleston Debate

In 1948, Bertrand Russell and Frederick Copleston entertained us with a radiophonic debate, on the BBC, concerning the rational proofs of God’s existence. This debate is primarily a product of Authors’ mindset. In this sense, every argument on each side presupposes a universal reason from which human intellect can grasp a certain degree of truth. Therefore, we would expect that the debate 75 years old to be outdated. Or maybe, Russell’s agnostic position could, at first sight, seem to be more aligned with a contemporary post-modern mindset than Copleston’s theism. However, we disagree with the aforementioned thesis. We will not argue that Copleston won the debate by means of reason alone. We will rather show that both positions emerge from different ontologies. And these ones are intertwined with specific narratives and its respective ways of life. For that matter, the Russell-Copleston debate substantiates the thesis of Radical Orthodoxy. Deep down, John Milbank’s “ontology of peace,” as opposed to the Nietzschean nihilism, emerges from this debate. In this sense, while Copleston’s argumentation grounds this narrative on an ontology of peace, Russell tends to follow in a nihilism capable of destroying the communion between different persons. In this sense, the debate is still up to date.

Beyond Reason

The knowledge that for more than a century has been disseminated by universities and mobilized by states to govern populations first emerged in the early modern period in Europe. It subsequently became globalized through colonialism and Western global dominance; despite the historical and cultural specificity of its origins, it was claimed to have transcended these particularities such that, unlike premodern and non-Western knowledges, it could be assumed to be “universal,” that is, true for all times and places. Beyond Reason traverses many disciplines, including science studies, social history, art and music history, political science, and anthropology, to demonstrate that the presuppositions underpinning and enabling modern Western knowledge are under sustained challenge, and that defenses of a singular and universal Reason are no longer persuasive. Drawing upon and deriving its critical energies principally from postcolonial theory, Beyond Reason argues that modern knowledge and the social sciences are a product of Western modernity claiming a spurious universality and that they embody a form of reasoning, rather than Reason itself. It proceeds to focus on history and political science for the further elaboration of its argument. If the social sciences are not explained and validated simply by the fact that they are “true,” it becomes possible to ask what they “do.” Beyond Reason asks what representations and relations with the past and with politics the disciplines of history and political science enable, and what possibilities they foreclose.

Emerson’s Operative Mood

This chapter reexamines Ralph Waldo Emerson’s early thinking about the relation of the individual to universal Reason, revealing that Emerson’s writing is philosophically consistent in its insistence that the human self is “operative” in form and function. Shifting our conceptual perspective from a traditional Matthiessenian notion of an “optative mood” to something of a Badiouian “operative mood” opens up new ways to consider how, across the early works, the Emersonian self is shaped by interactions with an impersonal Other as well as the ways these interactions influence the self’s relation to historical landscapes. Intervening in scholarship on Emersonian personhood by scholars such as Sharon Cameron, Branka Arsić, and Donald Pease, this chapter offers an original version of Emerson’s political vision, one that finds in his theory of “religious sentiment” a model for the self that may reframe all of Emerson’s corpus.

A Methodological Investigation on Christian Natural Theology

SummaryThe purpose of this article is to present a desirable understanding of Christian natural theology in terms of methodology. In the Enlightenment era, natural theology was understood as that which provides support for religious beliefs by starting from a premise that does not include any religious beliefs. The natural theology of this age was performed under the premise that humanity could prove God’s existence by universal reason without the revelation of God, and that everyone could reasonably agree with the proof. Today, however, the concept of universal reason, which all humans have in common, is being questioned. Today it has become clear that the human reason is conditioned by some sort of perspective formed within a particular culture, tradition, and community and therefore operates in a very diverse way. This article aims at proposing a natural theology which is required today methodologically in terms of postfoundational Christian natural theology. This investigation proceeds in the following order: the creation theology of the Old Testament (II; the natural theology in Christian history (III); the definition of Christian natural theology (IV); today’s Christian natural theology as a creation theology (theology of nature) and as a scientific theology (V); Jürgen Moltmann’s Christian natural theology in terms of methodology (VI); the postfoundational Christian natural theology as a model of postmodern Christian natural theology (VII); conclusion (VIII).

