Benedikt Paul Göcke

It is a great pleasure for the editors of TheoLogica to present this special issue in honour of Dean Zimmerman. Dean Zimmerman’s work in metaphysics has had a profound impact on discussions of analytic theology and the philosophy of religion over the last three decades. Few contemporary philosophers have done as much to bring analytic rigour into conversation with traditional theological concerns, or to frame metaphysical inquiry in ways that illuminate doctrines long central in the Christian intellectual tradition.

It is a great pleasure for the editors of TheoLogica to present this special issue in honour of Dean Zimmerman. Dean Zimmerman’s work in metaphysics has had a profound impact on discussions of analytic theology and the philosophy of religion over the last three decades. Few contemporary philosophers have done as much to bring analytic rigour into conversation with traditional theological concerns, or to frame metaphysical inquiry in ways that illuminate doctrines long central in the Christian intellectual tradition.

The book provides the first analysis of Karl Christian Friedrich Krause_s system of philosophy and his panentheism in English. Karl Christian Friedrich Krause has bequeathed to us a system of philosophy which is little recognised in contemporary philosophy. This is both surprising and unfortunate, because Krause_s philosophical system has much to offer: Through transcendental reflection on the nature of the human, Krause understands God as the one infinite and unconditioned reality, and the ultimate necessary condition of knowledge. God makes humanity, nature, and reason ultimately comprehensible as the essential categories of the divine Essence. God is thus the single, primary, object of science that is already logically presupposed even before His discovery. Science presupposes theology, and theology is best read as panentheism.

It is often argued that the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent and morally perfect God is inconsistent with, or at least highly improbable in light of the undeniable fact that there is evil in the world. According to van Inwagen’s defense story, however, the existence of evil in fact is to be expected on the assumption that our ancestors freely turned away from God. The age of evil, according to van Inwagen’s defense, will end only if we freely return to living in loving union with Him. We are going to show that any defense story that is based on van Inwagen’s understanding of “God”, “love” and “freedom” is unreasonable.

This book analyses the concepts of God in Vaisnavism, which is commonly referred to as one of the great Hindu monotheistic traditions. Addressing the question of what attributes God possesses according to particular textual sources and traditions in Vaisnavism, the book analyses Vaisnava traditions and texts in order to locate them within a global philosophical framework. The book is divided into two sections. The first one, God in Vaisnava Texts, deals with concepts of God found in the canonical Vaisnava texts: the Bhavagad Gita, the Bhagavata Purana, the Pancaratras, and the Mahabharata. The second section, God in Vaisnava Traditions, addresses concepts of God found in several Vaisnava traditions and their respective key theologians. As well as the Alvars, five traditional Vaisnava schools- the Sri Vaisnava tradition, the Madhva tradition, the Nimbarka tradition, the Pustimarga tradition, and the Caitanya Vaisnava tradition- and two contemporary ones Ramakrishna's and Swami Bhaktivedanta's are considered. The book combines normative, critical and descriptive elements. Some chapters are philosophical in nature, others are more descriptive, unpacking a specific Vaiṣṇava concept of God for future philosophical analysis and critique. Written by experts who break new ground in presenting and representing a diversity of Vaiṣṇava texts and tradition, the book presents approaches that reflect the amount of philosophical and historical deliberation on the specific issues and divine attributes considered. This book will be of interest to researchers in the fields of philosophy of religion and Indian philosophy, cross-cultural and comparative philosophy, analytic philosophy of religion, Hindu studies, theology and religious studies.

This book explores a number of concepts of God in Vaiṣṇavism, which is commonly referred to as one of the great Hindu monotheistic traditions. By addressing the question of what attributes God possesses according to particular Vaiṣṇava textual sources and traditions, the book locates these concepts within a global philosophical framework. The book is divided into two parts. The first part, God in Vaiṣṇava Texts, deals with concepts of God found in some of the more prominent canonical Vaiṣṇava texts: the Bhagavad-Gītā, the Bhagavata-Purāṇa, the Jayākhya-Saṃhitā as representative of the Pāñcarātras, and the Mahābhārata. The second part, God in Vaiṣṇava Traditions, addresses concepts of God found in several Vaiṣṇava traditions and their respective key theologians. In addition to the Āḻvārs, the five traditional Vaiṣṇava schools—the Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition, the Madhva tradition, the Nimbārka tradition, the Puṣṭimārga tradition, and the Caitanya Vaiṣṇava tradition—and two contemporary ones—those of Ramakrishna (who has Vaiṣṇava leanings) and Swami Bhaktivedanta—are considered. The book combines normative, critical, and descriptive elements. Some chapters are philosophical in nature, and others are more descriptive. Each unpacks a specific Vaiṣṇava concept of God for future philosophical analysis and critique. Written by experts who break new ground in this presentation and representation of the diversity of Vaiṣṇava texts and traditions, the book provides approaches that reflect the amount of philosophical and historical deliberation on the specific issues and divine attributes so far considered in the field of Hindu Studies. This book will be of interest to researchers in disciplines including philosophy of religion and Indian philosophy, cross-cultural and comparative philosophy, analytic philosophy of religion, Hindu Studies, theology, and religious studies.

