Existence

Robert Cummings Neville

Description

Religion, writes Robert Cummings Neville, articulates existential predicaments and provides venues for ecstatic fulfillment. Like its companion volumes treating ultimacy and religion, Existence advances a systematic philosophical theology to address first-order questions found in the array of Axial Age religions. Issues arising in the major religious traditions are explored through a complex array of philosophical approaches. This second volume shows religion to be the engagement of ultimate realities common to all human beings. Neville finds five problematics relative to ultimate boundary conditions of the human world: the contingency of existence, living under obligation, the quest for wholeness, engagement with others, and the meaning or value in life. Common to all human beings and hence "religion," the engagement with realities is also historically and culturally bound, becoming simultaneously socially constructed "religions." Readers will find Neville's philosophical theology both bold and enlightening, running counter to dominant intellectual trends while richly informed by a long and fruitful engagement with theology, philosophy, and religion, East and West.
Cross-References
Preface

Introduction

I. The Existential Dimensions of Religion
II. The Human Condition, Suffering, and Semiotics
III. Universality of Religion
IV. Ontological Ultimacy: Death and Life

Part I. Ultimate Boundary Conditions

Part I. Preliminary Remarks

1. Form as the Condition of Obligation

I. Form and Human Possibility
II. Value
III. Obligation
IV. Obligations: Moral, Social, Personal, and Natural

2. Components as the Condition for Grounded Wholeness

I. Deference and Integration
II. Mythos: Orientation to Wholeness
III. Some Contemporary Christian Re-Mythologies
IV. Comportments: Appropriation, Deference, Negotiating Change, Realism

3. Existential Location as the Condition for Engagement

I. The Cosmology of Existential Location
II. Contours, Value, and Otherness
III. Human Engagement across the Existential Field
IV. Modes of Engagement: Awareness, Appreciation, Courage, Love

4. Value-Identity as the Condition for Meaning

I. The Cosmology of Value-Identity
II. The Eternity of Value-Identity
III. The Symbolism of Meaning
IV. Modes of Achievement: Personal Goals, Contributions to Nature and Society, Facing Suffering, Relating to Ultimacy

Part I. Summary Implications

Part II. Predicaments and Deliverances

Part II. Preliminary Remarks

5. Guilt and Justification

I. Failure of Obligation: Damnation, Betrayal, Existential Refusal, Blood Guilt
II. Brokenness of Obligation
III. Deliverance from Moral and Social Guilt: Redemption and Restoration
IV. Deliverance from Personal and Natural Guilt: Sagacity and Purification

6. Disintegration and Centeredness

I. Disintegration: Alienation, Arrogance, Suffering, Delusion
II. Centeredness: Deliverance from Disintegration
III. Deliverance from Alienation and Arrogance: Healing and Humility
IV. Deliverance from Suffering and Delusion: Comfort and Enlightenment

7. Estrangement and Connection

I. Estrangements: Denial, Distortion, Despair, Hate
II. Connection
III. Deliverance from Denial and Distortion: Acceptance and Purgation
IV. Deliverance from Despair and Hate: Faith and Reconciliation

8. Meaninglessness and Happiness

I. Destruction of Meaning: Impotence, Isolation, Apathy, Non-Being
II. The Ambiguity of Absolute Value-Identity
III. Deliverance from Impotence and Isolation: Renunciation and Dedication
IV. Deliverance from Apathy and Non-Being: Submission and Affirmation

Part II. Summary Implications

Part III. Ecstatic Fulfillments

Part III. Preliminary Remarks

9. Ecstatic Meaning in Time

I. Meaning in Life
II. Historical Apocalyptic
III. Cosmic Apocalyptic
IV. Time within Eternity

10. Ecstatic Life in Eternity

I. The Problem of Ultimate Meaning
II. Mapping the Infinite onto the Finite
III. Eternal Life and Its Temporal Maps
IV. The Truth of Finite Symbols of Ultimate Meaning

11. Ecstatic Love

I. Gratuity
II. Arbitrariness
III. Undeservedness
IV. Surprise

12. Ecstatic Freedom

I. Cosmological Freedom
II. Release from Attachment to Finding Meaning
III. Freedom in Becoming a Sign of Ultimacy
IV. Freedom to Love

Part III. Summary Implications

Part IV. Engagement and Participation

Part IV. Preliminary Remarks

13. Ritual

I. Anthropological Understandings of Ritual
II. A Ritual Analysis
III. Confucian Understandings of Ritual
IV. Ritual Engagement