Reception of Kantianism in Neo-Scholastic Theory of Knowledge:Jaume Balmes’ Doctrine

The Article is devoted to the Representative of the Early Neo-Scholasticism, Span­ish Thinker Jaume Balmes. The Focus of Attention is the Interpretation of the Kan­tian Doctrine of Knowledge, which Balmes proposed in the Fourth Book of his “Filosofia Fundamental”(1846). It is shown that contrary to the generally negative attitude towards Kant and the Philosophy of Criticism that prevailed by the 1830s in Catholic Intellectual Culture, Balmes not only seriously studies and evaluates the Results of Kantian Criticism, but also he finds many points of contact between Criticism and Scholasticism, for which he undertakes a large-scale rewriting of the Kantian Theory of Knowledge in Terms of Scholasticism. At the same time, he of­fers Criticism of Kantian philosophy based on the Resources of the Scholastic Tra­dition, which allows integrating the Transcendental Analysis of Cognition devel­oped by Kant into the Methods of Scholastic Philosophy. Balmes sought to restore the Possibility of Metaphysical Knowledge, as a Result of which he excluded a number of Important Points of the Kantian Concept, he changed idea of a priori, setting the Boundaries of Sensuality and Reason, to a moving and dynamic “Agent Intellect” (entendimento agente), and Balmes replaced a transcendental subject by a “Universal Reason” (razón universal). In Conclusion, it is shown that Balmes’ Interpretation had a profound Influence on the Development of Understanding of Kantian Philosophy in Neo-Scholasticism and Neo-Thomism.

The Data Warehouse Design Problem through a Schema Transformation Method

An 'operational-data-base' is a common archive of information. The OLTP's are utilized for everyday exchange handling and don't satisfy the out of the requesting assignments of data preparing and information examination. Another structure technique is required to outline OLTP DB's information into MD information display. The MD information display is an objective data reproduction originates from the undertakings, they have measure of information, and however they can't get to it. They utilize a similar pursuit designs everyday and information more often than not will be not set up for a simple questions. The MD show speaks to a measure that relies upon an arrangement of measurements, which gives the setting to the measure it is a choice to exhibit that as hyper 3D square, that are the realistic way and calculated model or by the patterns in a consistent model. Beforehand DWH plan and improvement connected specially appointed approaches. Extending number-of associations are actualizing information distribution centers to fortify their choice emotionally supportive networks. This accompanies the difficulties of the populace and the occasional refresh of information stockrooms. In-this’ postulation, a device is presented that-furnishes clients through-highlights toward-make a-stockroom list-and-change structures of the source ‘data-base-into-structures’ for-the distribution center data-base. This-is profoundly intelligent, simple to-utilize as-well-as shrouds the basic multifaceted ‘nature-of-physical-SQL-code’ age as-of-its clients. Attributes from source tables can be mapped into new traits in the stockroom data-base tables utilizing total capacities. At that point, applicable information is consequently elated as-of-the’ cause-record in-to-the’ recently made distribution center. The instrument along these lines incorporates stockroom creation, composition mapping and information populace in-to-a solitary universal-reason-means. The instrument has-been’ planned as-a part of-the-structure in-support-of a mechanized information distribution center. Clients of this structure are the data-base chairmen, who will likewise have the capacity to synchronize updates of different replicas-of-the-information’-distribution center. Distribution center pictures that should be refreshed be full disconnected as-well-as ‘claims-to-want-to’ get into-the-information-store’ would currently be able to get to any-of-the-additional picture stockrooms. The controlling-submission incorporated with it as-well-as system toggles amid data-bases into-the-mode-that-is absolutely straightforward in-to use thus-they don't understand presence of numerous replicas-of-the-information’-stockroom. Essentially, even non-specialized clients can make, populate and refresh information distribution centers with insignificant time and exertion. Finally a DSS will rebuild for making and analyses for concrete queries.

The Project of Russian Cosmism

Chapter 13 describes the original project of Russian Cosmism, as exemplified especially by Nikolai Fedorov, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, and Vladimir Vernadsky, in the context of the relation between science and theology. Although they had a somewhat critical attitude toward the official doctrine of the Orthodox Church, the representatives of scientific cosmism professed a faith based on universal Reason, Order, and Harmony. The cosmists drew scientists’ attention to moral responsibility, the aims of scientific progress, and problems of ecology. For this reason, this concept is of particular importance nowadays. The chapter also discusses the limitation of Russian Cosmism, especially its speculative and esoteric character.

The Prophet Today: The Novel in Distress

The conclusion historicizes these translations in the story of the Arabic novel before the 1950s, after which the novel becomes canonised. Colonial translation promised facts and truths based on the European master-text, and some Arab reformists confirmed the superiority of philosophy to religion, and hence science to Islam, but the translations complicate such neat cultural translation. The novel is born somewhere in between the original and translation, obfuscating intentionally the original source of which becomes secondary to the process of its adaptation and transmission. The reformist aspirations of the authors remain unrealised much like a perfect emulation of the prophet. Finally, it interrogates the dominant critical approach to these modernist intellectuals as secularising liberals who intentionally separated religion from literature by adopting the reductive Western humanisation of the prophet. The translations reveal how they trespass the separation between literary and religious interpretation bringing the stakes of narrative representation to bear on European ideals of subjectivity and universal reason. In this transgressive space, precisely the incubator of “modern” Egyptian literature, translation becomes neither domesticating nor foreignising but a space where various representational claims are simultaneously adapted and contested.