Philosophy

Welcome to the new tyranny "If it feels good, do it." "That's your opinion, and this is mine."

"I don't want to impose my beliefs on others."

And thus the Dictator of Relativism speaks as he has always spoken to seduce humanity into a false sense of freedom.

Pope Benedict XVI, Christ's personally chosen defender of the Truth is fighting back. He recognized this in his homily on April 18, 2005, "We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires."

Through a down-to-earth, easily accessible Question-and-Answer format, Stefanick's book shows:

Why relativism inherently contradicts its own claims.

What makes it one of the worst ideas in the history of ideas.

How relativism has a direct influence on the morals and virtues of a nation.

Why relativism doesn't even work "in real life."

How relativism is counterproductive to the true practice of tolerance

Why religion which makes claims to absolute truth is finally more tolerant than relativism.

What Christianity has almost singlehandedly done to foster true tolerance in the world.

How all laws legislate morality

What the true meaning of "open-minded" means it's not what you think!

We are meant for beauty, and beauty is meant for us

Few political philosophers have laid such stress upon the organic and dynamic characters of human rights, rooted as they are in natural law, as did the great 20th century philosopher, Jacques Maritain. Few Christian scholars have placed such emphasis upon the influence of evangelical inspiration, or of the Gospel message, upon the temporal order as has Maritain.As this important work reveals, the philosophy of Jacques Maritain on natural law and human rights is complemented by and can only be properly understood in the light of his teaching on Christianity and democracy and their relationship. Maritain takes pains to point out that Christianity cannot be made subservient to any political form or regime, that democracy is linked to Christianity and not the other way around, and that every just regime, such as the classic forms of monarchy, aristocracy and republic, is compatible with Christianity and in it a person is able to achieve some measure of fulfillment even in the temporal order.At the same time he argues his distinctive thesis that personalist or organic democracy provides a fuller measure of freedom and fulfillment and that it emerges or begins to take shape under the inspiration of the Gospel. Even the modern democracies we do in fact have, with all their weaknesses, represent an historic gain for the person and they spring, he urges, from the very Gospel they so wantonly repudiate!

This is a work of rare prophetic brilliance by Josef Pieper, one of this century's most profound and lucid expositors of the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. This book was written to throw light on an ancient question that has vexed and tormented many. What is the nature of "The End" toward which, even now, the world and men are moving? No writer of our time is better equipped to answer that question than Pieper. He provides the most rigorous and sustained philosophical analysis, anchored to "the primeval rock of theological pronouncement," in order precisely to understand the finalities of time and history.

Can time be our friend? At first glance the question seems ridiculous, because the apparent scarcity of time is a constant source of stress in our busy lives. There are not enough hours in the day, we say as we collapse late at night. Deep down we know that we cannot go on like this.

Father Stinnisen's book dares us to see time with new eyes. The insight that eternity is written in the depths of our hearts helps us to live in time in a way that leads us deeper into God's joy. We are like children in a land of fairy tales where everything is exciting and exploration never ends.We therefore should rejoice that everything around us is great and mysterious and that we can live in eternal wonder.

His intention is not to explain what time is and thus take away its mystery. Instead, his aim is to show us how to see time from different perspectives and to discover how rich and multifaceted it is. Above all, he demonstrates how we can make use of the tremendous possibilities that time offers to us.

This book provides a detailed, updated exposition and defense of five of the historically most important (but in recent years largely neglected) philosophical proofs of God's existence: the Aristotelian, the Neo-Platonic, the Augustinian, the Thomistic, and the Rationalist.

It also offers a thorough treatment of each of the key divine attributes--unity, simplicity, eternity, omnipotence, omniscience, perfect goodness, and so forth--showing that they must be possessed by the God whose existence is demonstrated by the proofs. Finally, it answers at length all of the objections that have been leveled against these proofs.

This work provides as ambitious and complete a defense of traditional natural theology as is currently in print. Its aim is to vindicate the view of the greatest philosophers of the past-- thinkers like Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Aquinas, Leibniz, and many others-- that the existence of God can be established with certainty by way of purely rational arguments. It thereby serves as a refutation both of atheism and of the fideism that gives aid and comfort to atheism.

Many scientists and philosophers believe that you are no more than a machine. By their account there is no afterlife and you are no better than any other kind of animal. The existence of mankind, according to such thinkers, is purely the outcome of chance events. There never was any tendency, natural or supernatural, to produce life and the human mind. The universe is hostile or indifferent toward you, and you occupy no special place within it.

At the heart of this story of mankind lies not science but a rarely expressed philosophical assumption that modern science, at least in principle, tells all there is to know about you and the world. With his unique blend of cogency, clarity, and charm, philosopher Michael Augros hauls that assumption out into the light and demolishes it. The Immortal in You demonstrates how an astute use of common sense and a study of common human experience reveal that there is more to you--much more--than science could possibly say.

From the author of Who Designed the Designer?, this modern response to the ancient exhortation Know thyself delivers a wealth of fresh, powerful, and uplifting ideas about what it is to be human, which will engage thoughtful readers regardless of their beliefs.

