From Sin to a Gift from God: Constructions of Change in Conservative Christian Organizations

The present article is based on several empirical studies of religious organizations with a conservative self-understanding coping with modernity in liberal, pluralist societies. In such organizations, religiously relevant change will often be seen as a problem in itself. The article discusses the relationship between changes in practices and theological legitimations of changes. Often changes in social practice precede theological reflections. The article also presents some strategies for legitimating changes. While the discussion is partly general, it is based on empirical studies of religious changes in the southernmost part of Norway, called Agder, traditionally a stronghold of Christian, low-church, pietistic movements.     

Calvin O. Schrag,God as Otherwise Than Being: Toward a Semantics of the Gift

Continental Philosophy Review -     

The Agency-Last Paradigm: Free Will as Moral Ether

Philosophia - I argue that free will is a nominal construct developed and deployed post hoc in an effort to provide cohesive narratives in support of a priori moral-judgmental dispositions. In a...     

自由意志与决定论的关系：基于心理学视角

西方心理学的各种理论流派在对人格、自我和行为动因等基本问题作出解答时,始终存在自由意志与决定论的分歧与对峙。该文在对这些分歧和对峙作出评述和分析的基础上,厘清了人类行为的决定因素和目的性动因,主张目的性是自由意志存在的基础,而人类意识行为选择的多样性以及自我对不同选择的断言则使自由意志成为必然。自由意志与决定性是一个问题的两个方面,二者是一种辩证统一的关系。     

Probing the Will of God: Bonhoeffer and Discernment

Like the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, the spiritual discernment of Dietrich Bonhoeffer seeks to bring one's life into conformity (Gleichgestaltung) with Christ. Such conformation makes discipleship costly, but it also overflows with the fullness of life.     

Probing the Will of God: Bonhoeffer and Discernment

Like the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, the spiritual discernment of Dietrich Bonhoeffer seeks to bring one’s life into conformity (Gleichgestaltung) with Christ. Such conformation makes discipleship costly, but it also overflows with the fullness of life.     

Steps Toward a Science of Free Will

A conceptual confusion might lie at the heart of the free will-determinism controversy. Reconceptualizing the issue by positing two independent bipolar dimensions (determinism versus nondeterminism and self-determination versus nonagentic mechanism), instead of the single free will versus determinism dimension, seems to create the conceptual space for belief in both free will and determinism. A number of recent agentic theories of human action, and a growing body of research with humans, suggest the joint action of agentic self-determination and nonagentic causation in the genesis of human behavior. Implications for counselors are offered.     

对个人生命权的辩护——从自由意志出发

现代医学面临的问题,诸如安乐死、生前预嘱、器官捐献等都可以归结为对生命权的支配问题,而生命权的支配又面临着个人的自由意志与伦理价值的双重考量。但二者并不是不可通约的,个人作为生命个体,自由意志是规定自身、以区别于动物的本质要素,是个人人格和尊严的体现;但人并不仅作为一个个体存在,还要通过否定自身而进入一个伦理实体,受伦理实体的制约。伦理实体并不是对自由意志的简单否定,两者是既对立又统一的关系。     

Philosophy and Science Dialogue: Free Will

In this dialogue Derk Pereboom and Marcel Brass discuss the free will problem from the perspective of philosophy and cognitive neuroscience. First, they give their opinion on how the two disciplines contribute to the free will problem. While Pereboom is optimistic regarding the contribution of science, Brass is more pessimistic and questions the usefulness of an empirical approach to the question whether free will exists or not. Then they outline their position on the free will problem. The idea of a transcendental agent is discussed in more detail. Furthermore, it is discussed whether free will scepticism is a politically, socially, psychologically viable position. Pereboom argues that promoting the idea of free will scepticism can have a positive impact on retributive emotions and the political practice regarding retributive punishment. Brass argues that retributive emotions are deeply rooted in evolution and therefore difficult to change via high-level beliefs about free will. Finally, the future of the free will debate is discussed. Both agree that the dialogue between philosophy and psychology should be intensified. Philosophy can benefit from taking empirical research more seriously. Psychology and neuroscience can benefit from philosophy by appreciating the sophistication and conceptual clarity of the philosophical debate. Both have to find a common language and define common problems that can be tackled from both perspectives.