Postmodernism Rightly Understood

Postmodernism Rightly Understood

Author: Peter Augustine Lawler

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published: 1999-07-29

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1461641098

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Postmodernism Rightly Understood is a dramatic return to realism—a poetic attempt to attain a true understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the postmodern predicament. Prominent political theorist Peter Augustine Lawler reflects on the flaws of postmodern thought, the futility of pragmatism, and the spiritual emptiness of existentialism. Lawler examines postmodernism by interpreting the writings of five respected and best selling American authors—Francis Fukuyama, Richard Rorty, Allan Bloom, Walker Percy, and Christopher Lasch. Lawler explains why the alternatives available in our time are either a "soulless niceness," which Fukuyama, Rorty, and Bloom described as the result of modern success, or a postmodern moral responsibility that accompanies love in the ruins, as articulated by Percy and Lasch. This is a fresh and compelling look at the crisis of the human soul and intellect accompanied by the onset of postmodernity.


Who's Afraid of Postmodernism? (The Church and Postmodern Culture)

Who's Afraid of Postmodernism? (The Church and Postmodern Culture)

Author: James K. A. Smith

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2006-04-01

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1441200398

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The philosophies of French thinkers Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault form the basis for postmodern thought and are seemingly at odds with the Christian faith. However, James K. A. Smith claims that their ideas have been misinterpreted and actually have a deep affinity with central Christian claims. Each chapter opens with an illustration from a recent movie and concludes with a case study considering recent developments in the church that have attempted to respond to the postmodern condition, such as the "emerging church" movement. These case studies provide a concrete picture of how postmodern ideas can influence the way Christians think and worship. This significant book, winner of a Christianity Today 2007 Book Award, avoids philosophical jargon and offers fuller explanation where needed. It is the first book in the Church and Postmodern Culture series, which provides practical applications for Christians engaged in ministry in a postmodern world.


Lost in the Cosmos

Lost in the Cosmos

Author: Walker Percy

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2011-03-29

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1453216340

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“A mock self-help book designed not to help but to provoke . . . to inveigle us into thinking about who we are and how we got into this mess.” (Los Angeles Times Book Review). Filled with quizzes, essays, short stories, and diagrams, Lost in the Cosmos is National Book Award–winning author Walker Percy’s humorous take on a familiar genre—as well as an invitation to serious contemplation of life’s biggest questions. One part parody and two parts philosophy, Lost in the Cosmos is an enlightening guide to the dilemmas of human existence, and an unrivaled spin on self-help manuals by one of modern America’s greatest literary masters.


The Postmodern Imagination of Russell Kirk

The Postmodern Imagination of Russell Kirk

Author: Gerald J. Russello

Publisher: University of Missouri Press

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 0826265944

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"Russello examines Russell Kirk's development of the imagination as a tool of conservative discourse, offering an alternative genealogy for conservative thought that melds its antimodernism with postmodern themes"--Provided by publisher.


A Political Companion to Walker Percy

A Political Companion to Walker Percy

Author: Peter Augustine Lawler

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Published: 2013-07-19

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 0813141893

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In 1962, Walker Percy (1916--1990) made a dramatic entrance onto the American literary scene when he won the National Book Award for fiction with his first novel, The Moviegoer. A physician, philosopher, and devout Catholic, Percy dedicated his life to understanding the mixed and somewhat contradictory foundations of American life as a situation faced by the wandering and won-dering human soul. His controversial works combined existential questioning, scientific investigation, the insight of the southern stoic, and authentic religious faith to produce a singular view of humanity's place in the cosmos that ranks among the best American political thinking. An authoritative guide to the political thought of this celebrated yet complex American author, A Political Companion to Walker Percy includes seminal essays by Ralph C. Wood, Richard Reinsch II, and James V. Schall, S.J., as well as new analyses of Percy's view of Thomistic realism and his reaction to the American pursuit of happiness. Editors Peter Augustine Lawler and Brian A. Smith have assembled scholars of diverse perspectives who provide a necessary lens for interpreting Percy's works. This comprehensive introduction to Percy's "American Thomism" is an indispensable resource for students of American literature, culture, and politics.


Social Catholicism for the Twenty-First Century?--Volume 1

Social Catholicism for the Twenty-First Century?--Volume 1

Author: William F. Murphy

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2024-09-12

Total Pages: 451

ISBN-13: 1666788597

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This first of two volumes introduces the tradition of social Catholicism, not only in its earlier realizations, but regarding how a contemporary renewal might address the crisis in which constitutional democracies and the postwar liberal order are under assault by populist and even neo-fascist movements that could soon usher in a frighteningly dark future unless a broad movement in defense of constitutional democracy quickly arises. In this context, some of the most influential voices among American Catholics are focused on criticizing “liberal democracy,” on advocating a “postliberal order” and the establishment of a Catholic “integralist” state, or on insisting that abortion should be the primary sociopolitical concern for Catholics, treating these threats to democracy as largely irrelevant. This volume shows the rich tradition of social Catholicism, and how the Social Doctrine of the Church came to appreciate the key tenets of constitutional democracy. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote, this social doctrine leads us to “take a stand for the common good,” to take the “institutional” or “political path of charity,” to be “solicitous for” the “institutions that give structure to the life of society, juridically, civilly, politically and culturally.” It engages some of the most influential contemporary Catholic thinkers and argues that they too should recognize the grave threats facing the human family and join in working to defend and renew our constitutional democracy.


American Constitutionalism, Marriage, and the Family

American Constitutionalism, Marriage, and the Family

Author: Patrick N. Cain

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2016-04-21

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 149852818X

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This edited volume in American constitutionalism places the Supreme Court’s declaration of same-sex marriage rights in U.S. v. Windsor (2013) and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) within the context of the Court’s developing understanding of the legal and social status of marriage and the family. Leading scholars in the fields of political science, law, and religion examine the roots of the Court’s affirmation of same-sex rights in a number of areas related to marriage and the family including the right to marry, equality and happiness in marriage, the right to privacy, freedom of association, property rights, parental power, and reproductive rights. Taken together, these essays evaluate the extent to which the Court’s recent marriage rulings both break with and derive from the competing principles of American Constitutionalism.


Modern and American Dignity

Modern and American Dignity

Author: Peter Augustine Lawler

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2023-10-10

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 168451682X

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A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.


Faith, Reason, and Political Life Today

Faith, Reason, and Political Life Today

Author: Peter Augustine Lawler

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2001-03-21

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 0739154966

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This rich and varied collection of essays addresses some of the most fundamental human questions through the lenses of philosophy, literature, religion, politics, and theology. Peter Augustine Lawler and Dale McConkey have fashioned an interdisciplinary consideration of such perennial and enduring issues as the relationship between nature and history, nature and grace, reason and revelation, classical philosophy and Christianity, modernity and postmodernity, repentance and self-limitation, and philosophy and politics. These tensions are explored through the works of such eminent thinkers as Aristotle, Augustine, and Tocqueville, but the contributors engage a wide variety of texts from popular culture, American literature—Flannery O'Connor receives notable attention—and social theory to create a remarkably comprehensive, if far from harmonious, introduction to political philosphy today.