Enlightenment and the Death of God Essay -- Philosophy Religion Essays

Enlightenment and the Death of God Intellectual thought since Nietzsche has found itself one way or another addressing the death of God. Most of this thinking, however, has taken place from an atheistic starting point and has not considered its own presuppositions. It strives to find consistent outworking from these presuppositions and to eradicate the shadow of God carried over from the Enlightenment tradition because of its grounding in a theistic worldview. However, the outcome and implications of thinking after the death of God has been found hideous and many attempts have been made to transcend the absurdity there. THE DEATH OF GOD   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nietzsche proclaimed in The Gay Science, "God is dead: but given the way men are, there may still be caves for thousands of years in which his shadow will be shown.-- And we -- we still have to vanquish his shadow, too."[1] The death he witnessed was the tide of atheism that has dominated science and philosophy since his time. This atheism invariably comes from one of two different backgrounds: Enlightenment science and Enlightenment morality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the major products of the Enlightenment was science. As humans were deprived of their previous significance as children of God in the center of the universe, human knowledge was elevated and empirical science became enthroned as the greatest realization of human knowing. As a result, metaphysical knowledge was pushed aside in favor of strict empiricism. God and Christianity were not so much denied as pushed aside, first into deism, which removed him from the world without clashing too much with Western culture, and then all the way into atheism. For the most part, atheism that comes from this perspective has not been bothered b... ...but it has for the most part been unable to completely escape Enlightenment rationalism with its presupposition that metaphysics can be known objectively and exhaustively by human beings. The pragmatic rationalism of Habermas provides an auspicious postmodern beginning for discussing the problem of God again. FOOTNOTES [1] page 191 in our book. [2] see Psalm 13, Ecclesiastes 8:14, Job 21:7-21. [3] James says, "we consider blessed those who have persevered" (James. 5:11a, NIV). [4] The Brothers Karamazov, p. xiii. WORKS CITED Nietzsche, Friedrich. On The Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo. New York: Vintage/Random House 1989. Camus, Albert. The Plague. New York: Alfred A. Knopf 1980. Sartre, Jean-Paul. Nausea. New York: New Directions 1969. Habermas, J. Class handout. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. New York: Bantam 1981. Enlightenment and the Death of God Essay -- Philosophy Religion Essays Enlightenment and the Death of God Intellectual thought since Nietzsche has found itself one way or another addressing the death of God. Most of this thinking, however, has taken place from an atheistic starting point and has not considered its own presuppositions. It strives to find consistent outworking from these presuppositions and to eradicate the shadow of God carried over from the Enlightenment tradition because of its grounding in a theistic worldview. However, the outcome and implications of thinking after the death of God has been found hideous and many attempts have been made to transcend the absurdity there. THE DEATH OF GOD   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nietzsche proclaimed in The Gay Science, "God is dead: but given the way men are, there may still be caves for thousands of years in which his shadow will be shown.-- And we -- we still have to vanquish his shadow, too."[1] The death he witnessed was the tide of atheism that has dominated science and philosophy since his time. This atheism invariably comes from one of two different backgrounds: Enlightenment science and Enlightenment morality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the major products of the Enlightenment was science. As humans were deprived of their previous significance as children of God in the center of the universe, human knowledge was elevated and empirical science became enthroned as the greatest realization of human knowing. As a result, metaphysical knowledge was pushed aside in favor of strict empiricism. God and Christianity were not so much denied as pushed aside, first into deism, which removed him from the world without clashing too much with Western culture, and then all the way into atheism. For the most part, atheism that comes from this perspective has not been bothered b... ...but it has for the most part been unable to completely escape Enlightenment rationalism with its presupposition that metaphysics can be known objectively and exhaustively by human beings. The pragmatic rationalism of Habermas provides an auspicious postmodern beginning for discussing the problem of God again. FOOTNOTES [1] page 191 in our book. [2] see Psalm 13, Ecclesiastes 8:14, Job 21:7-21. [3] James says, "we consider blessed those who have persevered" (James. 5:11a, NIV). [4] The Brothers Karamazov, p. xiii. WORKS CITED Nietzsche, Friedrich. On The Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo. New York: Vintage/Random House 1989. Camus, Albert. The Plague. New York: Alfred A. Knopf 1980. Sartre, Jean-Paul. Nausea. New York: New Directions 1969. Habermas, J. Class handout. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Brothers Karamazov. New York: Bantam 1981.

