Beyond the Boundaries of Current Human Nature: Some Theological and Ethical Reflections on Transhumanism

Following a brief overview of the emerging transhumanist vision, Childs turns to a theological and ethical assessment. He recommends that there take place a community‐wide conversation over the prospects of a post‐human future that includes both nerds and theologians along with all stakeholders in a healthy human future. Christians should be guided by the eschatological values that inform love's commitment to the common good. How does the common commitment to justice take concrete shape in public policies governing the mounting advances in science and technology? How does the commitment to life and healing speak to the ethical distinction between the uses of biomedical technology for therapy versus for enhancement?     

Critical Notice: Paul Russell's The Riddle of Hume's Treatise: Skepticism,Naturalism, and Irreligion (OUP 2008)

In The Riddle of Hume's Treatise: Skepticism, Naturalism, and Irreligion (2008), Paul Russell makes a strong case for the claim that “The primary aim of Hume's series of skeptical arguments, as developed and distributed throughout the Treatise, is to discredit the doctrines and dogmas of Christian philosophy and theology with a view toward redirecting our philosophical investigations to areas of ‘common life,’ with the particular aim of advancing ‘the science of man’” (2008, 290). Understanding Hume in this way, according to Russell, sheds light on the “ultimate riddle” of the Treatise: “is it possible to reconcile Hume's (extreme) skeptical principles and conclusions with his aim to advance the ‘science of man’” (2008, 3)? Or does Hume's skepticism undermine his “secular, scientific account of the foundations of moral life in human nature” (290)? Russell's controversial thesis is that “the irreligious nature of Hume's fundamental intentions in the Treatise” is essential to solving the riddle (11). Russell makes a compelling case for Hume's irreligion as well as his atheism. Contrary to this interpretation I argue that Hume is an irreligious theist and not an atheist.     

Should We Translate St Paul's παρα φυσιν as Contrary to Nature? Text versus Received Dogma in the Translation of St Paul

It is indefensible to translate Paul's παρα φυσιν (para phusin) at Rom. 1:26 and 11:24 as “contrary to nature” (contra naturam) and to imply the unspoken rider “and therefore uniquely hateful to God.” Yet the tradition that does so is almost as old as the Greek text itself. There is a plethora of subtle nuances to παρα + acc., but a flat negative is not one of them. When Rom. 11:24 is so translated, it is reduced to nonsense. Plato's The Laws supplies a clear, cogent and directly relevant distinction between μη (not) and παρα (beyond, beside, etc.) in relation to sexual behaviour. Naturalness is a multivalent concept, not bivalent. The naturalness of a behaviour is a question of degree. Unnatural behaviour is impossible. The argument here is lexicographical, textual and philosophical. Theology must follow the text, not drive it.     

Christology as a Function of Epistemology: A Bibliographic Study in the Theology of Paul Tillich

ABSTRACT

Paul Tillich is widely regarded as one of the theological giants of twentieth-century theology, and yet, according to Russell Re Manning, remains perhaps the most neglected great theologian of recent times (Re Manning, 2009 Reijnen, Anne Marie, “Tillich's Christology.” In: The Cambridge Companion to Paul Tillich, Russell Re Manning (ed). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009, pp. 56–73.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). This study, based on Tillich's three-volume Systematic Theology (1967) describes Tillich's epistemology and discusses its effect upon his Christology, specifically with a view towards the concept “the uniqueness of Christ.” The article concludes with bibliographic annotations on Tillich's life.     

Heidegger,Wittgenstein and St Paul on the Last Judgement: On the Roots and Significance of ‘The Theoretical Attitude’

The article examines Heidegger's lectures on St Paul and provides, in particular, a reading of their discussion of the remarks on the parousia in the letters to the Thessalonians. This reading serves a number of purposes. First, it makes clear how Heidegger's appropriation of a certain ‘anti-theological’ tradition helped first give a sense to his notion of ‘the theoretical attitude’, a problematic notion that plays a central role in his mature early philosophy. Second, it illustrates, and thus helps to refine the identity of, a particular kind of recognizably ‘phenomenological’ reflection that attempts to distance itself precisely from that ‘attitude’; and third, it points to a new perspective on some central and problematic themes in Heidegger's better known early writings and, in particular, their discussion of assertions. An identification of some remarkable similarities between Heidegger's remarks on the Last Judgement and remarks of Wittgenstein's help identify this perspective.     

Finding theology in contemporary Chinese fiction

ABSTRACT

Literature can offer a space and hope for a possible creative theology, and this is true also of the contemporary literature of China. In 1923 Lu Xun expressed his hope that literature was capable of transforming the spirit of the Chinese people, Chinese fiction has drawn upon the ancient wisdom of China to explore possibilities after the Cultural Revolution in works that are sometimes banned in the Peoples Republic of China but increasingly have a world readership in English translations. They may be compared with some of the ideas of liberation theology in the western tradition.     

Constructing an Aesthetic Weltanschauung: Freud,James, and Ricoeur

I will investigate in this paper what kind of Weltanschauung Freud suggests. Although Freud argues in the lecture XXXV, The Question of a Weltanschauung (1933), that psychoanalysis is incapable of creating a Weltanschauung of its own, I think that he has a certain Weltanschauung, i.e., the aesthetic worldview, which involves his scientific, psychoanalytic, and artistic principles. Furthermore, I will explicate that Freud's aesthetic worldview is ultimately related to the Weltanschauungen of William James and Paul Ricoeur. I will focus particularly on their terms, sympathetic and poetic, which are the crucial elements that constitute the aesthetic Weltanschauung. Finally, I will briefly present my intention in drawing this aesthetic Weltanschauung. I will conclude that throughout the aesthetic Weltanschauung we may accept that everything is precious, pertinent, and worthy to be viewed as a part and a whole, and as home (Heim).     

A Semiotic Comparison Between Mel Gibson’s <Emphasis Type="Italic">The Passion of the Christ</Emphasis> and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s <Emphasis Type="Italic">The Gospel According to Saint Matthew</Emphasis>

The purpose of this article is to draw a comparison between Mel Gibsons and Pier Paolo Pasolinis filmic representations of the Passion of Jesus through semiotic instruments of analysis.University of Siena (Italy) and, in 2004, Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley (USA)     

Bound morpheme loss errors in normal and agrammatic speech: One mechanism or two?

Loss errors involving bound morphemes in normal and agrammatic speech are examined to determine if all errors can be due to a single processing problem. It is concluded that two problems are present. First, there is a general problem with accessing bound morphemes (or forms containing bound morphemes), leading to the production of the base form. Second, there is a syntactic problem involving agreement. In agrammatism, the first problem is differentially exacerbated. Implications for normal and agrammatic speech are examined.