14. Commitment

I. Bio-Developmental Dimensions of Commitment

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Philosophie de la religion
• Philosophy of religion
• Theology

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 05 juin 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781438453330
• Langue: English

Extrait

existence
ROBERT CUMMINGS NEVILLE
existence

P HILOSOPHICAL T HEOLOGY
VOLUME TWO
State University of New York Press
Cover art: Existence by Beth Neville
Graphite pencil and colored pens on Bristol board paper, 10"x10", January, 2013
Published by
S TATE U NIVERSITY OF N EW Y ORK P RESS , A LBANY
© 2014 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact
S TATE U NIVERSITY OF N EW Y ORK P RESS , A LBANY , NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production, Laurie Searl
Marketing, Kate McDonnell
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Neville, Robert C.
Existence : philosophical theology / Robert Cummings Neville.
pages cm
“Volume two.”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-5331-6 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Theological anthropology. 2. Philosophy and religion. 3. Ontology. I. Title.
BL256.N48 2014 218—dc23
2013046365
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
for Nikolas Zanetti
The art on the cover of this volume is by Beth Neville, my wife, who has provided art for many of my SUNY Press books. She has my great thanks, as I said in the first volume of this Philosophical Theology . Like the cover art she did for Ultimates: Philosophical Theology Volume One , the colored-ink drawing for this volume’s cover symbolically expresses its central themes. Though a square, the linear orientation is horizontal, indicating that this volume is about the human condition. The strongest horizontals are the two double cones pointing left and right with their longest ends. The human condition is of interest here because of the bearing it has on what is ultimate, symbolized most strongly by the touching of the tips of the short ends of the cones in the middle. The fact that the drawing has mirror images of left and right sides reflects the balanced importance of the two main topics of the human condition considered under the aspect of ultimacy, namely, human predicaments and ecstatic fulfillments. One of the main compositional elements is the strong horizontal thrusts of lateral semi-circles whose apexes are in the opposite side of the drawing from that in which their ends leave the picture. There are four of these semi-circles on each side, symbolizing the four cosmological ultimates that function in human predicaments and ecstatic fulfillments, respectively. Given that their arms cross one another, they inscribe four almond shapes in the center, indicating ultimacy, while they extend beyond their embrace to point to what lies beyond any finite harmony. On each side of the drawing are two portions of smaller semi-circles that originate in that side but extend outward without crossing to the other side, calling to mind the influence on any thing of other things outside it, and vice versa. Thus each thing is shown to harmonize its own components while including among those components the influences of other things and in turn influencing the others; nothing stands without internal integrity and external reference. The emotional and value intensity of the human condition has some cooling moments, but more red-hot connections, and at the center, the yellow fire of ultimacy. The argument of the book elaborates this symbolism.
Contents
Cross References
Preface
Introduction
I. The Existential Dimensions of Religion
II. The Human Condition, Suffering, and Semiotics
III. Universality of Religion
IV. Ontological Ultimacy: Death and Life
P ART I
Ultimate Boundary Conditions
Part I. Preliminary Remarks
C HAPTER O NE
Form as the Condition of Obligation
I. Form and Human Possibility
II. Value
III. Obligation
IV. Obligations: Moral, Social, Personal, and Natural
C HAPTER T WO
Components as the Condition for Grounded Wholeness
I. Deference and Integration
II. Mythos: Orientation to Wholeness
III. Some Contemporary Christian Re-Mythologies
IV. Comportments: Appropriation, Deference, Negotiating Change, Realism
C HAPTER T HREE
Existential Location as the Condition for Engagement
I. The Cosmology of Existential Location
II. Contours, Value, and Otherness
III. Human Engagement across the Existential Field
IV. Modes of Engagement: Awareness, Appreciation, Courage, Love
C HAPTER F OUR
Value-Identity as the Condition for Meaning
I. The Cosmology of Value-Identity
II. The Eternity of Value-Identity
III. The Symbolism of Meaning
IV. Modes of Achievement: Personal Goals, Contributions to Nature and Society, Facing Suffering, Relating to Ultimacy
Part I. Summary Implications
P ART II
Predicaments and Deliverances
