recently published books in process thought...
2008
Birch, Charles. Science and Soul. (New York: Templeton Foundation Press, 2008).
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Through his writing, teaching and public speaking, Charles Birch has drawn attention to the relationship between science and religion and the ways in which they shape our attitudes to the world around us. In this timely book, he discusses the influences on his life and work that led to him forming a philosophy that combines science and religion. With a series of conversational snapshots of his mentors, including some of the most eminent scientists, philosophers and theologians of the 20th century such as Paul Tillich and Reinhold Niebuhr, Birch shows how his ideas developed. In the second part of the book he explains the philosophy that he came to form, known as 'Process Thought', which seeks to reconcile these opposites. This memoir summarises the influences on, the life and the work of an important Australian thinker and writer.
Clayton, Philip. Adventures in the Spirit: God, World, Divine Action. (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2008).
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] [amazon.com]Many theologians have been reconceiving the God-world relation, challenging the separation that underlay too much of Patristic and Scholastic theology. These panentheists affirm a radical indwelling of God within the world and the world within God. During the same period scientists have begun to abandon the reductionist ideology that characterized much of the modern period. Reductionism is being replaced by a new emphasis on emergence: the study of how new structures and entities arise throughout the evolutionary process and how each requires its own form of explanation.
Surprisingly few theologians have recognized the paradigm shift represented by the convergence of these two important schools of thought. Clayton's pioneering work develops new models of God and the God-world relation in light of panentheism and emergent complexity and models an open-minded Christian theology that still respects tradition.
Surprisingly few theologians have recognized the paradigm shift represented by the convergence of these two important schools of thought. Clayton's pioneering work develops new models of God and the God-world relation in light of panentheism and emergent complexity and models an open-minded Christian theology that still respects tradition.
Cobb, John B. A Christian Natural Theology, Second Edition. (Louisville: KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008).
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] [amazon.com]First appearing in 1965, John Cobb's A Christian Natural Theology was an unprecedented work of theological scholarship. Using Alfred North Whitehead's metaphysical philosophy as a framework to develop a Christian natural theology, Cobb helped launch process thought as a leading alternative to neo-orthodox theology. The book has since become a classic in the literature of process theology. Now, in this second edition, Cobb offers substantive changes at key points where his views have changed. Among these points are the relationship between God and time, the connection between God and creativity, and other important contributions of Whitehead's thinking about God. Written by one of America's preeminent theologians, this book is an essential work for all those studying process thought.
__________. Whitehead Word Book: A Glossary with Alphabetical Index to Technical Terms in Process and Reality. (Claremont, CA: P&FPress, 2008).
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What every reader of Whitehead has longed for, and students of Process and Reality have begged for: a glossary of all the most important process terms, written by the one of the greatest living authorities on Whitehead's thought. The definitions are simple enough for the first-time student, yet precise enough to satisfy even the most demanding scholars. The prose is lucid and insightful; it brings the original terms to life. Indeed, reading this text through from front to back now offers one of the quickest and most accurate introductions to Whitehead's thought available anywhere.
Faber, Roland. God as Poet of the World: Exploring Process Theologies. (Louisville: KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008).
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] [amazon.com]Process theology has been a major theological innovation of the last hundred years, and its influence on American theology has been pervasive. But process thought is far from being simply an American phenomenon. Throughout the last few decades, some of the most exciting work in process theology has been undertaken in Asia and Europe. Process theology is thus now a truly international movement, with exciting potential for contributing to theological inquiry today." In this book, world-recognized expert in process thought Roland Faber presents a systematic exploration of process theology's roots and development, its chief concerns and concepts, and its opportunities for new contributions to today's theological scene, especially in topics such as cosmology, politics, and theopoetics. This book is a superb resource for those who want to know more about this important theological movement.
Keller, Catherine. On the Mystery: Discerning Divinity in Process. (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2008).
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] [amazon.com]With immediate impact and deep creativity, Catherine Keller offers this brief and unconventional introduction to theological thinking, especially as recast by process thought. Keller here takes up theology itself as a quest for religious authenticity in a way that helps us probe the meaning of the divine, of divine power and compassion, of our evolving world, and of Christian life in the Spirit.