Analytic theology and Science-Engaged Theology are two of the most exciting movements within theology in recent years, and have much in common. Both are interdisciplinary endeavours that engage other sub-disciplines (analytic philosophy and the natural and behavioural sciences, respectively) in the service of theology. Many (although not all) of the same scholars actively contribute to both movements. Furthermore, analytic theology and science-engaged theology both maintain the primacy and integrity of the theological task, whilst simultaneously inviting other disciplines to enrich theological reflection, criticism, and confession.

For too long, scholars interested in panentheism have focused almost exclusively on Western approaches to the issue. This book offers the first in-depth study of a wide range of Indian paradigms of panentheism, both ancient and modern, and brings these paradigms into creative and constructive dialogue with Western traditions. This volume features original essays written by leading international scholars. The volume discusses a broad range of Indian panentheistic traditions, including the Upaniṣads, Bhedābheda Vedānta, Rāmānuja's Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta, Yogācāra Buddhism, and the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda tradition. The chapters connect these traditions with Western panentheistic conceptions developed by thinkers such as Spinoza, Berkeley, Schopenhauer, Krause, Royce, Tononi and Koch, and Western process philosophers. Panentheism in Indian and Western Thought will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in philosophy of religion, Indian philosophy, comparative philosophy, and comparative religion.

In current theology the possibility of conclusive arguments for the existence of God is largely rejected by reference to Hume or Kant. Purportedly post-metaphysical surrogates are put in place of a metaphysically founded theology, where either the existence of God may be believed in only as a rational possibility, or else a radical constructivism about the existence of God is fallen into. Nevertheless, in the following, a conclusive metaphysical argument for the existence of God in the tradition of scholastic metaphysics is formulated. It is shown that theological talk of creatio ex nihilo is only the other side of this metaphysical argument: Whoever accepts creatio ex nihilo cannot consistently deny the soundness of the argument.

Karl Christian Friedrich Krause left an impressive oeuvre consisting of 256 books and articles, covering numerous branches of philosophy, the humanities, and science.[1] His Urbild der Menschheit, his Vorlesungen über das System der Philosophie and his Vorlesungen über die Grundwahrheiten der Wissenschaft are of particular pertinence for philosophers today. [1] See: E. M. Ureña and E. Fuchs, “Einführung in das Gesamtwerk”, in Karl Christian Friedrich Krause. Band 1: Entwurf des Systems der Philosophie, ed. T. Bach and O. Breidbach.

The pieces collected here are written by fifteen philosophers and one poet who have been influenced by Stephen Priest, or develop themes in Priest’s philosophy, or both. They include contributions from the United Kingdom, the USA, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Taiwan and Japan by authors working in range of traditions. Topics covered include philosophical method, the analytical/continental divide, the nature of the mind (or self, or soul), metaphysics, and the meaning of life. The volume also includes responses by Priest and an intellectual biography, describing some of the life-experiences which caused Priest to become interested in philosophy, and to make the transition from existentialism to metaphysics.

"The influence of materialist ontology largely dominates philosophical and scientific discussions. However, there is a resurgent interest in alternative ontologies from panpsychism to idealism and dualism. The Routledge Handbook of Idealism and Immaterialism is an outstanding reference source and the first major collection of its kind. Historically grounded and constructively motivated, it covers the key topics in philosophy, science, and theology, providing students and scholars with a comprehensive introduction to idealism and immaterialism. Also addressed is post-materialism developments, with explicit attention to variations of idealism and immaterialism. Comprising forty-four chapters written by an international and interdisciplinary team of contributors, the Handbook is organised into five clear parts: Idealism and the History of Philosophy Important Figures in Idealism Systematic Assessment of Idealism and Science Idealism, Physicalism, Panpsychism, and Substance Dualism. Essential reading for students and researchers in metaphysics, philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of mind, The Routledge Handbook of Idealism and Immaterialism will also be of interest to those in related discplines where idealist and immaterialist ontology impinge on history, science, and theology"--

Die Jahrestagung 2018 der Arbeitsgemeinschaft deutschsprachiger Philosophiedozentinnen und -dozenten im Studium der Katholischen Theologie an wissenschaftlichen Hochschulen fand vom 20.-22. Februar 2018 in der Katholischen Akademie Schwerte statt. Die Fachtagung stand unter dem Thema "Welt - Geist - Gott. Erkundungen zu Panpsychismus und Panentheismus" und widmete sich der Frage, wie sich das Gott-Welt-Verhaltnis religionsphilosophisch und unter Berucksichtigung der heutigen naturwissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse adaquat bestimmen lasst. Der Fokus lag dabei auf zwei alternativen Gottes- und Geistkonzeptionen: Panentheismus und Panpsychismus. Beide Forschungsprogramme wurden intensiv diskutiert und auf ihr jeweiliges philosophisches und theologisches Potential hin befragt, das Verhaltnis von Gott und Welt sowie Geist und Materie auf eine Art und Weise zu denken, die jenseits des bekannten Dualismus von Gott und Welt auf der einen Seite und Geist und Materie auf der anderen Seite liegt.

