After Christianity Contributor(s): Vattimo, Gianni (Author), D'Isanto, Luca (Translator) |
|||
ISBN: 0231106289 ISBN-13: 9780231106283 Publisher: Columbia University Press
Binding Type: Hardcover - See All Available Formats & Editions Published: June 2002 Annotation: In this provocative book, one of Europe's foremost philosophers contemplates the future of religion in the postmodern world. Click for more in this series: Italian Academy Lectures |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Religion | Philosophy - Philosophy | Religious - Philosophy | Hermeneutics |
Dewey: 230 |
LCCN: 2001047502 |
Age Level: 22-UP |
Grade Level: 17-UP |
Lexile Measure: 1530(Not Available) |
Series: Italian Academy Lectures |
Physical Information: 0.72" H x 5.3" W x 9.26" L (0.72 lbs) 128 pages |
Themes: - Religious Orientation - Christian |
Features: Dust Cover, Index, Table of Contents |
Review Citations: Booklist 07/01/2002 pg. 1802 Choice 02/01/2003 pg. 1001 |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: What has been the fate of Christianity since Nietzsche's famous announcement of the "death of God"? What is the possibility of religion, specifically Christianity, thriving in our postmodern era? In this provocative new book, Gianni Vattimo, leading Italian philosopher, politician, and framer of the European constitution, addresses these critical questions. When Vattimo was asked by a former teacher if he still believed in God, his reply was, "Well, I believe that I believe." This paradoxical declaration of faith serves as the foundation for a brilliant exposition on Christianity in the new millennium--an age characterized by a deep uncertainty of opinion--and a personal account of how Vattimo himself recovered his faith through Nietzsche and Heidegger. He first argues that secularization is in fact the fulfillment of the central Christian message, and prepares us for a new mode of Christianity. He then explains that Nietzsche's thesis concerns only the "moral god" and leaves room for the emergence of "new gods." Third, Vattimo claims that the postmodern condition of fragmentation, anti-Eurocentrism, and postcolonialism can be usefully understood in light of Joachim of Fiore's thesis concerning the "Spiritual Age" of history. Finally, Vattimo argues for the idea of "weak thought." Because philosophy in the postmetaphysical age can only acknowledge that "all is interpretation," that the "real" is always relative and not the hard and fast "truth" we once thought it to be, contemporary thought must recognize itself and its claims as "weak" as opposed to "strong" foundationalist claims of the metaphysical past. Vattimo concludes that these factors make it possible for religion and God to become a serious topic for philosophy again, and that philosophy should now formally engage religion. |
Contributor Bio(s): Vattimo, Gianni: - Gianni Vattimo (PhD, Philosophy, Turin) is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Turin. He is the author of a large number of books, most of which have been translated into English, including Of Reality (Columbia, 2016), A farewell to Truth (Columbia, 2011), and The Responsibility of the Philosopher (Columbia, 2010). He is also known for his political activism in support of gay rights and has served as a member of the European Parliament. As a philosopher he is known for his espousal of nihilism, his rejection of truth in favor of interpretation (hermeneutics), his adoption of weak thought as a withdrawal from metaphysics, and his situational Marxism. |
Customer ReviewsSubmit your own review |
To tell a friend about this book, you must Sign In First! |