The main purpose of this work is to provide a semiotic ontology for redescription of active cognitive externalism, recently developed by the paradigm 4E (embodied, embedded, enactive, extended cognition). In our approach, distributed cognitive systems (DCSs) are described as semiosis, signs in action. We explored the relationship between semiosis and cognition, as conceived by C. S. Peirce, in association with the notion of distributed cognitive system (DCS). We introduce Peircean externalist approach with an emphasis on the notion of temporal distribution (...) of semiosis, and describe DCSs, and their elements, as “sign in action”. To develop this argument, we describe an example of DCS -- verbal-musical improvisation of repente, repentismo, or viola singing. It is a phenomenon of verbal-musical improvisation that takes the form of a challenge in versified oral poetry. We describe the phenomenon as the embodiment of the formal structure of a cognitive task and an inferential process. This embodiment corresponds to a semiotization of the repente performances as DCSs. The temporally distributed tendency of repentismo organizes the DCS as a system that performs metasemiotic experiments on the action of signs. (shrink)

Journal Name: Semiotica Issue: Ahead of print.

Turkish Epistemoloji rasyonel inançların felsefi analizini konu edinmesi nedeniyle gerekçelendirme edimine merkezi bir önem atfeder. Gerekçelendirme kişinin bir önermeye inanmak için gerekçeye sahip olunmasını sağlayan koşul veya koşullar dizisinin tespit edilmesini içerir. İnançlarımızın birçoğunun çıkarımsal olmayan gerekçelerinin bulunduğu şeklindeki ılımlı/yanılırcı temelci perspektifle uyum sağlayan bir gerekçelendirme teorisi olarak Michael Huemer tarafından ortaya konan görüngüsel muhafazakarlık ilkesi, bu türden bir koşulu tanımlar. GM formülasyonuna göre eğer S’ye p olarak görünüyorsa, çürütücü etmenlerin yokluğunda S’nin p’ye inanmak için en azından bir dereceye kadar (...) gerekçesi vardır. Görüngüler ise rasyonel inanç oluşturmanın olanağına referans veren, inanç ve inanma eğilimlerinden farklı, sui generis deneyimlerdir. Bu makalede görüngülerin doğasından hareketle GM’yi tanıttım ve GM’ye yöneltilen eleştirilerin bir bölümünü tartıştım. Yer verdiğim eleştiriler, GM’nin irrasyonel/tehlikeli görüngüler ve bilişsel nüfuzdan kaynaklanan inançları dahi gerekçelendirilmiş kabul ettiği, GM teorisyenlerinin görüngülere gerekçelendirme edimi özelinde biçtiği başat rolün ve inanç ve görüngüler arasında öngörülen farklılıkların abartılı olduğu itirazlarını içerir. Bana göre sözü edilen eleştirilerin hiçbiri, GM’nin reddedilmesini gerektiren argümanlar içermez. Görüngülerin epistemik gerekçelendirmedeki rolünü tesis eden GM veya benzeri bir ilkeyi kabul etmek için temel neden ise bunun şüphecilik haricindeki olası alternatiflerinin belirsizliğidir. Çünkü eğer görüngüler, inanç oluşturmada epistemik faile rehberlik edecek göstergeler ise bu, failin ilgili göstergelerden yoksun olduğunda herhangi bir şeye rasyonel olarak inanmasının olanaksızlaşacağı anlamına gelir. English Because epistemology deals with the philosophical analysis of rational beliefs, it assigns central importance to justification. Justification involves identifying the condition or set of conditions that enables one to have grounds for believing a proposition. The principle of phenomenal conservatism, put forward by Michael Huemer as a justification theory that accords with the moderate/fallibilist foundationalist perspective that many of our beliefs have non- inferential justifications, is a principle that defines such a condition. According to the PC formulation, if it seems to S that p, then, in the absence of defeaters, S thereby has at least some degree of justification for believing that p. Seemings/appearances are sui generis experiences that refer to the possibility of rational belief formation and are different from beliefs and dispositions to believe. In this article, I introduce PC based on the nature of seemings and evaluate some of the criticisms directed at PC. The criticisms I discuss include objections that PC even justifies beliefs stemming from irrational/dangerous seemings and cognitive penetration, and that the dominant role that PC theorists assign to seemings in the act of justification and the differences envisaged between beliefs and seemings are exaggerated. In my opinion, none of these criticisms contain arguments that would lead to the rejection of PC. The main reason to accept PC or a similar principle that establishes the role of seemings in epistemic justification is the vagueness of its possible alternatives other than skepticism. For, if seemings are indicators that guide the epistemic agent in forming beliefs, this means that it is impossible for the agent to believe anything rationally when she lacks the relevant indicators. (shrink)