Emotional and practical difficulties Essay

â€Å"Approximately 240,000 children every year find themselves experiencing the emotional and practical difficulties arising from their parents separating or divorcing. † (NACCC 2001). In most cases parents can be responsible, put their own feelings aside and do what is best by their children by mutually agreeing on contact without the use of solicitors and the courts etc. Unfortunately however there are many cases where this does not occur. Usually this happens through lack of trust and communication, which develops because of many different reasons e. g.  one partner having an affair. As a result of this many children lose contact with close attachment figures and many members of their extended family. If children are denied contact with their non-residential parent they may start to feel rejected or abandoned, blame themselves for what has happened, feel increasingly insecure and may even become withdrawn and in some cases depressed. Research by the NACCC has indicated that children who experience this situation may start to take unnecessary risks or even harm themselves through feelings such as ‘I just don’t care anymore’. In many cases children have become rebellious and in some cases to the extent of anti-social behaviour within their communities and in school or wherever they can receive the most attention. Most disturbingly however many researchers state that the denial of contact can lead to a child experiencing difficulties in establishing happy and lasting relationships in adulthood and thus the cycle continues. â€Å"A Child Contact Centre is a meeting place where children of separated families can enjoy contact with one or both parents, and sometimes other family members, in a comfortable and safe environment when there is no viable alternative. † (NACCC 2001). Child Contact Centres can ensure that children involved in parental disputes can not only enjoy contact with a non-residential parent (s) and/or other family members but:There are currently 280 Child Contact Centres throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Here in N. I. there are four Centres. Three of these are in Belfast and Cookstown hosts the fourth. Knock Child Contact Centre on the Kings Road in East Belfast is taken as the example. It is staffed by approximately 40 volunteers who are trained in rigorous child protection, domestic violence and conflict, confidentiality approaches and other relevant areas. The centre is organised and co-ordinated by a senior social worker. It is overseen by a management committee and is now an independent charity. During the year 1 June 2002 to 31 May 2003, 74 families used the Knock Child Contact Centre. This involved 102 children and provided 784 family contact visits or 1043 individual children’s visits. There were also 56 visits where children came but the contact adult did not attend and 80 visits where the contact adult attended but the children were not brought. These situations can be very disappointing and distressing for both children and adults. Seventy per cent of the children attending the Centre in 2002/2003 were in the 0-5 years age range (71 children), 26% were between 6 and 10 years of age (27 children) and 4% were 11 years of age and older (4 children). While the majority of contact adults are fathers, in the past year, the number of mothers coming for contact with their children has risen from 11% to 19% (14 mothers). In 10 families the resident adult was the father, in one the grandparents, one was an aunt and in two families the children were in foster care. The remaining resident adults were mothers. Most of the families using the Knock Child Contact Centre have been involved in the legal system. Sixty-three families (85%) had contact orders when they were referred to the Centre and others obtained orders during the time they were using the Centre. In 22 cases (30%) there were non molestation orders, with allegations of domestic violence in a further 16 families. The Knock Child Contact Centre is open on Saturdays from 10. 00 am till 12 noon. Between 10 and 15 families attend and there are usually 8 volunteers plus the Coordinator present. Throughout the year the Centre continued to open on Wednesdays from 2.30 to 4. 30 pm. From the middle of June 2003, this has been extended to 3. 00 – 7. 00 pm to enable older children to attend after school and also to make midweek contact available to parents who are working. Four volunteers plus the Coordinator are present on Wednesdays. Throughout the first few visits families arrive where adults are apprehensive, often hurt and angry, and children are upset and confused. Over a period of time, in most cases, tensions lessen between parents and trust and confidence begin to build again to the extent that families can move on and make their own arrangements in the community. Ideally, the Child Contact Centre is a stepping stone which provides a neutral, relaxed setting for children to build or rebuild relationships with a parent or other relative with great practical and emotional support. It is not a â€Å"normal† situation or a long-term solution. â€Å"Attachment theory supplies us with an understanding of the abiding need for secure attachments, the profound significance of separation and loss and the lifelong importance of our relationship with others. † (Fox, I. Website 1).

Karl Marx Essay - 1509 Words

KARL MARX: A CRITICAL PROFILE 1. Contribution Like Charles Darwin (1809-82), his contemporary, Karl Marx (1818-83) has had a profound impact on modern thought. This German philosopher, social scientist, and professional revolutionary formulated a theory of social change that influenced most modern forms of socialism and communism. Marx pioneered conflict theory. Motivated by a belief in human emancipation, he tried to discover a way to free people from the social, political, and economic constraints that prevent them from reaching their full potential. Marx used to say: Philosophers explain only; critical theorists translated theory into practice. 2. Early life Marx grew up in Trier, Prussia, the son of Jewish lawyer who†¦show more content†¦Eventually, the government closed the paper. After getting married in 1843, he and his wife moved to Paris; when the revolution broke out, he co-edited a radical magazine. During this period he met Friedrich Engels (1820-95), the son of a textile manufacturer, who became his life-long friend, and the two formulated what we now call Marxism. After the revolution failed, Marx went into exile, settling in London, where in extreme poverty he lived for the rest of his life. During the period 1848-83, he earned his living writing newspaper articles. He never had a steady income--now and then Engels helped him out financially. In 1848, they published the Communist Manifesto, which proved to be one of the important events in human history. In 1864, he helped establish the International Working Mens Association, an organisation dedicated to improving the life of the working classes, and preparing for a socialist revolution. Over the years, many Russian and German radicals visited him, hoping to discuss the problem of establishing communist organisations. 3. Life work As mentioned, Marx set out (a) to understand the human condition in capitalist society as he experienced it, i.e., during the 1840s; (b) to lay bare the dynamics of that society, to lift the veil on its inner working and impact on human relations, and (c) to develop a theoretical framework that wouldShow MoreRelatedKarl Marx Essay922 Words   |  4 PagesKarl MarxKarl Marx was an influencell economist during the 1800s. Marx has his own economic theory, called Marxism. Marx, a radical Communist ideas and philosophies played important roles int the forming of Communist nations during the twentieth century. Marx’s ideas would and have influenced the course of history. Even today, well past his death his philosophies and ideas are still talked about. Marx’s ideas are captured in his book the Communist manifesto. 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