Through a marvelous combination of brilliant writing, story, engaging reflection, and unabashed questioning of old shibboleths, Keller redeems theology from its ofen dry and predictable categories to reveal what has always been at the heart of the theological enterprise: a personal search for intellectually honest and credible ways to make sense of the loving mystery that enompasses even our confounding times.
Through a marvelous combination of brilliant writing, story, engaging reflection, and unabashed questioning of old shibboleths, Keller redeems theology from its ofen dry and predictable categories to reveal what has always been at the heart of the theological enterprise: a personal search for intellectually honest and credible ways to make sense of the loving mystery that enompasses even our confounding times.
Mesle, C. Robert. Process-Relational Philosophy: An Introduction to Alfred North Whitehead. (West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press, 2008).
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Process-Relational Philosophy provides a basic introduction to Alfred North Whitehead's Process and Reality, the vision that underlies much of contemporary process philosophy, theology, political theory, educational theory, and the religion-science dialogue. A companion volume to the author's acclaimed Process Theology: A Basic Introduction, it shows the way beyond both reductive materialism and the traps of Cartesian dualism to a world of continual process and becoming, where each person relates to every other and to all of nature.
Mesle clearly and succinctly explains Whitehead's complex creative philosophy and shows how his holistic vision of nature lays the groundwork for integrating evolutionary biology and physics, philosophy of mind, environmental ethics, theology, religious pluralism, education, and economics. In addition, he explains why Whitehead's view of an interrelated universe matters today when the world faces seemingly overwhelming problems such as global warming, sectarian violence, and extinction of species.
Mesle clearly and succinctly explains Whitehead's complex creative philosophy and shows how his holistic vision of nature lays the groundwork for integrating evolutionary biology and physics, philosophy of mind, environmental ethics, theology, religious pluralism, education, and economics. In addition, he explains why Whitehead's view of an interrelated universe matters today when the world faces seemingly overwhelming problems such as global warming, sectarian violence, and extinction of species.
Pachalska, Maria and Weber, Michel (eds). Neuropsychology and Philosophy of Mind in Process. Essays in Honor of Jason W. Brown. (Frankfurt / Lancaster, Ontos Verlag, 2008).
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This volume celebrates the life achievements of Jason W. Brown, who, along with Jean Piaget, Heinz Werner, Alexander Luria and the Würzburg school, has significantly contributed to the development of a process-based theory of brain/mind capable of challenging the currently fashionable modularist or cybernetic approaches to understanding human thought and feeling. As a paradigm, Brown’s microgenetic theory is thus applicable in both brain science (where Brown was inspired by the pioneering work of Schilder and Pick) and the philosophy of mind (where the influence of Bergson, Whitehead, Cassirer, and Merleau- Ponty can be seen). Essays with a range of focus as wide as Brown’s expertise have been collected in such diverse areas as neuropsychology (microstructure of action, symptomatology, neuro-rehabilitation, neurolinguistics, locationism), theoretical psychology (consciousness, hypnosis, morphogenesis, personality development, psychoanalysis, Buddhist psychology, mysticism), and philosophy of mind (evolutionary epistemology, emergence/novelty/creativity, subjectivity, will and action, Whiteheadian process philosophy).
Weber, Michel and Basile, Pierfrancesco (eds). Chromatikon IV. Annuaire de la philosophie en procès — Yearbook of Philosophy in Process. (Presses universitaires de Louvain, 2008).
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In the last six years, a series of seminars has taken place at Paris I-Pantheon Sorbonne, organized by Michel Weber and attended by scholars and lovers of wisdom from several European and extra-European countries. Although Whithead was not the only topic of discussion during these seminars, his thought occupied a central place. The papers and essays gathered in this and in previous issues of the Chromatikon Yearbook give some indication of the sort of issues that have been debated; hopefully, there will also convey something of that friendly but not uncritical atmosphere that characterizes the seminars and that is required by and frutiful philosophical discussion.