Abstrak: Untuk mengembangkan suatu teologi ekologi, yang dikenal sebagai ekoteologi, mesti didasarkan pada fakta mengenai keterhubungan semua ciptaan sebagai suatu ekosistem. Metodologinya adalah induktif dan interdisipliner. Kosmologi dan antropologi amat membantu memberikan data ilmiah. Data-data tersebut merupakan titik awal untuk melakukan teologi ekologi, selain sumber-sumber yang diperoleh dari Wahyu, seperti Kitab Suci, Tradisi dan Magisterium. Artikel ini merupakan suatu upaya mengembangkan teologi ekologi berdasarkan tradisi teologi Kristiani yang menggaris bawahi sejumlah titik pandang teologis, seperti penciptaan sebagai suatu proses melalui itu (...) Allah menciptakan dunia; peran khas manusia sebagai partner Allah Pencipta, selaku gambar dan rupa Allah, merawat dan memelihara ciptaan atas nama Allah; antroposentrisme tidak memiliki akar dalam teologi ekologi Kristiani. Mistisisme kosmik St. Fransiskus sebagaimana diajukan Paus Fransiskus dalam ensiklik Laudato Si’ akan menjadi bagian kedua dari artikel ini, agar dapat memahami spiritualitas ekologis yang meresap dalam seluruh ensiklik. Bagi orang-orang Kristen memelihara ciptaan merupakan suatu kewajiban yang berakar dalam iman Kristiani. Kata-kata Kunci: Teologi ekologi, ekosistem, penciptaan sebagai proses, Teosentrisme, antroposentrisme, gambar dan rupa Allah, mistisisme, penyair ontologis. Abstract: A theology on ecology, known as eco-theology, should be based on the reality of the interconnection of all creations as an ecosystem. The methodology should be both inductive and inter-disciplinary. Cosmology, biology and anthropology are helpful in contributing scientific data. The given data could be the starting points in doing a theology of ecology, besides the resources from Revelation, such as Scriptures, Tradition and Magisterium. This article is an effort to elaborate a theology of ecology based on Christian Tradition of Theology which underlines several theological points of view such as: creation as a process through which God creates the world; a special role as co-partner of the Creator for human being as “imago Dei” has to conserve and to take care of creation as God’s representative; anthropocentrism has no root on Christian theology of ecology. The Cosmic mysticism of St. Francis, promoted by Pope Francis in his encyclical letter Laudato Si’, occupies the second part of this article in order to understand ecological spirituality which emerges throughout the encyclical letter. For Christians, taking care of creation is also an imperative rooted in their Christian faith. Keywords: Theology of ecology, ecosystem, creation as a process, Theocentrism, anthropocentrism, imago Dei, cosmic mysticism, ontological poet. (shrink)

This paper is a commentary on a project application of telemedicine to alleviate primary health care problems in Lundazi district in the Eastern province of Zambia. The project dubbed 'The Virtual Doctor Project' will use hard body vehicles fitted with satellite communication devices and modern medical equipment to deliver primary health care services to some of the neediest areas of the country. The relevance and importance of the project lies in the fact that these areas are hard-to-reach due to rugged (...) natural terrain and have very limited telecommunications infrastructure. The lack of these and other basic services makes it difficult for medical personnel to settle in these areas, which leads to an acute shortage of medical personnel. We comment on this problem and how it is addressed by 'The Virtual Doctor Project', emphasizing that while the telemedicine concept is not new in sub-Saharan Africa, the combination of mobility and connectivity to service a number of villages 'on the go' is an important variation in the shift back to the 1978 Alma Ata principles of the United Nations World Health Organization [WHO].This overview of the Virtual Doctor Project in Zambia provides insight into both the potential for ICT, and the problems and limitations that any "real-world" articulation of this technology must confront. (shrink)