Part II. Preliminary Remarks
C HAPTER F IVE
Guilt and Justification
I. Failure of Obligation: Damnation, Betrayal, Existential Refusal, Blood Guilt
II. Brokenness of Obligation
III. Deliverance from Moral and Social Guilt: Redemption and Restoration
IV. Deliverance from Personal and Natural Guilt: Sagacity and Purification
C HAPTER S IX
Disintegration and Centeredness
I. Disintegration: Alienation, Arrogance, Suffering, Delusion
II. Centeredness: Deliverance from Disintegration
III. Deliverance from Alienation and Arrogance: Healing and Humility
IV. Deliverance from Suffering and Delusion: Comfort and Enlightenment
C HAPTER S EVEN
Estrangement and Connection
I. Estrangements: Denial, Distortion, Despair, Hate
II. Connection
III. Deliverance from Denial and Distortion: Acceptance and Purgation
IV. Deliverance from Despair and Hate: Faith and Reconciliation
C HAPTER E IGHT
Meaninglessness and Happiness
I. Destruction of Meaning: Impotence, Isolation, Apathy, Non-Being
II. The Ambiguity of Absolute Value-Identity
III. Deliverance from Impotence and Isolation: Renunciation and Dedication
IV. Deliverance from Apathy and Non-Being: Submission and Affirmation
Part II. Summary Implications
PART III
Ecstatic Fulfillments
Part III. Preliminary Remarks
C HAPTER N INE
Ecstatic Meaning in Time
I. Meaning in Life
II. Historical Apocalyptic
III. Cosmic Apocalyptic
IV. Time within Eternity
C HAPTER T EN
Ecstatic Life in Eternity
I. The Problem of Ultimate Meaning
II. Mapping the Infinite onto the Finite
III. Eternal Life and Its Temporal Maps
IV. The Truth of Finite Symbols of Ultimate Meaning
C HAPTER E LEVEN
Ecstatic Love
I. Gratuity
II. Arbitrariness
III. Undeservedness
IV. Surprise
C HAPTER T WELVE
Ecstatic Freedom
I. Cosmological Freedom
II. Release from Attachment to Finding Meaning
III. Freedom in Becoming a Sign of Ultimacy
IV. Freedom to Love
Part III. Summary Implications
P ART IV
Engagement and Participation
Part IV. Preliminary Remarks
C HAPTER T HIRTEEN
Ritual
I. Anthropological Understandings of Ritual
II. A Ritual Analysis
III. Confucian Understandings of Ritual
IV. Ritual Engagement
C HAPTER F OURTEEN
Commitment
I. Bio-Developmental Dimensions of Commitment
II. Religious Commitment and Worldviews
III. Intensity of Religious Commitment
IV. Sharing of Religious Commitment
C HAPTER F IFTEEN
The Life of Faith
I. Preparation
II. Presence and Action
III. Relationships
IV. Faith Enduring Change and Death
C HAPTER S IXTEEN
Inhabitation of a Sacred Worldview
I. Sacred Worldviews
II. Inhabiting Absolute Value-Identity
III. The Ontological Shock of Creation
IV. Chaos and Containment
Part IV. Summary Implications
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Cross References
As a systematic work, the three volumes of Philosophical Theology involve much cross-referencing among its parts. Although each of the volumes has a primary title— Ultimates , Existence , Religion —the cross-references are to the volumes by number. Cross-references are in endnotes on the occasion where commentary is required; otherwise they are in the text. The general rubric for cross-referencing is this: Cross-references will always be in italics , and this means that they refer to volumes of Philosophical Theology ; the first roman numeral refers to the volume. If the reference is to a chapter, the volume number will be given first, followed by a comma, then the chapter number as an arabic number, and perhaps if needed a comma followed by a section number in lower-case roman numerals. So, “Volume II, Chapter 3, Section IV” would be II, 3, iv . If the reference is to a part in the volume, the roman volume number is first, followed by a comma and “pt” for part and an arabic numeral for the number of the part. So, “Volume II, Part III” would be II, pt. 3 . Often a part is referred to as a whole; but if the reference is to the “preliminary remarks” or the “summary implications,” which are always keyed to parts, not chapters, then the referent to the part would be followed by a comma and “pr” and/or “si.” So, “Volume III, Part IV, preliminary remarks and summary implications” would be III, pt. 4, pr, si . If a reference does not indicate a volume number, this means the volume referred to is the one in which the reference is made. The text spells out titles of the three volumes when it discusses them directly.
Preface
The title of this second volume of Philosophical Theology is Existence , and the term is used in the sense associated with existentialism or the “philosophy of existence.” The volume’s overall thesis is that the existential reality of religion is engaged in two primary and sometimes overlapping ways: confronting ultimately important human predicaments and confronting ecstatic ultimate human fulfillments. The “existential reality of religion” is a pregnant phrase that cannot be defined so much as built up and illust