A Phenomenology of the Devout Life: A Philosophy of Christian Life, Part I, Part 1A Phenomenology of the Devout Life is the first part of a three-part work, A Philosophy of Christian Life. Rather than approaching Christianity through its doctrinal statements, as philosophers of religion have often done, the book starts by offering a phenomenological description of the devout life as that is set out in the teaching of Francois de Sales and related authors. This is because for most Christians practice and life-commitments are more fundamental than formal doctrinal beliefs. Although George Pattison will address the metaphysical truth-claims of Christianity in Part three, the guiding argument is that it is the Christian way of life that best reveals what these beliefs really are. As the work is a philosophical study, it does not presuppose the truth of Christianity but assumes only that there is a humanly accessible meaning to the intention to live a devout life, pleasing to God. This can be said to find expression in a certain view of selfhood that emphasizes the dimensions of feeling and will rather than intellect and that culminates in the experience of the annihilation of self. This is a model of selfhood deeply opposed to contemporary models that privilege autonomous agency and the devout life is therefore presented as offering a corrective to extreme versions of the contemporary view. |
Contents
Towards a Philosophy of Christian Life | 1 |
Starting with the Self | 20 |
Why Phenomenology? | 43 |
The Aspiring Self | 67 |
The Whole Self | 86 |
The Relational Self | 104 |
The Tempted Self | 122 |
The Humbled Self | 141 |
The Annihilated Self | 161 |
The Self in and before God | 182 |
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annihilation approach argued aspiration Augustine autonomy basic become Bergamo Brémond called Chapter Christ Christian claims commitment defined Descartes devout life literature discourse divine doctrine enquiry existence existential existential phenomenology experience Fénelon Frankfurt freedom God-relationship God's heart Hegel Heidegger Heidegger's heteronomous holism holy human humility idea involve issue Jesus Kierkegaard kind language literature of devotion living London Malebranche means Meister Eckhart metaphysical Mme de Maintenon Mme Guyon modern moral mystical nevertheless nothingness object ourselves passions Pavel Florensky perhaps person phenomenology of religion philosophical Philothea possibilities practice prayer precisely Princeton question reason reflection regard relation relationship religious Rolf Kühn Sales Sales's second-order desire seeking seems seen selfhood sense simply social Søren Kierkegaard speak specific spiritual suggests temptation texts theme theology things Thomas Merton tradition trans truth ultimate understanding University Press virtue words writes