İslâm düşünce tarihine dair yazılanlar, çoğu zaman tarihsel ve toplumsal gerçekliklerden ziyade, tarihin bize aktardıkları yanlı ve yanıltıcı bilgiler üzerinden şekillenmektedir. Doğal olarak tarihsel ve toplumsal gerçekliklerle birlikte sosyolojinin ve hatta iktisadın genel geçer kuralları dikkate alınmaksızın yapılan değerlendirmeler, ilmî olmaktan uzak olduğu için doğru bir sonuç ve ona uygun bir etki de yaratamamıştır. Özellikle inanç formuna büründürülerek mezheplerin düşüncelerini değerlendiren yaklaşımlar, mensubu olduğu ve zaman zaman da ötekileştirdiği diğer mezhep mensuplarının düşüncelerini doğru bir şekilde anlama yerine, onu reddetmek üzere (...) ve yanlışlamak amacıyla okumaktadır. Eş‘arî sonrası ve Eş‘arîlik sistemi içinde biçimlenmiş kelâmî yaklaşım, Mu‘tezile’ye reddiye olarak ifade edilebilecek bir temelde konumlanmıştır. Doğal olarak olgudan ziyade, Ehl-i hadîs olarak nitelendirilebilecek ve bütün sorunların cevaplarının, tarihin belli bir dönemine ait değerlendirmeler üzerinden bulmaya çalışan bir yapı biçiminde şekillenmiştir. Dinamik olan toplumun, her döneme ait sorunlarının da dinamik bir yapı oluşturduğu muhakkaktır. Kelâm ilminin teşekkül sürecine bakıldığında toplumsal sorunları göz önünde bulunduran ve çözüm önerilerini bu minvalde üreten bir bakış mevcuttur. Uzun süre varlığını böyle devam ettiren kelâm ilmi, tarihsel süreç içerisinde neredeyse tamamen teoriye sıkışan bir disiplin haline gelmiştir. Modern dönem ile birlikte yeni sorunlar, yeni tartışma alanları hâsıl olmuş ve yeni bir bilgi yöntemi ve metodu ile tartışmalar yapılmıştır. Kelâm ilminin de yeniden asli hüviyetine kavuşabilmesi adına yeni bir yöntem ve metodun geliştirilmesi gerekliliği dile getirilmiş ve Yeni ilm-i kelâm, sosyal kelâm gibi kavramlar ortaya atılmıştır. İlk çıkış sürecinde kelâmın hayat ile iç içe olduğu, sosyal ve siyasal olana göre şekillendiği, çözümlerin de toplumun gerçekliği göz önünde bulundurularak üretildiğini söyleyebiliriz. Bu anlamda her ne kadar isimlendirme bu şekilde olmasa da uygulamanın sosyal kelâma denk gelecek biçimde olduğunu ifade edebiliriz. Vâsıl b. Atâ özelinde Mu‘tezile’nin temel beş temel ilkesinin aslında sosyal kelâm olarak nitelenebilecek bir perspektifle oluşturulduğunu göstermeyi hedefledik. (shrink)

