The Humane Perspective
Philosophical Reflections on Human Nature, the Search for Meaning, and the Role of Religion
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:11th Jul '24
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The book brings together fourteen essays from the work of John Cottingham on moral philosophy and the philosophy of religion spanning the past fifteen years. The papers are closely related in so far as they all deal with the perennial moral and spiritual challenges of human existence, and the search for meaning and value in human life. As well as being thematically linked, they also share a common style and methodology, illustrating the distinctive goal that has increasingly informed the author's work in recent years, that of promoting a more 'humane' conception of philosophizing. While in no way discarding the technical tools of the professional philosopher such as abstract argumentation and analysis, whose value and importance are unquestionable, this approach is notable for drawing on the full range of resources available to the human mind, including those that depend on literary, artistic, poetic, imaginative, aesthetic, and emotional modes of awareness. In contrast to the model of the philosopher as a kind of detached scrutineer, the essays exemplify the belief that there is a distinctive and valuable kind of philosophical understanding that requires a more involved and engaged stance. The philosophical questions dealt in the volume all fall broadly within the familiar domains of moral philosophy and the philosophy of religion, but the reflections offered on these areas of human thought and practice always aim to be sensitive to how morality and religion actually operate in the lives of the human beings involved.
The Humane Perspective is a welcome call to dare to think-in all of its varied meanings. * Deborah Casewell, Ratio Journal *
These essays, along with his broader work on humane philosophy, are a singular service to contemporary anglophone philosophy and its future. * Zachary Mabee, Philosophy in Review *
John Cottingham has been, and is, a key figure in reshaping philosophy of religion and philosophical theology. His prose is crystal clear, generous, appealing, littered with example and rich in metaphor and explanation. The argument has an underlying rigour, without the trappings of formalisms and technicality. The opening chapter brings out that this is a programme and a movement that has had a significant impact, and continues to influence and shape the thinking of a wide range of scholars. * Christopher Insole, Professor of Philosophical Theology and Ethics, University of Durham *
The Humane Perspective reveals the unity of Cottingham's influential work in the areas of philosophy of religion, moral philosophy, and meaning in life. Cottingham is the leading figure advocating a 'humane' approach to philosophy, an approach that continues to grow in its influence and its enduring impact. The volume is written in a beautifully literate and engaging way that is widely accessible and of broad interest. * David McPherson, Professor of Philosophy, University of Florida *
Builds on the beautiful and highly engaging approach to questions of meaning, morality, and religion in his many previous books... A far-ranging book that develops some very original and provocative ideas ... An excellent collection of essays [which] will provide readers, including those well-versed in the more standard fare of analytic philosophy of religion, with many new ideas to consider and leave them much better off for having done so. * Christopher Hauser, Faith and Philosophy *
John Cottingham's work marks a turning point in the development of contemporary philosophy of religion. The Humane Perspective provides an original and attractive option not just for philosophers of religion but also for all those who take distance from reductive naturalism and from the dominant analytic paradigm, and want to explore aspects of the spiritual dimension and grounds of value realism. * Stelios Virvidakis, Philosophical Investigations *
ISBN: 9780198918912
Dimensions: 240mm x 160mm x 17mm
Weight: 516g
256 pages