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Editors’ Introduction, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

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Dr. Cezanne And The Art Of Re(Peat)Search: Competing Interests And Obligations In Clinical Research, Robyn L. Bluhm, Jocelyn Downie, Jeff Nisker

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Clinician researchers have a number of roles, each of which carries specific obligations. There are times when these obligations may be in competition (up to and including conflict) with each other. Using a narrative case study that describes a group of colleagues discussing their clinical department's participation in an industry-sponsored research protocol, we illustrate a number of the obligations faced by clinician researchers, and discuss how competing interests and obligations can lead to ethical problems. The case study is followed by a discussion of the effect of university-industry relations on competing interests and obligations in both clinical research and the …

The Sixth Tseten Zhabdrung, Jigme Rigpai Lodro, Nicole Willock

Philosophy Faculty Publications

(First Paragraph)

Jigme Rigpai Lodro ('jigs med rigs pa'i blo gros), the Sixth Tseten Zhabdrung (tshe tan zhabs drung), was born on May 31, 1910, the twenty-second day of the fourth month of the iron dog year in the fifteenth rab byung cycle. He was the second youngest of eight children born to his father Yang Cai, whose Tibetan name was Lobzang Tashi (blo bzang bkra shis), and his mother, Lhamotar (lha mo thar). His birthplace, Yadzi (ya rdzi), is more commonly known today by its Chinese name, Jishi Town (Jishi zhen 积石镇) in today's Xunhua Salar Autonomous County of …

Other-Centred Love: Diotima’S Lesson To Socrates, Colin A. Redmond

Theses

In this thesis I set out to determine the possible motivations in response to which Diotima agreed to teach Socrates the arts of love. In the process I develop a broader understanding of Diotima and her natural, feminine complexity. This understanding of Diotima suggests an interpretation of her teaching to show that, for all that can be said of love it is, importantly a re-orientation from self-centred interest to other-centred interest and it is this re-orientation which impacted on Socrates and by which he was persuaded.

Such an impact and its explanation offers a clear rationale for the changes which …

[Introduction To] Warcraft And The Fragility Of Virtue: An Essay In Aristotelian Ethics, G. Scott Davis

Bookshelf

The origins of the book make a chronicle of the unexpected. In the spring of 1985, if memory serves, I was invited by Jeffrey Stout to teach a course at Princeton focusing on war and traditions of moral reasoning. Although I had not previously explored the just war tradition, it dovetailed nicely with my interest in Aristotle and his place in contemporary moral theory.

The Art Of Aidagara: Ethics, Aesthetics, And The Quest For An Ontology Of Social Existence In Watsuji Tetsurō’S Rinrigaku, James Mark Shields

Faculty Journal Articles

This paper provides an analysis of the key term aidagara (“betweenness”) in the philosophical ethics of Watsuji Tetsurō (1889-1960), in response to and in light of the recent movement in Japanese Buddhist studies known as “Critical Buddhism.” The Critical Buddhist call for a turn away from “topical” or intuitionist thinking and towards (properly Buddhist) “critical” thinking, while problematic in its bipolarity, raises the important issue of the place of “reason” versus “intuition” in Japanese Buddhist ethics. In this paper, a comparison of Watsuji’s “ontological quest” with that of Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), Watsuji’s primary Western source and foil, is followed by …

Continental Philosophy Of Religion: Prescriptions For A Healthy Subdiscipline, James K.A. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Over the past decade there has been a burgeoning of work in philosophy of religion that has drawn upon and been oriented by “continental” sources in philosophy—associated with figures such as Martin Heidegger, Jacques Derrida, Emmanuel Levinas, Jean-Luc Marion, Gilles Deleuze, and others. This is a significant development and one that should be welcomed by the community of Christian philosophers. However, in this dialogue piece I take stock of the field of “continental philosophy of religion” and suggest that the field is developing some un-healthy patterns and habits. The burden of the paper is to suggest a prescription for the …

The End Of Enclaves: A Reply To Benson, James K.A. Smith

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

In reply to Benson’s response, I agree that we should be seeking the dissolution of all enclaves in philosophy of religion—whether continental or analytic. But I continue to suggest that continental philosophy of religion bears special burdens in this respect.