Alasdair MacIntyre and Martha C. Nussbaum are two prominent contemporary moral philosophers who attempt to rehabilitate Aristotle’s conception of virtues. Although both agree that virtue ethics can be considered as a strong alternative to our search for commonalities in a pluralistic society such as Indonesia, each chooses a very different path. While MacIntyre interprets Aristotle from his traditionalist and communitarian perspective, Nussbaum construes the philosopher in a non-relative and essentialist point of view using the perspective of capability. Consequently, MacIntyre construes (...) a more particularistic view of virtue ethics, whereas Nussbaum presents a more universalistic view of virtue ethics. Applying virtue ethics to the Indonesian context, this article argues that each approach will be insufficient to address the highly pluralistic societies such as Indonesia. Therefore, we need to construct a virtue ethics proper to the Indonesian context that takes both approaches into consideration. Keywords: Virtue, virtue ethics, community, capability, incommensurability. Abstrak: Alasdair MacIntyre dan Martha C. Nussbaum merupakan dua orang filsuf moral terkemuka pada masa kini, yang berusaha merehabilitasi konsep Aristoteles mengenai keutamaan. Sekalipun keduanya sepakat bahwa etika keutamaan dapat dipertimbangkan sebuah sebuah alternatif yang memadai bagi usaha kita dalam mencari kesamaan di tengah sebuah masyarakat majemuk seperti Indonesia, masing-masing memilih jalan yang sangat berbeda. Sementara MacIntyre menafsirkan Aristoteles dari perspektif tradisionalis dan komunitarian, Nussbaum memahami sang filsuf dari sebuah sudut pandang esensialis dan nonrelatif dengan memakai pendekatan kapabilitas. Akibatnya, MacIntyre mengkonstruksi sebuah pandangan yang lebih partikular atas etika keutamaan, sementara Nussbaum lebih menghadirkan sebuah pandangan yang lebih universal atas etika keutamaan. Mengaplikasikan etika keutamaan pada konteks Indonesia, artikel ini berpendapat bahwa masing-masing pendekatan tidak akan memadai untuk menjadi masyarakat yang sangat pluralistis seperti Indonesia. Untuk itu, kita perlu mengkonstruksi sebuah etika keutamaan yang kontekstual di Indonesia yang mempertimbangkan dan memanfaatkan kedua pendekatan tersebut. Kata-Kata Kunci: Keutamaan, etika keutamaan, komunitas, kapabilitas, inkomensurabilitas. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:260 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY and 8, although hc proposed no emendation of the text. [Raven's work is nowhere mentioned by Loenen, not even in connection with fr. 4 where he and Raven are in agreement, yet where he says "... all present-day authors assume this passage to refer to the material world," Raven believes with Loenen that the passage does not refer to the material world.] With regard to (...) Loenen's sensu stricto ~ar~, all commentators realized that Parmenides was at least some of the time using ~a~Lto denote necessity of existence and essence. Loenen does valuable work in emphasising this, but the observation is not revolutionarily original. Vlastos, following yon Fritz, argued (in Gnomon [1953]) that, for Parmenides, nothing exists but thought. Vlastos' arguments were not on as many fronts as are Loenen's, and Loenen develops the interpretation much further. Aristotle and Simplicius were the first of many who believed Parmenides to be a dualist, to have posited two worlds, fa ata~ra and ~& ~a~a, between which there was no causal relationship. Although there is much originality in Loenen's development and argument for his theses, it is nevertheless true that on the three grounds on which he lays claim to originality (introduction, pp. 3-5), his views have considerable precedents. M. C. SCHOLAR St. John's College, Cambridge Plato and the Individual. By Robert William Hall. (The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1963. Pp. 224.) Professor Hall's main thesis is that Plato's ethical thought underwent a gradual and significant development and that in the face of this fact the mature Plato is neither a halfhearted moral philosopher, nor a utilitarian, but completely committed to the substantiality and immortality of the soul. The first issue is raised so that the claim that Plato reserved the ethical ideal only for the specialists in philosophical reflection can be dismissed as groundless. The second problem is discussed in order to demonstrate beyond doubt that Plato's later moral views went beyond the limited ethics of consequences that dominates the early Socratic dialogues. But it is the third issue that constitutes the core of Hall's book, and the discussion here is undertaken in order to identify the metaphysical principle to which Plato appealed when he reconstructed his ethics from an initially quite aristocratic affair into a publicly available ideal that was rendered universal in scope and attainment. Dr. Hall argues that if knowledge of the Forms is unconditionally required for genuine morality, then only the philosophically gifted can rise to the lofty occasion. Being himself a strong advocate of a moral ideal open to all human beings, Dr. Hall does not hesitate to challenge Plato's views with this formidable problem: If we suppose Plato's views grant to the ordinary individual nothing more than a second class morality, he hardly deserves his reputation as a great ethical thinker. In line with this question the author devotes the entire first chapter to an interesting discussion on the sources of modern democratic individualism as supported by the best in the Christian tradition and then uses his findings to test the strength of Plato's moral fiber. But the author knows all along that Plato will emerge unscathed. His purpo~ then is not so much to show that Plato actually held that view as it is to take the reader through the meandering paths only the modem scholar and erudite interpreter of the dialogues know how to travel best and by which it is believed Plato himself must have been able to reach the summit of the superb answer. Since Dr. Hall discerns two different available moralities in Plato, an "aristocratic" and a "demotic," he also finds it necessary to distinguish between the morality of the excellences of the individual man and the excellence of the philosopher. When all is told, it turns out that Plato's development as an ethical philosopher moves from a high-minded kind of utilitarianism based on arete, inherited from Socrates, to a non-utilitarian conception of virtue which is Plato's own discovery and contribution. The pivotal point is found to be in the Republic where the central problem is to justify the inherent value of... (shrink)

