The mind-body problem, which Schopenhauer called the "world-knot," has been a central problem for philosophy since the time of Descartes. Among realists—those who accept the reality of the physical world—the two dominant approaches have been dualism and materialism, but there is a growing consensus that, if we are ever to understand how mind and body are related, a radically new approach is required. David Ray Griffin develops a third form of realism, one that resolves the basic problem (common to dualism and materialism) of the continued acceptance of the Cartesian view of matter. In dialogue with various philosophers, including Dennett, Kim, McGinn, Nagel, Seager, Searle, and Strawson, Griffin shows that materialist physicalism is even more problematic than dualism. He proposes instead a pan-experientialist physicalism grounded in the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead. Answering those who have rejected "pan-psychism" as obviously absurd, Griffin argues compellingly that pan-experientialism, by taking experience and spontaneity as fully natural, can finally provide a naturalistic account of the emergence of consciousness—an account that also does justice to the freedom that we all presuppose in practice.

Unsnarling the World-Knot: Consciousness, Freedom, and the Mind-Body Problem

Politics & Social Sciences

Griffin, David Ray

Philosophy

University of California Press

Furthering his contribution to the science and religion debate, David Ray Griffin draws upon the cosmology of Alfred North Whitehead and proposes a radical synthesis between two worldviews sometimes thought wholly incompatible. He argues that the traditions designated by the names "scientific naturalism" and "Christian faith" both embody a great truth--a truth of universal validity and importance--but that both of these truths have been distorted, fueling the conflict between the visions of the scientific and Christian communities. Griffin contends, however, that there is no inherent conflict between science, or even the kind of naturalism that it properly presupposes, and the Christian faith, understood in terms of the primary doctrines of the Christian good news.

Two Great Truths: A New Synthesis of Scientific Naturalism and Christian Faith

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Westminster/John Knox Press

The baffling age-old question, if there is a good God, why is there evil in the world? has troubled ordinary people and great thinkers for centuries. God, Power, and Evil illuminates the issues by providing both a critical historical survey of theodicy as presented in the works of major Western philosophers and theologians--Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Aquinas, Spinoza, Luther, Calvin, Leibniz, Barth, John Hick, James Ross, Fackenheim, Brunner, Berkeley, Albert Knudson, E. S. Brighton, and others--and a brilliant constructive statement of an understanding of theodicy written from the perspective of the process philosophical and theological thought inspired primarily by Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne.

God, Power, and Evil: A Process Theodicy

Probing disturbing questions that beg for a response from the Christian community, distinguished scholar of religion and popular writer David Ray Griffin provides a hard-hitting analysis of the official accounts of the events of September 11, 2001. A tireless investigator, Griffin has sorted through enormous amounts of government and independent data and brought to the surface some very unsettling inconsistencies about what really happened. In this, his latest book, he analyzes the evidence on 9/11 and then explores a distinctively Christian perspective on these issues, taking seriously what we know about Jesus' life, death, and teachings. Drawing a parallel between the Roman Empire of antiquity and the American Empire of today, he applies Jesus' teachings to the current political administration, and he explores how Christian churches, as a community intending to be an incarnation of the divine, can and should respond.

Christian Faith and the Truth behind 9/11: A Call to Reflection and Action

History

Americas

Varieties of Postmodern Theology (Suny Series in Constructive Postmodern Thought)

Sorts out the confusion created by the use of the term “postmodern” in relation to widely divergent theological positions. This book sorts out the confusion created by the use of the term “postmodern” in relation to widely divergent theological positions. Four different types of postmodern theology are distinguished in the preface: constructive, deconstructive, liberationist, and conservative. Two forms of each type are discussed in the book. Writing from a constructive, postmodern perspective, the authors enter into dialogue with the deconstructive postmodernism of Mark C. Taylor and Jean-François Lyotard, with the liberationist postmodernism of Harvey Cox and Cornel West, and with the conservative postmodernism of George William Rutler and John Paul II.

