Ethics And The Future Of Religion

Author : Calvin Mercer,Tracy J. Trothen
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 266 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2021-02-22
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9783030623593

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Religion and the Technological Future by Calvin Mercer,Tracy J. Trothen Pdf

We live in an age of rapid technological advancement. Never before has humankind wielded so much power over our own biology. Biohacking, the attempt at human enhancement of physical, cognitive, affective, moral, and spiritual traits, has become a global phenomenon. This textbook introduces religious and ethical implications of biohacking, artificial intelligence, and other technological changes, offering perspectives from monotheistic and karmic religions and applied ethics. These technological breakthroughs are transforming our societies and ourselves fundamentally via genetic modification, tissue engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, the merging of computer technology with human biology, extended reality, brain stimulation, and nanotechnology. The book also considers the extreme possibilities of mind uploading, cryonics, and superintelligence. Chapters explore some of the political, economic, sociological, and psychological dimensions of these advances, with bibliographies for further study and questions for discussion. The technological future is here – and it is up to us to decide its moral and religious shape.

Author : W. Royce Clark
Publisher : Lexington Books
Page : 476 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2022-02-03
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781978708655

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Ethics and the Future of Religion by W. Royce Clark Pdf

W. Royce Clark observes that humanity appears to be jeopardizing our own future in a chaos of mutual antagonism and hypocrisy. Religions have traditionally provided ethical guidance, but because their absolutized metaphysics are incompatible with each other, we cannot rely on any one of them in a religiously pluralistic culture. The ethics of various religions are also built on theocratic or authoritarian foundations which are incompatible with any democratic society. Finally, many of their premises are very ancient, so not relevant or appropriate in our modern scientific world. The Western Enlightenment brought challenges against religion’s singularity, exclusivity, heteronomy, and anti-scientific assumptions, all of which disrupted their ethics and the Absolute metaphysical grounds upon which those ethics rested, raising the question of whether a “freestanding” ethic was possible. Inasmuch as the primary claim of most religions was regarded as beyond challenge, but was a conflation of history and myth, modern historical method created more doubt than certainty about such allegedly certain doctrines as “Jesus is the Son of God.” By the end of the 20th century, the impossibility of validating suchprimary Christological claims from a historical approach became evident, despite the articulate attempts at credibility in the brilliant works of John Dominic Crossan and Wolfhart Pannenberg, which remained unconvincing in important ways. Between 1832 and 2014, innovative Christian theologians such as Schleiermacher, Hegel, Tillich, and Scharlemann took a detour from the futility of historical verification. This study examines their remarkable attempts at a form of “corroboration” of the basic Christological claim, even if their primary interests were more in Christology than ethics. The question Clark takes up here is whether or not these figures have thereby provided a base for a universal ethic, or the only answer is for principles “freestanding” from any religion?

Author : Harold D. Schlachtenhaufen
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1434371158

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Faith Ethics by Harold D. Schlachtenhaufen Pdf

Are you one of those people who have wanted to get to know God better but never found anything in a church to help you do so? Do religious words sound like gibberish to you? If so, this book is for you. Thinking About God is written to explain, in non-theological language, what some of God is all about. It is a series of short meditations on some of the major words that we find in talk about faith, meditations in which the author re-images these words into more conventional language, language to which most of us can relate. Thinking About God believes that at the heart of the human experience is imagination, and at the heart of imagination is our picture of God. It aims to encourage you to look again at who God can be in your life, to inspire you to reconsider any misconceptions you may have about spirituality or the fact of Jesus in the human experience, to open yourself to new avenues of understanding in your perceptions of the larger forces that govern our lives. Thinking About God believes that we all are on journeys, really, ever seeking to enlarge our comprehension of who we are and where we are going. Its author shares his meditations as a fellow traveler, a traveler, mind you, who feels as if he has found something permanently spiritually transforming, but a traveler who is very much aware that others continue, by choice, to search for their spiritual destiny. Indeed, it is to all of these travelers that the author dedicates this book.

Author : Ronald H. Preston
Publisher : SCM Press
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 1987
Category : Religion
ISBN : UOM:39015049008199

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The Future of Christian Ethics by Ronald H. Preston Pdf

This book is about decision making. Its underlying theme is that we cannot move directly from basic Christian Insights to key areas where ethical choices have to be made without some kind of empirical investigation, with all the hazards which that brings. And the more detailed the analysis and recommendations drawn from the investigation, the greater the difference of opinion will be, This makes it important to work on particular topics in groups, looking for agreement at a middle level on a general direction: this is important where the situation is polarized, as it often Is. The studies collected here relate to three areas: ecumenical Christianity, economics and politics. The subjects discussed include the development of social ethics in the Church of England, the future of Protestant ethics, the end of the Protestant work ethic, the New Right, political theology, liberation theology, penal theory and practice and the demoralization of modem society.