Neuroscientists are searching for the engram within the conceptual framework established by John Locke's theory of mind. This framework was elaborated before the development of information theory, before the development of information processing machines and the science of computation, before the discovery that molecules carry hereditary information, before the discovery of the codon code and the molecular machinery for editing the messages written in this code and translating it into transcription factors that mark abstract features of organic structure such as (...) anterior and distal. The search for the engram needs to abandon Locke's conceptual framework and work within a framework informed by these developments. The engram is the medium by which information extracted from past experience is transmitted to the computations that inform future behavior. The information-conveying symbols in the engram are rapidly generated in the course of computations, which implies that they are molecules. (shrink)

Estudos recentes vêm revisando a composição da literatura que, ao longo do século XVIII serviu como base às ciências em território britânico. Segundo esses estudos, os seiscentistas de fala inglesa dedicaram-se a duas linhagens de texto, originadas em concepções de ciência muito distintas. Uma dessas linhagens tinha como fonte principal a antiga “literatura do segredo” que incluía desde velhos e sigilosos manuais de ofício até os milenares e proibidos tratados de hermética, literatura antes reservada a poucos. Diferente dessa, a outra (...) ]inhagem de textos surgia como um direto da proposta baconiana para a nova ciência: um saber elaborado por muitos e ao alcance de todos. Exemplos conhecidos dessa linhagem são os livros de divulgação utilizados pelos comenianos ingleses ou mesmo os relatórios, atas e memórias das sociedades científicas, geradores dos primeiros embriões de periódicos dedicados às ciências. Todavia, sob essa aparente contraposição das duas linhagens, há indícios de um profícuo diálogo - expresso sobretudo na correspondência e diários pensadores da época. (shrink)

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis’s death, a special annotated edition of his Christian classic, The Screwtape Letters, with notes and excerpts from his other works that help illuminate this diabolical masterpiece. Since its publication in 1942, The Screwtape Letters has sold millions of copies worldwide and is recognized as a milestone in the history of popular theology. A masterpiece of satire, it offers a sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the (...) vantage point of Screwtape, a highly placed assistant to “Our Father Below.” At once wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original, The Screwtape Letters comprises the correspondence of the worldly-wise devil Screwtape and his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon in charge of securing the damnation of an ordinary young man. For the first time, The Screwtape Letters will be presented in full-text accompanied by helpful annotations in a striking two-color format. These annotations will give fans a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the popular book, providing background information, explanations of terms, historical significance, and excerpts from Lewis’s other works that more fully explain the ideas in this volume. For both expert Lewis fans and casual readers, The Screwtape Letters: Annotated Edition will be a beautiful and insightful guide to a beloved classic. (shrink)

This article discusses the polemics of Wāṣil of Damascus at the Byzantine court in a hitherto unstudied Aljamiado manuscript copied by Moriscos, or Muslims converted to Christianity in Early Modern Iberia. This debate, which unfolded in the first centuries of the expansion of Islam, has so far been studied on the basis of a single Arabic manuscript. The present contribution adds to the discussion the Aljamiado materials and a number of relevant Arabic sources. It reassesses the character of Wāṣil, his (...) involvement in Byzantine politics and iconoclastic controversies, and his identification with the early theologian Wāṣil b. ʿAṭāʾ (d. 2nd/8th c.). The historical data in Ibn ʿAsākir’s Taʾrīḫ (6th/12th c.) and the role of Wāṣil as the true hero of the story also justify the need for a detailed and extensive analysis of the Muslim readings of the text. The unique Morisco account will be discussed alongside the new evidence, paying attention to the uses of this narrative and its adaptation in the passage from East to West. The practices of retelling tie with the examination of how the original triumphalist story and the key issues of the early Eastern Muslim-Christian debates acquired meaning in the face of the expansion of Iberian Christian society that ended with the expulsion of the Jews and, ultimately, the Moriscos. Taken together, the evidence attests to the preservation of this polemics over the centuries in Muslim circles and its dissemination sometimes in contexts far removed from the original, such as the Muslim West. (shrink)

Volume 1 of the Routledge History of Philosophy covers one of the most remarkable periods in human thought. The essays present the fundamental approaches and thinkers of Greek philosophy in chronological order.

C A Winch; Education, Literacy and the Development of Rationality, Journal of Philosophy of Education, Volume 17, Issue 2, 30 May 2006, Pages 187–200, https://d.

