D.Z. Phillips' Contemplative Philosophy of Religion

D.Z. Phillips' Contemplative Philosophy of Religion

Author: Andy F. Sanders

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-05-13

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1317155017

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This collection presents a critical discussion and exploration of the late D.Z. Phillips' contemplative approach in the philosophy of religion. What are the main characteristics of this ground-breaking approach, which is inspired by thinkers like Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein and meant as a serious, critical alternative to the mainstream way of doing philosophy of religion? What is its aim, if it is deliberately avoiding apology and defence of faith? How does Phillips' approach relate to systematic, historical and empirical theology and is it really as 'neutral' as he claims it to be? Or is he, perhaps, a certain kind of theologian? What are the implications of his contemplative philosophy for central issues of religious life today, such as petitionary prayer, the hope of 'eternal life' and radical religious diversity? The essays of six distinguished scholars from five different nations critically and sympathetically address these questions and are responded to by Phillips in essays of his own, written briefly before his sudden death in July 2006.


The Contemplative Spirit

The Contemplative Spirit

Author: Ingolf U. Dalferth

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13:

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To understand reality in terms of what is possible has methodological implications which a contemplative philosophy makes explicit. The goal is no longer to determine how things are or must be but rather to provide an overview of how they could be and the diversity with which they already appear. The function of philosophy is not the discovery of a single answer but rather a careful description of the diversity and the heterogeneity of possible answers in different contexts and practices. This approach, inspired by Wittgenstein, was applied to the philosophy of religion by Dewi Z. Phillips (1934-2006) in particular. This volume explores his contemplative philosophy of religion in an intense and lively discussion, showing how the description of religious faith and the access to its practice and language change unexpectedly and provocatively in this way of thinking.


D.Z. Phillips' Contemplative Philosophy of Religion

D.Z. Phillips' Contemplative Philosophy of Religion

Author: Andy F. Sanders

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-05-13

Total Pages: 243

ISBN-13: 1317155025

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This collection presents a critical discussion and exploration of the late D.Z. Phillips' contemplative approach in the philosophy of religion. What are the main characteristics of this ground-breaking approach, which is inspired by thinkers like Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein and meant as a serious, critical alternative to the mainstream way of doing philosophy of religion? What is its aim, if it is deliberately avoiding apology and defence of faith? How does Phillips' approach relate to systematic, historical and empirical theology and is it really as 'neutral' as he claims it to be? Or is he, perhaps, a certain kind of theologian? What are the implications of his contemplative philosophy for central issues of religious life today, such as petitionary prayer, the hope of 'eternal life' and radical religious diversity? The essays of six distinguished scholars from five different nations critically and sympathetically address these questions and are responded to by Phillips in essays of his own, written briefly before his sudden death in July 2006.


D. Z. Phillips on Religious Language, Religious Truth, and God

D. Z. Phillips on Religious Language, Religious Truth, and God

Author: Hyoseok Kim

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Published: 2022-02-25

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 3161610407

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D. Z. Phillips (1934-2006) was one of the most influential, ingenious, and perhaps controversial thinkers in the Anglo-American philosophy of religion. In particular, he is widely regarded as a leading proponent of a Wittgensteinian approach to the philosophy of religion. While almost every book on religious language or Anglophone philosophy of religion deals with Phillips' thought or, at least, mentions his name, all too frequently his position has been grossly misunderstood and has often attracted unwarranted criticism from various sides. Seeking to offer a constructive presentation and critical discussion of Phillips' view of philosophy, religious language, religious truth, and God, Hyoseok Kim endeavors to resolve some misunderstandings, refute undue criticisms of Phillips' position, and make some suggestions concerning directions in which his view might and ought to be further developed.


Contemplating Religious Forms of Life: Wittgenstein and D.Z. Phillips

Contemplating Religious Forms of Life: Wittgenstein and D.Z. Phillips

Author: Mikel Burley

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2012-07-26

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 1441192107

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Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) made profound contributions to many areas of philosophy and cultural understanding, and his thought and methods have inspired numerous inquirers into the forms of our religious life. D. Z. Phillips (1934-2006) pioneered the application of Wittgenstein-influenced approaches to the philosophy of religion, and emphasized the contemplative, non-dogmatic nature of the philosophical task. In Contemplating Religious Forms of Life, Mikel Burley elucidates and critically examines the work of these two philosophers in relation to various aspects of religion, including ritual, mystical experience, faith and reason, realism and non-realism, conceptions of eternal life, and the use of literature as a resource for the contemplation of religious and non-religious beliefs. The book will be of significant value to academics, students and general readers interested in philosophy, religious studies, theology, and the interrelations between these disciplines.