Author : John D. Gunson
Publisher : Wipf and Stock
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2016-03-02
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1498293611

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God, Ethics and the Secular Society by John D. Gunson Pdf

Many lay people in the Christian churches have not been kept up to date with the latest scholarship about their faith._ Many have left the churches because a faith expressed in ancient mythological language and images no longer seems credible in our postmodern, secular, scientific world. God, Ethics and the Secular Society not only re-examines Christian faith in terms of the best contemporary scholarship, and its relationship to modern scientific knowledge, but shows how one can re-interpret the faith without losing its essential and original meaning. It suggests that the critical question is not what we believe, but how we should live, and it sets out a new form for the life of the church, if it is to survive into the future. Consequently Gunson hopes that many people of good will, who have no interest in religion, may also want to join this ethical community, to help nurture and prosecute the ethical life in a desperately needy world.

Author : Willis Jenkins
Publisher : Georgetown University Press
Page : 349 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2013-10-28
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781626160170

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The Future of Ethics by Willis Jenkins Pdf

The Future of Ethics interprets the big questions of sustainability and social justice through the practical problems arising from humanity’s increasing power over basic systems of life. What does climate change mean for our obligations to future generations? How can the sciences work with pluralist cultures in ways that will help societies learn from ecological change? Traditional religious ethics examines texts and traditions and highlights principles and virtuous behaviors that can apply to particular issues. Willis Jenkins develops lines of practical inquiry through "prophetic pragmatism," an approach to ethics that begins with concrete problems and adapts to changing circumstances. This brand of pragmatism takes its cues from liberationist theology, with its emphasis on how individuals and communities actually cope with overwhelming problems. Can religious communities make a difference when dealing with these issues? By integrating environmental sciences and theological ethics into problem-based engagements with philosophy, economics, and other disciplines, Jenkins illustrates the wide understanding and moral creativity needed to live well in the new conditions of human power. He shows the significance of religious thought to the development of interdisciplinary responses to sustainability issues and how this calls for a new style of religious ethics.

Author : Joseph Tham,Alberto Garcia Gómez,John Lunstroth
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2022-01-03
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9783030869380

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Multicultural and Interreligious Perspectives on the Ethics of Human Reproduction by Joseph Tham,Alberto Garcia Gómez,John Lunstroth Pdf

This book includes a number of distinct religious and secular views on the anthropological, ethical and social challenges of reproductive technologies in the light of human rights and in the context of global bioethics. It includes contributions of bioethics experts from six major religions—Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism—as well as secular authors. The chapters include commentaries discussing the content cross-religious/secular tradition to give a comparative perspective. Not only the volume editors but also the contributing authors took part in reviewing each others’ chapter making this a unique collected volume, not common in interreligious dialogue today. This text appeals to researchers and students working in the fields of bioethics and religious/secular studies.

Author : Anna Abram
Publisher : MDPI
Page : 95 pages
File Size : 52,7 Mb
Release : 2018-03-15
Category : Christian ethics
ISBN : 9783038427711

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The Future of Catholic Theological Ethics by Anna Abram Pdf

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "The Future of Catholic Theological Ethics" that was published in Religions

Author : Richard Rorty,Gianni Vattimo
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 108 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2005-02-02
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780231509107

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The Future of Religion by Richard Rorty,Gianni Vattimo Pdf

Though coming from different and distinct intellectual traditions, Richard Rorty and Gianni Vattimo are united in their criticism of the metaphysical tradition. The challenges they put forward extend beyond philosophy and entail a reconsideration of the foundations of belief in God and the religious life. They urge that the rejection of metaphysical truth does not necessitate the death of religion; instead it opens new ways of imagining what it is to be religious—ways that emphasize charity, solidarity, and irony. This unique collaboration, which includes a dialogue between the two philosophers, is notable not only for its fusion of pragmatism (Rorty) and hermeneutics (Vattimo) but also for its recognition of the limits of both traditional religious belief and modern secularism. In "Anticlericalism and Atheism" Rorty discusses Vattimo's work Belief and argues that the end of metaphysics paves the way for an anti-essentialist religion. Rorty's conception of religion, determined by private motives, is designed to produce the gospel's promise that henceforth God will not consider humanity as a servant but as a friend. In "The Age of Interpretation," Vattimo, who is both a devout Catholic and a frequent critic of the church, explores the surprising congruence between Christianity and hermeneutics in light of the dissolution of metaphysical truth. As in hermeneutics, interpretation is central to Christianity, which introduced the world to the principle of interiority, dissolving the experience of objective reality into "listening to and interpreting messages." The lively dialogue that concludes this volume, moderated and edited by Santiago Zabala, analyzes the future of religion together with the political, social, and historical aspects that characterize our contemporary postmodern, postmetaphysical, and post-Christian world.