Müslüman bağlamında bilim-din etkileşiminde muhtemelen en can alıcı konu, İslam ve Neo-Darwinci evrim teorisi arasındaki ilişkidir. Müslüman alimler iki ana kampa ayrılır. Bir yandan, daha geleneksel eğilimlere sahip Müslüman düşünürler, İslam'ın evrimle çeliştiğini düşünüyorlar. Diğer tarafta, evrim teorisinin İslam'la tamamen uyumlu olduğunu düşünen daha bilimsel yönelimli Müslüman düşünürlerimiz var. Başta bilim insanları olmak üzere bu düşünürler, genellikle Kuran ayetlerinin bazılarının mecazi bir okumasını sunarlar ya da onları yeniden yorumlarlar. Bu makalede, ben orta yolcu bir yaklaşım tercih edecek ve mecazi okumaya (...) ya da yeniden yorumlamaya başvurmadan, geleneksel Kuran okumasının Neo-Darwinci evrim teorisi ile uyumluluğunu göstermeye çalışacağım. Standart bilimsel anlatıyı da herhangi bir çarpıtmaya maruz bırakmadan kabul edeceğim. İlk olarak, kutsal kitaptaki yaratılış anlatısının evrim teorisiyle bağdaşmadığı iddiasının kötülük sorununa, yani kötülüğün klasik Teizm'in Tanrısı ile bağdaşmadığı iddiasına, benzediğini savunacağım. Bu analojiyi kullanarak hem Kuran anlatısının hem de evrim teorisinin nasıl doğru olabileceğine dair eksiksiz ve makul bir açıklama bulmaya çalışmak yerine, sadece bu iki açıklamanın birbiri ile çelişmediğini göstermeyi amaçlayan daha mütevazı yaklaşımlar aramamız gerektiğini iddia edeceğim—yani kötülük sorunu bağlamındaki savunmalara benzer bir yaklaşım geliştirmeye çalışacağım. Hem bilimsel yaratılış anlatısı hem de Kuran’daki yaratılış anlatısı özetledikten sonra ve olası tek çelişkinin ortak ata tezinde olduğunu savunduktan sonra, Kuran anlatımının evrim teorisiyle uyumluluğunu göstermeyi amaçlayan bu tür iki savunma sunacağım. Birinci savunma, "çifte yaratılış savunması", Adem'in, kutsal kitapların tarif ettiği Cennet'te ve evrim biliminin tarif ettiği Dünya'da olmak üzere iki kez yaratıldığı senaryoları içerir. Bu nedenle, her iki yaratılış anlatısı da aynı anda doğru olabilir ve bu nedenle ikisi bir biri ile tutarlıdır. İkincisi, "çoklu ata savunması", Tanrı'nın Adem'i doğrudan topraktan yaratmış olabileceğini ve onun soyundan gelenlerin evrimleşmiş homo sapiens ile ürediğini öne sürer. Bu nedenle, her iki yaratılış anlatıları da tutarsızlık olmadan bir arada kabul edilebilir. (shrink)

The Holocaust marks a decisive moment in modern suffering in which it becomes almost impossible to find meaning or redemption in the experience. In this study, C. Fred Alford offers a new and thoughtful examination of the experience of suffering. Moving from the Book of Job, an account of meaningful suffering in a God-drenched world, to the work of Primo Levi, who attempted to find meaning in the Holocaust through absolute clarity of insight, he concludes that neither strategy works well (...) in today's world. More effective are the day-to-day coping practices of some survivors. Drawing on testimonies of survivors from the Fortunoff Video Archives, Alford also applies the work of Julia Kristeva and the psychoanalyst Donald Winnicot to his examination of a topic that has been and continues to be central to human experience. (shrink)

The Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible and Ethics offers an engaging and informative response to a wide range of ethical issues. Drawing connections between ancient and contemporary ethical problems, the essays address a variety of topics, including student loan debt, criminal justice reform, ethnicity and inclusion, family systems, and military violence. The volume emphasizes the contextual nature of ethical reflection, stressing the importance of historical knowledge and understanding in illuminating the concerns, the logic, and the intentions of the biblical (...) texts. Twenty essays, all specially commissioned for this volume, address the texts' historical and literary contexts and identify key social, political, and cultural factors affecting their ethical ideas. They also explore how these texts can contribute to contemporary ethical discussions. The Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible and Ethics is suitable for use in undergraduate and graduate courses in liberal arts colleges and universities, as well as seminaries. (shrink)