As Alasdair MacIntyre notes in the preface, the work of Pinckaers attracted strong

and fully justified notice in this country with the publication in English of his The

Sources of Christian Ethics. As Pinckaers himself notes in the text, excellently translated

by Michael Sherwin, the interest should in no way be limited to Roman

Catholics. Morality recasts the earlier book in an argument that is both lower and

upper case catholic, and is accessible to readers and teachers outside the limited

circle of moral theologians and academic ethicists. Pinckaers contends that

Christian morality is not first of all about obligations but about happiness, understanding

that the happiness of union with God is our natural destiny made possible

by grace. The Sermon on the Mount is at the center of an approach to morality

that turns on the distinction between freedom for excellence and freedom of

indifference, the former understood as human flourishing and the latter as a neutral

capacity to choose between controversies. The proposal of Morality is thoroughly

Christ-centered, humanistic, and faithful to the magisterial teaching of the

Church. Warmly recommended.

First Things

If you want to have the experience of reflecting on Catholic morality as though

you were reading about it for the first time, treat yourself to Father Servais

Pinckaers Morality: The Catholic View. He has recovered the classical view of the

moral life as the quest for happiness and has presented it with disarming simplicity.

Bringing us back to the Sermon on the Mount and Romans 12 15, the writings

of Augustine and Aquinas, and the theme of natural law, he has freed those texts

from the layers of legalism which has hidden their liberating, spiritual powers for

moral living. By distinguishing freedom of indifference from freedom for excellence,

he has restored a wise vision of freedom. No one has shown better the role

of virtues as building blocks for morality. Catechists need to read this book.

Rev. Alfred McBride, O.Praem., Professor of Homilectics and Catechetics at Blessed

Pope John XXIII Seminary, Weston, Massachusetts

Father Pinckaers has given us a masterful exposition of Christian living. The clarity

and brevity of his presentation captured well by the translator make this book

ideal for classroom and parish use.

Readers will find the historical and systematic observations very informative.

Romanus Cessario, St. John s Seminary, Brighton, Massachusetts

"

The conversion to Catholicism and the rich writings of this prominent nineteenth century theologian are presented with newfound accessibility and energy in this second volume in the 101 Series from Christian Classics. Over the last 150 years few Catholic thinkers have captured the mood, imagination, and concerns of the Church as well as John Cardinal Newman. His journey from Anglicanism to Catholicism is one marked with controversy and radical transformation, but what followed was even more critical and fascinating, one of the most celebrated careers in history of a Catholic thinker. In Newman 101, Roderick Strange offers an accessible introduction to the thought and work of the popular and widely studied philosopher, highlighting his Catholic vision for an entire new generation of readers.

A great philosopher once observed, Philosophers let theories get in the way of what they and everybody else know. A lot of ink has been spilt in order to obscure what we really can't not know about reality, humanity and morality.

In the midst of a culture permeated by philosophies that seek to redefine the universally available meaning of what it is to be human, Fr. Robert McTeigue says it is more important than ever to be equipped with reliable philosophical tools that help us to see clearly the implications of our stated moral claims; that enable us to detect moral and logical error; and that keep us grounded in the love of truth.

You will find such tools in these pages that explore what it means to be human with metaphysical, anthropological, and ethical dimensions.

But this book does more than offer tools for seeing and understanding. It is a refutation of philosophies which prize love of theory over love of truth; a rebuke of any metaphysics that cannot account for itself; a refutation of anthropologies which are unworthy of the human person; and a refutation of ethical systems which reduce the great dignity and destiny of the human person.

Most importantly, this book is a prescription for an alternative: it is a real philosophy for real people, wherein the best of classical philosophy finds its fulfillment, expressed in a contemporary idiom that is accessible to the layman and plausible to the scholar. It offers a catalog of errors with their refutations, and a map for living a truly human life. It is a portable error-detector, while providing a basis for knowing and presenting the truth.

No issue is more fateful for civilization than moral relativism. History knows not one example of a successful society which repudiated moral absolutes. Yet most attacks on relativism have been either pragmatic (looking at its social consequences) or exhorting (preaching rather than proving), and philosophers' arguments against it have been specialized, technical, and scholarly.

In his typical unique writing style, Peter Kreeft lets an attractive, honest, and funny relativist interview a "Muslim fundamentalist" absolutist so as not to stack the dice personally for absolutism. In an engaging series of personal interviews, every conceivable argument the "sassy Black feminist" reporter Libby gives against absolutism is simply and clearly refuted, and none of the many arguments for moral absolutism is refuted.

What would happen if Socrates--yes, the Socrates of ancient Athens--suddenly showed up on the campus of a major university and enrolled in its divinity school? What would he think of human progress since his day? How would he react to our values? To our culture? And what would he think of Jesus? Peter Kreeft, Christian philosopher and longtime admirer of the historic Socrates, imagines the result. In this drama Socrates meets such fellow students as Bertha Broadmind, Thomas Keptic and Molly Mooney. Throughout, Kreeft weaves an intriguing web as he brings Socrates closer and closer to a meeting with Jesus. Here is a startling and provocative portrayal of reason in search of truth. In a new introduction to this revised edition, Kreeft also highlights the inspiration for this book and the key questions of truth and faith it addresses.

The ISI Guides to the Major Disciplines are reader-friendly introductions to the most important fields of knowledge in the liberal arts. Written by leading scholars for both students and the general public, they will be appreciated by anyone desiring a reliable and informative tour of important subject matter. Each title offers an historical overview of a particular discipline, explains the central ideas of each subject, and evaluates the works of thinkers whose ideas have shaped our world. They will aid students seeking to make better decisions about their course of study as well as general readers who wish to supplement their education. All who treasure the world of ideas and liberal learning will be motivated by these original and stimulating presentations.