Overcoming Onto-Theology: Toward A Postmodern Christian Faith, Merold Westphal

Philosophy & Theory

Overcoming Onto-theology is a stunning collection of essays by Merold Westphal, one of America’s leading continental philosophers of religion, in which Westphal carefully explores the nature and the structure of a postmodern Christian philosophy. Written with characteristic clarity and charm, Westphal offers masterful studies of Heidegger’s early lectures on Paul and Augustine, the idea of hermeneutics, Schleiermacher, Hegel, Derrida, and Nietzsche, all in the service of building his argument that postmodern thinking offers an indispensable tool for rethinking Christian faith. A must read for every student and professor of continental philosophy and the philosophy of religion, Overcoming Onto-theology is an …

Hesitation: An Analysis Of Candide, Jared T. Mink

Masters Theses

Candide calls into question its merit as literature or philosophy because it draws its reader into eisegesis. The act of interpreting Candide is never a cool judgment. The enigmatic ending forces the reader to see that acts of judgment are appetitive: Desires shape judgment; judgment plies desire. Candide's behavior reveals eighteenth century interest in "the body," which was the scientist's chief tool in entering "the void" to explore the integrity of new knowledge. We see this body interest in Locke's Essay and, through a concept of "hesitation," we can see that Voltaire absorbed Lock's view of the interconnection between judgment …

Animals And The Problem Of Evil In Recent Theodicies, Mark Maller

Philosophy Scholarship

This paper critically evaluates the theodicies of John Hick, Richard Swinburne and process theism regarding animal suffering and evils. The positions of Hick and Swinburne are based on false empirical assumptions, e.g., animals do not suffer. Process theism’s claim that God is not omnipotent is an unsatisfactory answer inconsistent with the traditional concept of God. These positions cannot fully explain the mass suffering and unnecessary deaths of animals throughout time. My positive position is that God’s putative love for all sentient beings does not necessarily entail that he loves every individual human and animal. Humans do not interfere with the …

Sacrifice In A Post-Moral Society, Eric Bain-Selbo

Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Plurality Of Religions And The Spirit Of Pluralism: A Participatory Vision Of The Future Of Religion, Jorge N. Ferrer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This paper first uncovers the subtle spiritual narcissism that has characterized historical approaches

to religious diversity and discusses the shortcomings of the main forms of religious pluralism that

have been proposed as its antidote: ecumenical, soteriological, postmodern, and metaphysical. It

then argues that a participatory pluralism paves the way for an appreciation of religious diversity that

eschews the dogmatism and competitiveness involved in privileging any particular tradition over the

rest without falling into cultural-linguistic or naturalistic reductionisms. Discussion includes the

question of the validity of spiritual truths and the development of a participatory critical theory of

religion. The essay concludes …

Alterations In Default Network Connectivity In Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Related To Early Life Trauma, Robyn L. Bluhm, Peter C. Williamson, Elizabeth A. Osuch, Paul A. Frewen, Todd K. Stevens, Kristine Boksman, Richard W.J. Neufeld, Jean Théberge, Ruth A. Lanius

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Background: The "default network" consists of a number of brain regions that exhibit correlated low-frequency activity at rest and that have been suggested to be involved in the processing of self-relevant stimuli. Activity in many of these areas has also been shown to be altered in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We hypothesized that the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus, part of the default network, would exhibit altered connectivity at rest with other areas of the default network and regions associated with PTSD.

Methods: Seventeen medicated and unmedicated female patients with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to early-life trauma …

A Critical Evaluation Of John Hick's Religious Pluralism In Light Of His Eschatological Model, Haejong Je

Dissertations

Introduction to the Problem

The philosophy of John Hick, who is famous for his religious pluralism, has received vigorous study in terms of its epistemology, authority, the concept of God, and Christology. However, less attention has been given to his pareschatology. As explained below, initial investigation shows that there is a need for in-depth study of Hick’s religious philosophy in this area.

The Problem

Based upon preliminary research, Hick’s religious pluralism seems to reveal a critical problem with external correspondency, as follows. His pareschatology, which is an attempt to accept all eschatologies of major world religions as valid, may as …

Beyond Stewardship: Toward An Agapeic Environmental Ethic, Christopher J. Vena

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation is a work in theological anthropology and environmental philosophy. It seeks to provide a conceptual framework for a Christian environmental ethic rooted in love.

The heart of the crisis of ecological degradation is found in human attitudes and behaviors. In the late 1960's it was suggested that Christianity was a key source of the problem because it promoted the idea of human "dominion" over creation. This spurred a variety of responses designed to show that Christian faith was compatible with environmental care. A key theme emerging from this debate was the image of humans as Stewards of God's …

Recent Publications

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

No abstract provided.