Author : Richard Rorty
Publisher : Columbia University Press
Page : 102 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780231150569

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An Ethics for Today by Richard Rorty Pdf

Richard Rorty is famous, maybe even infamous, for his philosophical nonchalance. His groundbreaking work not only rejects all theories of truth but also dismisses modern epistemology and its preoccupation with knowledge and representation. At the same time, the celebrated pragmatist believed there could be no universally valid answers to moral questions, which led him to a complex view of religion rarely expressed in his writings. In this posthumous publication, Rorty, a strict secularist, finds in the pragmatic thought of John Dewey, John Stuart Mill, William James, and George Santayana, among others, a political imagination shared by religious traditions. His intent is not to promote belief over nonbelief or to blur the distinction between religious and public domains. Rorty seeks only to locate patterns of similarity and difference so an ethics of decency and a politics of solidarity can rise. He particularly responds to Pope Benedict XVI and his campaign against the relativist vision. Whether holding theologians, metaphysicians, or political ideologues to account, Rorty remains steadfast in his opposition to absolute uniformity and its exploitation of political strength.

Author : N. Fotion,J.C. Heller
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 216 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9789401155663

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Contingent Future Persons by N. Fotion,J.C. Heller Pdf

How ought we evaluate the individual and collective actions on which the existence, numbers and identities of future people depend? In the briefest of terms, this question poses what is addressed here as the problem of contingent future persons, and as such it poses relatively novel challenges for philosophical and theological ethicists. For though it may be counter-intuitive, it seems that those contingent future persons who are actually brought into existence by such actions cannot benefit from or be harmed by these actions in any conventional sense of the terms. This intriguing problem was defined almost three decades ago by Jan Narveson [2], and to date its implications have been explored most exhaustively by Derek Parfit [3] and David Heyd [1]. Nevertheless, as yet there is simply no consensus on how we ought to evaluate such actions or, indeed, on whether we can. Still, the pursuit of a solution to the problem has been interestingly employed by moral philosophers to press the limits of ethics and to urge a reconsideration of the nature and source of value at its most fundamental level. It is thus proving to be a very fruitful investigation, with far-reaching theoretical and practical implications.

Author : Jürgen Moltmann
Publisher : Burns & Oates
Page : 120 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 1989
Category : Nature
ISBN : UOM:39015021964104

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Creating a Just Future by Jürgen Moltmann Pdf

Here is Moltmann discussing the questions that matter more than any others for our world: How is it possible to create a world society worth living in? What positive contribution can Christians make in the face of the nuclear threat? What can be done to mobilize concern for the future of the environment and its natural resources? Moltmann provides a new combination of insights from the Bible and from oriental religion as he has come to know it through his work in the Far East to produce some fresh and challenging perspectives on the primary global issues of our time.

Author : Ted Peters
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 358 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2017-03-02
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781351901734

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Science, Theology, and Ethics by Ted Peters Pdf

Science challenges faith to seek fuller understanding, and faith challenges science to be socially and ethically responsible. This book begins with faith in God the Creator of the world, and then expands our understanding of creation in light of Big Bang cosmology and new discoveries in physics. Examining the expanding frontier of genetic research, Ted Peters draws out implications for theological understandings of human nature and human freedom. Issues discussed include: methodology in science and theology; eschatology in cosmology and theology; freedom and responsibility in evolution and theology; and genetic determinism, genetic engineering, and cloning in relation to freedom, the comodification of human life, and equitable distribution of the fruits of genetic technology. The dialogue model of relationship between science and religion, proposed in this book, provides a common ground for the disparate voices among theologians, scientists, and world religions. This common ground has the potential to breathe new life into current debates about the world in which we live, move, and have our being.

Author : Rachel Muers
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 341 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2011-10-27
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780567006448

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Living for the Future by Rachel Muers Pdf

Our relationship to future generations raises fundamental issues for ethical thought, to which a Christian theological response is both possible and significant. A relationship to future generations is implicitly central to many of today's most public controversies - over environmental protection, genetic research, and the purpose of education, to name but a few; but it has received little explicit or extended consideration. In Living for the Future Rachel Muers argues and seeks to demonstrate that to consider future generations as ethically significant is not simply to extend an existing ethical framework, but to rethink how ethics is done. Doing intergenerationally responsible theology and ethics means paying attention to how people are formed as theological and ethical reasoners (reasoners about the good), how social practices of deliberation about the good are maintained and developed, and how all of this relates to an understanding of the world as the sphere of God's transforming action. In other words, an intergenerationally responsible theological ethics will pay attention to the ethics, and the spirituality, of "ethics" itself. Her account of the ethical relation to future generations centres on three key concepts: "choosing life" (see Deut 30:19); "keeping the sources open"; and "sustaining fruitful contexts". These concepts are developed theologically and in engagement with extra-theological conversations on intergenerational responsibility. She shows how they take up and move beyond concerns expressed in those conversations - for "survival", for the right distribution of resources, and for the maintenance of human values.

Author : Henry McDonald
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 112 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 1984
Category : Religion
ISBN : UOM:39015006602547

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The Ethics of Comparative Religion by Henry McDonald Pdf