The Banalization of Nihilism

The Banalization of Nihilism PDF

Author: Karen Leslie Carr

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 1992-01-01

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 9780791408339

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After a historical and conceptual overview of the changing face of nihilism in the last century, Carr examines Nietzsche's diagnosis of nihilism as modernity's major crisis. She then compares the responses to nihilism given by the early Karl Barth and by Richard Rorty. To some, nihilism is losing its crisis connotations and becoming simply an unobjectionable characteristic of human life. Carr argues that this transformation ultimately absolutizes community preference and reflects an increasing inability to criticize and change the existing structures of thought. The author contends that the uncritical acceptance of nihilism, which characterizes much of postmodernism, ironically culminates in its complete opposite--dogmatism.

The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism

The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism PDF

Author: Keiji Nishitani

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 1990-10-02

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 9780791404386

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The first English translation (by Graham Parker, with Setsuko Aihara) of a forty-year-old Japanese classic--Nishitani's treatment of the problem of nihilism, with particular reference to Nietzsche's philosophical ideas, and from a perspective influenced by Buddhist thought. Paper edition (unseen), $14.95. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A History of Nihilism in the Nineteenth Century

A History of Nihilism in the Nineteenth Century PDF

Author: Jon Stewart

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2023-03-31

Total Pages: 335

ISBN-13: 1009266748

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Nihilism – the belief that life is meaningless – is frequently associated with twentieth-century movements such as existentialism, postmodernism and Dadaism, and thought to result from the shocking experiences of the two World Wars and the Holocaust. In his rich and expansive new book, Jon Stewart shows that nihilism's beginnings in fact go back much further to the first half of the nineteenth century. He argues that the true origin of modern nihilism was the rapid development of Enlightenment science, which established a secular worldview. This radically diminished the importance of human beings so that, in the vastness of space and time, individuals now seemed completely insignificant within the universe. The author's panoramic exploration of how nihilism developed – not only in philosophy, but also in religion, poetry and literature – shows what an urgent topic it was for thinkers of all kinds, and how it has continued powerfully to shape intellectual debates ever since.

Atheism or Theism?

Atheism or Theism? PDF

Author: Hakan Gok

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2018-08-22

Total Pages: 278

ISBN-13: 1532646798

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“Is there a God?” is one of those irrepressible questions that has been debated throughout human history, with scholars from opposites camps making the case for or against the existence of God. It is a never-ending debate. This book first examines the theistic arguments developed by Islamic scholar Saïd Nursi in the twentieth century. Although his arguments initially seem to be mere presentations of well-established theistic arguments for God—such as teleological and cosmological, and arguments from miracles and morals—it is clear that Nursi takes a fresh approach to these existing philosophical defences. The book then analyses how Nursi tackles certain atheistic arguments—such as the problem of evil and the possibility of existence without a creator—and criticism leveled against the prophets and the Qur’an.

Edinburgh Critical History of Nineteenth-Century Philosophy

Edinburgh Critical History of Nineteenth-Century Philosophy PDF

Author: Alison Stone

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Published: 2011-06-06

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 0748688617

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The Edinburgh Critical History of Philosophy is a seven-volume reference work on the history of philosophy. This volume surveys the key issues and debates distinct to nineteenth-century philosophy.

Nihilism in Film and Television

Nihilism in Film and Television PDF

Author: Kevin L. Stoehr

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-03-12

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 1476611335

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This book explores the idea of nihilism, emphasized by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, through its appearance in modern popular culture. The author defines and reflects upon nihilism, then explores its manifestation in films and television shows. Among the subjects examined are the award-winning television series The Sopranos and the film noir genre that preceded and influenced it. Films probed include Orson Welles's masterpiece Citizen Kane, the films of Stanley Kubrick, Neil Jordan's controversial The Crying Game and Richard Linklater's unconventional Waking Life. Finally, the author considers nihilism in terms of the decay of traditional values in the genre of westerns, mostly through works of filmmaker John Ford. In the concluding chapter the author broadens the lessons gleaned from these studies, maintaining that the situated and embodied nature of human life must be understood and appreciated before people can overcome the life-negating effects of nihilism.

After Doubt

After Doubt PDF

Author: A. J. Swoboda

Publisher: Brazos Press

Published: 2021-03-02

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1493429590

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Is there a way to walk faithfully through doubt and come out the other side with a deeper love for Jesus, the church, and its tradition? Can we question our faith without losing it? Award-winning author, pastor, and professor A. J. Swoboda has witnessed many young people wrestle with their core Christian beliefs. Too often, what begins as a set of critical and important questions turns to resentment and faith abandonment. Unfortunately, the church has largely ignored its task of serving people along their journey of questioning. The local church must walk alongside those who are deconstructing their faith and show them how to reconstruct it. Drawing on his own experience of deconstruction, Swoboda offers tools to help emerging adults navigate their faith in a hostile landscape. Doubt is a part of our natural spiritual journey, says Swoboda, and deconstruction is a legitimate space to encounter the living God. After Doubt offers a hopeful, practical vision of spiritual formation for those in the process of faith deconstruction and those who serve them. Foreword by pastor and author John Mark Comer.

Tragic Humanity and Hope

Tragic Humanity and Hope PDF

Author: Pius Ojara

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2007-09-01

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 1556351496

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With insights into the thought of Gabriel Marcel, Tragic Humanity and Hope recognizes that in our age scientific knowing is becoming a dominant form of knowledge. The leadership, influence, growth, and gravitational center of human existence depend, it seems, on scientific knowledge. As a result, we live in an information age that prizes production and immediate satisfaction but devalues the cultivation of wisdom. We risk diminishing the significance of sapiential knowing to deal with the immensely complex and intricate domains of human relationality. Furthermore, inquiry into moral discernment methods expands, becoming more diverse; yet, scholarly conversations that engage the vital exigencies as founding moral sensibility seem noticeably insufficient. Tragic Humanity and Hope strives to overcome this lack. But Ojara also seeks ethical groundings that exceed the language of pragmatic utility and aesthetic preference. Foundations of morality cannot exclude questions of the common good and shared moral obligations that free people to reach out to one another with hopes and memories that endow life with shared meaning. Through continuity and cohesion that the interlacing of scientific, sapiential, and moral knowing bring, life becomes a marvelous expression of light, joy, and fervor.