Holland, Joe

Beardslee, William A.

State Univ of New York Pr

Sorts out the confusion created by the use of the term “postmodern” in relation to widely divergent theological positions. This book sorts out the confusion created by the use of the term “postmodern” in relation to widely divergent theological positions. Four different types of postmodern theology are distinguished in the preface: constructive, deconstructive, liberationist, and conservative. Two forms of each type are discussed in the book. Writing from a constructive, postmodern perspective, the authors enter into dialogue with the deconstructive postmodernism of Mark C. Taylor and Jean-François Lyotard, with the liberationist postmodernism of Harvey Cox and Cornel West, and with the conservative postmodernism of George William Rutler and John Paul II.

State University of New York Press

Primordial Truth and Postmodern Theology (Suny Series in Constructive Postmodern Thought)

Proposes religious philosophies to succeed the waning worldview of modernity. In this book, Huston Smith and David Ray Griffin propose religious philosophies to succeed the waning worldview of modernity. Huston Smith proposes the perennial philosophy or primordial tradition, and David Ray Griffin offers postmodern process theology. The ultimate issue debated is whether we should return to a traditional religious philosophy or seek a new never-before-articulated worldview. The debate covers the following issues: the relation of Christianity to other religions; the ultimate reality of a personal God in relation to a transpersonal absolute; the ultimate reality of time and progress; the problem of evil; the nature of immortality; the relation of humans to nature; the relation of science to theology; the relation of upward to downward causation; and the possibility of nonrelativistic criteria for deciding between competing worldviews.

Smith, Huston

Proposes religious philosophies to succeed the waning worldview of modernity. In this book, Huston Smith and David Ray Griffin propose religious philosophies to succeed the waning worldview of modernity. Huston Smith proposes the perennial philosophy or primordial tradition, and David Ray Griffin offers postmodern process theology. The ultimate issue debated is whether we should return to a traditional religious philosophy or seek a new never-before-articulated worldview. The debate covers the following issues: the relation of Christianity to other religions; the ultimate reality of a personal God in relation to a transpersonal absolute; the ultimate reality of time and progress; the problem of evil; the nature of immortality; the relation of humans to nature; the relation of science to theology; the relation of upward to downward causation; and the possibility of nonrelativistic criteria for deciding between competing worldviews.

Griffin responds to critiques of his earlier work God, Power, and Evil: A Process Theodicy. In this book Griffin responds to critiques of his earlier work―God, Power, and Evil: A Process Theodicy―and discusses ways in which his position has changed in the intervening years. In so doing, he examines the problem of evil, theodicy, and philosophical theology, and contrasts traditional theism and process theism with regard to the question of omnipotence.

Evil Revisited: Responses and Reconsiderations

Griffin responds to critiques of his earlier work God, Power, and Evil: A Process Theodicy. In this book Griffin responds to critiques of his earlier work―God, Power, and Evil: A Process Theodicy―and discusses ways in which his position has changed in the intervening years. In so doing, he examines the problem of evil, theodicy, and philosophical theology, and contrasts traditional theism and process theism with regard to the question of omnipotence.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Griffin, David Ray. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Griffin, David Ray

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Griffin, David Ray. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Unsnarling the World-Knot: Consciousness, Freedom, and the Mind-Body Problem

Two Great Truths: A New Synthesis of Scientific Naturalism and Christian Faith

God, Power, and Evil: A Process Theodicy

Christian Faith and the Truth behind 9/11: A Call to Reflection and Action

Varieties of Postmodern Theology (Suny Series in Constructive Postmodern Thought)

Varieties of Postmodern Theology (Suny Series in Constructive Postmodern Thought)

Primordial Truth and Postmodern Theology (Suny Series in Constructive Postmodern Thought)

Primordial Truth and Postmodern Theology (Suny Series in Constructive Postmodern Thought)

Evil Revisited: Responses and Reconsiderations

Evil Revisited: Responses and Reconsiderations