Moral Communities In A Pluralistic Nation, Eric Bain-Selbo

Philosophy & Religion Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Politics, Culture Wars,And The Good Book: Recent Controversies Over The Bible And Public Education, Mark A. Chancey

Occasional Papers

No abstract provided.

Las Cuestiones Sicilianas De Ibn Sab‘Īn: El Texto, Sus Fuentes Y Su Contexto Histórico, Anna Ayşe Akasoy

Publications and Research

The Sicilian Questions are the earliest pre-served text of the philosopher and Sufi Ibn Sab‘īn of Murcia (c. 614/1217-668/1270). Even though the prologue of the text claims that it is a response to questions sent by Frederick II to the Arab world, it seems more likely that it was an introductory manual for Arab students of philosophy, dealing with four specific and controversial problems as away of presenting general concepts of Aristotelian philosophy. This article analyses the structure and way of argumentation in the Sicilian Questions. Particular attention is being paid to the relationship between mysticism and philosophy and …

Concrete Containment In Late Capitalism, Mysticism, The Marquis De Sade, And Phenomenological Anthropology, Apple Igrek

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Arts and Humanities

Georges Bataille is known for being complex and multifaceted: influenced by Christian mystics as well as Hegelians and Marxists, his work is also linked with that of the surrealists and existentialists of his own mid-20th century France as well as the post-structuralists - in particular the Tel Quel collaboraters - who followed in his wake. It would be astonishing, then, if Bataille's thinking were not conflated with precisely those movements and those ideas with which he has so much in common, despite the fact that we should refuse to expect this. Much of Bataille's work was devoted to the ambivalent …

2008 Colloquium Program, Taylor University

Colloquium Programs

No abstract provided.

2008 Printed Program, Taylor University

Colloquium Schedules

No abstract provided.

A Critical Exegesis And Interpretation Of The Work Of Austin Farrer, Wesley Dalton

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Projecting Or Perceiving Values? The Blackburn-Mcdowell Debate, David Judd

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Reports Relating To The Fifty-Ninth Annual Meeting Of The Society, James A. Borland

SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

What Does It Mean To Live A Fully Embodied Spiritual Life?, Jorge Ferrer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This essay discusses the meaning of embodied spirituality—based on the integration of all

human attributes, including the body and sexuality—and contrasts it with the disembodied

spirituality—based on dissociation and/or sublimation—prevailing in human religious

history. It then describes what it means to approach the body as a living partner with which

to co-create one’s spiritual life, and outlines ten features of a fully embodied spirituality.

The article concludes with some reflections about the past, present, and potential future of

embodied spirituality.

The Buddhist Notion Of Emptiness And Its Potential Contribution To Psychology And Psychotherapy, José M. Tirado

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

A growing number of psychologists now have their practices and theories informed by Buddhist

meditation practices. Th ese practices, however, are themselves deeply informed by the

Buddhist notion of emptiness (śūnyatā). Th is Buddhist concept off ers a rich vein of possibilities

in informing psychology and psychotherapy. Th e present paper examines the development

and potential of this concept for infl uencing these and other areas.

Alphabetical Lives: Early Modern German Biographical Lexicons And Encyclopedias, Richard G. Cole

Quidditas

Those who appear obvious to us as “major players” in past eras may in part result from an unintended consequence of the work of early modern biographical lexicographers. By the eighteenth century, there were enough printed sources and available archival materials to deluge or even overwhelm historians and biographers with information about past actors of sixteenth century history. Those biographical lexicographers made choices about whom to give prominence and whom to minimize or ignore in their works.

Some Rudimentary Problems Pertaining To The Construction Of An Ontology And Epistemology Of Shamanic Journeying Imagery, Adam J. Rock, Stanley Krippner

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

Attempts to elucidate the kinds of “thing” or “things” to which the term shamanic journeying

image is referentially linked must grapple with two related questions: what is the fundamental

nature of shamanic journeying images, and how might the origin of a shamanic

journeying image be found? The first question is ontological, concerned with the nature

and essence of shamanic journeying images. In contrast, the second is epistemological and

methodolgical, concerned with how to acquire knowledge of shamanic journeying images.

We demonstrate how inductive and deductive reasoning, the private language argument,

and reification render problematic the resolution of both. Finally, we …