The Message of the Alien God and the Beginnings of Christianity

A classic work of ethical philosophy that explores our options in an age of devatasting technological changeHans Jonas here rethinks the foundations of ethics in light of the awesome transformations wrought by modern technology: the threat of nuclear war, ecological ravage, genetic engineering, and the like. Though informed by a deep reverence for human life, Jonas's ethics is grounded not in religion but in metaphysics, in a secular doctrine that makes explicit ma...

When Hans Jonas died in 1993, he was revered among American scholars specializing in European philosophy, but his thought had not yet made great inroads among a wider public. In Germany, conversely, during the 1980s, when Jonas himself was an octogenarian, he became a veritable intellectual celebrity, owing to the runaway success of his 1979 book The Imperative of Responsibility. In the 1920s, Jonas studied philosophy with Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, but the Nazi regime f...

Martin D. Yaffe's Judaism and Environmental Ethics: A Reader is a well-conceived exploration of three interrelated questions: Does the Hebrew Bible, or subsequent Jewish tradition, teach environmental responsibility or not? What Jewish teachings, if any, appropriately address today's environmental crisis? Do ecology, Judaism, and philosophy work together, or are they at odds with each other in confronting the current crisis? Yaffe's extensive introduction analyzes and appraises the antholo...

Independence protests are on the rise across Europe, as Spain, the UK, and other states have faced severe secessionist challenges. The largest wave of these protests swept Catalonia and reached its peak in 2017 when the push for a binding referendum led to an unprecedented secessionist crisis. Organizing for Independence explores the question of how the referendum crisis as a threat and opportunity transformed secessionist protest and its organizational basis. Combining protest ev...

Thomas Merton’s groundbreaking last major work—a provocative and pivotal look into contemplation and the true meaning of spirituality“True contemplation is not a psychological trick but a theological grace."—Thomas MertonRevised directly before his untimely death and released in full for the first time ever, Merton’s book on contemplation has captivated readers for decades. In it, Merton takes us down a different spiritual journey than his ...

Martin Buber's I AND THOU has long been acclaimed as a classic. Many prominent philosophers, religious thinkers and writers have acknowledged its influence on their works. Students of intellectual history consider it a landmark; and the generation born since WWII considers Buber as one of its prophets.

One of Jung's most influential ideas has been his view, presented here, that primordial images, or archetypes, dwell deep within the unconscious of every human being. The essays in this volume gather together Jung's most important statements on the archetypes, beginning with the introduction of the concept in "Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious." In separate essays, he elaborates and explores the archetypes of the Mother and the Trickster, considers the psychological meaning of the ...

Why Were the Teachings of the Original Christians Brutally Suppressed by the Roman Church?• Because they portray Jesus and Mary Magdalene as mythic figures based on the Pagan Godman and Goddess• Because they show that the gospel story is a spiritual allegory encapsulating a profound philosophy that leads to mythical enlightenment• Because they have the power to turn the world inside out and transform life into an exploration of consciousnessDrawing on modern s...

Composed during a critical time in the evolution of European intellectual life, the works of Meister Eckhart (c. 1260-1327) are some of the most powerful medieval attempts to achieve a synthesis between ancient Greek thought and the Christian faith. Writing with great rhetorical brilliance, Eckhart combines the neoplatonic concept of oneness - the idea that the ultimate principle of the universe is single and undivided - with his Christian belief in the Trinity, and considers the struggle ...

An introduction to the writing and preaching of the greatest medieval European mystic.Meister Eckhart (1260–1327), a German Dominican whose preaching was immensely popular in his own time, was one of the greatest medieval European mystics, and his writings helped build the foundation of the Western mystical tradition. This important introduction to his writing and preaching contains rich selections from his sermons, treatises, and sayings, as well as Table Talk...

From the Trappist monk and foremost thinker of the twentieth century, an exploration of the nature of the soul's identity.The New Man shows Thomas Merton at the height of his powers and has as its theme the question of spiritual identity. What must we do to recover possession of our true selves? By way of an answer, Merton discusses how we have become strangers to ourselves by our dependence on outward identity and success, while our real need is for a con...