Philosophy of Spirituality哲学的精神.pptVIP

Philosophy of Spirituality August 10th, 2007 James A. Van Slyke Objectives of Phil course Knowledge of history of subject Problems and solutions Skills in Reasoning and Writing Focus on Attitudes, Formation Christianity and Worldviews Christian Faith always interacts with different worldviews Contextualization, Enculturation Good or Bad? Probably both; mixed Christianity and Worldviews Task of the Theologian Understand the issues (philosophical, cultural, etc.) in the proclamation of the gospel in the contemporary context Philosophy attempts to sum up implicit assumptions of a particular era Two Contexts for this class Science Contemporary perspectives in cognitive neuroscience and biology in the description of human nature Philosophy Philosophy of Mind Transition from Modernity to Postmodernity Continental and Anglo-American Postmodernity Primary Questions How does the philosophical and scientific context change our understanding of spirituality? Religious Experience Justification of Religious Beliefs Contemporary Church life Crash Course in Philosophy Major Periods Ancient (624 BCE – 270) Plato Aristotle Medieval (354 – 1350) Augustine Aquinas Modern (1450 – 1900) Descartes Kant Postmodern (Contemporary) (1940 - ?) Wittgenstein Derrida Understanding Worldviews Seven Important questions of any worldview 1. What is There? What is Everything Made of? Metaphysics “The philosophical investigation of the nature, constitution and structure of reality” (Dict. Of Phil.) Broader than science Understanding Worldviews 2. How is it Organized? 3. What Makes things Happen? Causation Relationships between causes and effects? 4. What is the Place of Humans in the Cosmos? Human Nature What is Morality? Understanding Worldviews 5. How Should we Live? What is the good for humankind? What types of behaviors lead to Human flourishing? Ethics 6. What is Ultimately Important? Theology Atheism, Primal Religions, Buddhism Understanding Worldviews 7. How do we know? Epistem