Der Begriff des Panentheismus wurde 1828 vom deutschen Philosophen Karl Christian Friedrich Krause in seinen Vorlesungen über das System der Philosophie eingeführt und bezeichnet dort die Synthese der Positionen des Theismus und des Pantheismus: Krause zufolge ist Gott als der eine unendliche und unbedingte Grund der Welt weder mit der Welt identisch noch nicht identisch mit der Welt. Stattdessen sei die Welt ein konstitutiver Teil der Existenz und des Wesens Gottes, der durch diesen Teil nicht vollständig in seiner Existenz und seinem Wesen erschöpft sei. Da Krauses Panentheismus in der Diskussion der analytischen Religionsphilosophie bisher kaum rezipiert worden ist, wurde der Begriff des Panentheismus allerdings erst durch die Arbeiten des amerikanischen Philosophen Charles Hartshorne in der Mitte des 20.

Panpsychism has become a highly attractive position in the philosophy of mind. On panpsychism, both the physical and the mental are inseparable and fundamental features of reality. Panentheism has also become immensely popular in the philosophy of religion. Panentheism strives for a higher reconciliation of an atheistic pantheism, on which the universe itself is causa sui, and the ontological dualism of necessarily existing, eternal creator and contingent, finite creation. Historically and systematically, panpsychism and panentheism often went together as essential parts of an all-embracing metaphysical theory of Being. The present collection of essays analyses the relation between panpsychism and panentheism and provides critical reflections on the significance of panpsychistic and panentheistic thinking for recent debates in philosophy and theology.

There is a close systematic relationship between panentheism, as a metaphysical theory about the relation between God and the world, and transhumanism, the ethical demand to use the means of the applied sciences to enhance both human nature and the environment. This relationship between panentheism and transhumanism provides a ‘cosmic’ solution to the problem of evil: on panentheistic premises, the history of the world is the one infinite life of God, and we are part of the one infinite divine being. We ourselves are therefore responsible for the future development of the life of the divine being. We should therefore use the means provided by the natural sciences to develop the history of the world in such a way that the existence of evil shall be overcome and shall no longer be part of the divine being in whom we move and live and have our being. The metaphysics of panentheism leads to the ethics of transhumanism.

This volume deals with the relation between faith and reason, and brings the latest developments of modern logic into the scene. Faith and rationality are two perennial key concepts in the history of ideas. Philosophers and theologians have struggled to bring into harmony these otherwise conflicting concepts. Despite the diversity of approaches about what rationality effectively means, logic remains the cannon of objective and rational thought. The chapters in this volume analyze several issues pertaining to the philosophy of religion and philosophical theology from the perspective of their relation to logic and the benefit they can derive from the use of modern logic tools. The book is divided into five parts: (I) Introduction, (II) Analytic Philosophy of Religion, (III) Logical Philosophy of Religion, (IV) Computational Philosophy and Religion and (V) Logic, Language and Religion. This text appeals to students and researchers in the field.

Cover -- Titel -- Impressum -- Inhaltsverzeichnis -- Gibt es einen prinzipiellen Konflikt von Theologie, Philosophie und Naturwissenschaft? Eine kurze Analyse am Beispiel des Handelns Gottes in der Welt -- Historisch-systematischer Teil -- Ich wird dich also an griffen / Das du mir nit mugist entwichen. Göttliche Aktivität, seelisches Leiden und die Rolle der Gnade in Christus und die minnende Seele -- Opera trinitatis ad extra indivisa sunt. Ein Grundaxiom der Trinitätstheologie in augustinischer Tradition -- Concursus divinus und Weltgeschichte. Überlegungen anhand des spätscholastischen Molinismus und G. W. F. Hegels Geschichtsphilosophie -- Bolzano über das Handeln Gottes -- Klassisch-systematischer Teil -- Außer Konkurrenz. Zur Rede vom Wirken Gottes als Sich-Geben -- Handeln Gottes - eine schöpfungstheologische und transzendentallogische Rekonstruktion -- Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan -- Gott liebt uns nicht -- Vom Wirken Gottes in der Welt -- Analytisch-systematischer Teil -- Ein dispositionalistisches Modell göttlichen Handelns in der Welt -- Die Offenheit eines handelnden Gottes -- Wunder verletzen die Naturgesetze nicht -- Der Creatio-Modus des Handelns Gottes -- Gottes Handeln in der Welt. Spekulation und die Adäquatheitsfrage -- Personenregister -- Sachregister -- Buchinfo -- Eigenanzeigen.