Spirituality and the good life : philosophical approaches / edited by David McPherson, Creighton University.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

McPherson, David (Assistant Professor of Philosophy), editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Spiritual life.

Religious life.

Conduct of life.

Spirituality.

Philosophy and religion.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 237 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Summary:

This book presents a broad philosophical study of the nature of spirituality and its relationship to human well-being, addressing an area of contemporary philosophy that has been largely underexplored. David McPherson brings together a team of scholars to examine the importance of specific spiritual practices (including prayer, contemplation, and ritual observance) and spiritually informed virtues (such as piety, humility, and existential gratitude) for 'the good life'. This volume also considers and exemplifies how philosophy itself, when undertaken as a humanistic rather than scientistic enterprise, can be a spiritual exercise and part of a spiritual way of life. Clarifying key concepts, and engaging with major religious traditions such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Confucianism, this book will appeal to students and scholars from various disciplines, including theology, sociology, and psychology, as well as to philosophers, ethicists, and other readers who are interested in modern spiritual life.

Contents:

Introduction

Chapter 1 Philosophy, Religion, and Spirituality

Chapter 2 The Problem of Impiety

Chapter 3 The Virtue of Piety

Chapter 4 Homo Religiosus: Does Spirituality Have a Place in Neo-Aristotelian Virtue Ethics?

Chapter 5 Desire and the Spiritual Life

Chapter 6 Between Heaven and Earth: Sensory Experience and the Goods of the Spiritual Life

Chapter 7 The Jewish Sabbath as a Spiritual Practice

Chapter 8 The Power of the Spoken Word: Prayer, Invocation, and Supplication in Islam

Chapter 9 Aristotelian Friendship and Ignatian Companionship

Chapter 10 Starting with Compassion

Chapter 11 Identifying with the Confucian Heaven: Immanent and Transcendent Dao

Chapter 12 Agnostic Spirituality

Select Bibliography

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 24 Oct 2017).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-108-36361-X

1-316-45946-2

1-108-36517-5