Philosophy's Cool Place

Philosophy's Cool Place

Author: D. Z. Phillips

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2018-09-05

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13: 1501729454

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Ludwig Wittgenstein established a "cool" stance for philosophy, contemplating the world without meddling in it. D. Z. Phillips explores this position, focusing on its implications for philosophical authorship and the philosophical investigation of the nature of reality. Influenced by the views of Wittgenstein and his pupil Rush Rhees, Phillips—who is one of Rhees's own students—first contrasts Wittgenstein's methods with Kierkegaard's religiously oriented dialectic. He describes the difficulty in sustaining a contemplative view of philosophy and discusses efforts to go beyond it in the work of Richard Rorty, Stanley Cavell, Annette Baier, and Martha Nussbaum, who, in different ways, propose to make philosophy a guide to living. A provocative and challenging work, Philosophy's Cool Place is one of the few books that addresses the discipline as an enterprise and explores its relation to moral values, religious belief, and the nature of Reality. By advancing the cause of neutrality, it will stimulate debate and foster discussion of what philosophy is to become in the postmodern era.


Grammars of Faith

Grammars of Faith

Author: P. F. Bloemendaal

Publisher: Peeters Publishers

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 466

ISBN-13: 9789042917446

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D. Z. Phillips is a leading figure in advocating a Wittgensteinian approach to the philosophical study of religion. His writings exert an important influence on contemporary philosophy of religion, giving a new direction to the philosophical discussion of religious belief and practice. Although his work has prompted much - often critical - comment, a thorough investigation has not been forthcoming. Grammars of Faith fills that gap. The book pays close attention to Wittgenstein's own remarks on religious belief, arranging them against the background of his broader philosophical methodology, as well as to the efforts of the early Wittgensteinians at providing a more comprehensive Wittgensteinian philosophy of religion. Central to this study are Phillips's understanding of philosophical enquiry as a form of contemplation, and his descriptive accounts of religious belief. By means of a careful and methodical examination of Phillips's oeuvre, the study seeks to present a fair assessment of Phillips's position, showing not only its weaknesses, but also its strength.


The Concept of Prayer (Routledge Revivals)

The Concept of Prayer (Routledge Revivals)

Author: D. Z. Phillips

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-02-04

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 1317821300

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Many contemporary philosophers assume that, before one can discuss prayer, the question of whether there is a God or not must be settled. In this title, first published in 1965, D. Z. Phillips argues that to understand prayer is to understand what is meant by the reality of God. Beginning by placing the problem of prayer within a philosophical context, Phillips goes on to discuss such topics as prayer and the concept of talking, prayer and dependence, superstition and the concept of community. This is a fascinating reissue that will be of particular value to students with an interest in the philosophy of religion, prayer and religious studies more generally.


A Confusion of the Spheres

A Confusion of the Spheres

Author: Genia Sch?nbaumsfeld

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2010-03-11

Total Pages: 700

ISBN-13: 0191614831

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Cursory allusions to the relation between Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein are common in philosophical literature, but there has been little in the way of serious and comprehensive commentary on the relationship of their ideas. Genia Sch?nbaumsfeld closes this gap and offers new readings of Kierkegaard's and Wittgenstein's conceptions of philosophy and religious belief. Chapter one documents Kierkegaard's influence on Wittgenstein, while chapters two and three provide trenchant criticisms of two prominent attempts to compare the two thinkers, those by D. Z. Phillips and James Conant. In chapter four, Sch?nbaumsfeld develops Kierkegaard's and Wittgenstein's concerted criticisms of certain standard conceptions of religious belief, and defends their own positive conception against the common charges of 'irrationalism' and 'fideism'. As well as contributing to contemporary debate about how to read Kierkegaard's and Wittgenstein's work, A Confusion of the Spheres addresses issues which not only concern scholars of Wittgenstein and Kierkegaard, but anyone interested in the philosophy of religion, or the ethical aspects of philosophical practice as such.