Download or read book Authenticity and the Ascetic Self written by Amy Barnes and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "What kinds of "selves" are ascetics who seek to purify the "self" of its partial interests? Through practices of obedience, enclosure and silence, monastics open themselves to the transforming work of the Divine, and in the process of doing so, close down their options for self-expression and self-governance, curtailing certain aspects of who they are, like narrativity and personal preference, that contemporary philosophers often construe as important elements of fully developed selves. While this activity of "purifying" the self may seem unlikely to reflect generalizable truths about selves, I identify how ascetic self-emptying finds epistemological parallels in Edmund Husserl and Edith Stein's use of the phenomenological reductions, in personal identity theorists' use of thought experiments, and in cultural anthropologists' use of ethnographic field research. All of these theorists seek to identify, by imaginative loss or variation of parts of the self, which components of selfhood may be "optional" and which "inalienable." However, these inquirers into "what is inalienable" to the self arrive at a variety of different conclusions and many seem to espouse multiple theories of inalienable selfhood even within single pieces of writing. One might argue that this is just because we don't yet have the true story about what is universally inalienable to the self, but I argue by contrast that our motives and methods for thinking about "inalienable selfhood" are importantly constitutive of what we will discover to be inalienable. As Edith Stein indicated in her later writings, what is treated as inalienable to selves will be intimately connected with worldviews and ways of life. For this reason I propose that philosophers take seriously the variety of "inalienable selves" from which people may act and interrogate how these correspond with certain sets of values. Liberal presuppositions about what is inalienable to the fully developed self correspond with a belief in the value of autonomous ways of life. The obedient nun acts according to judgments or preferences indexed to another individual, which in the words of James Stacey Taylor, makes her a "paradigm of heteronomy." On most liberal accounts, however, to call someone heteronomous is to indicate that she lives in a way that fails to respect her true self, which includes capacities for deliberation and self-directed action. However, since we have recognized the variability of the inalienable self, we have recognized that someone might see her own capacity for self-direction as relatively alienable--minimally important to who she is, how she lives, and who she wants to become. I argue that inasmuch as the obedient nun's conformity with the judgments of her Superior reflects the set of values she claims to espouse, her way of life really does honour her "inalienable self." I adopt the label of "authentic" to describe such a life. However, I recognize the vulnerability of this account to a couple of concerns about ways in which living heteronomously may in fact "harm" the self, and may even interfere with the selves that ascetics are trying to become. First, nuns share the intuition that it is wrong to socialize children in ways that will require them to adopt a life of servility and dependence. How can we think about this socialization as a type of harm without a corresponding belief that honouring the "self" requires cultivation of, at least, the capacity for autonomy? Second, I note certain reasons we have for thinking obedient selves may have impaired moral judgment. Ascetics and liberal philosophers alike would agree that good moral judgment is an essential part of self-development. So if valuing obedience hampers the development of such judgment, then we have reasons to be suspicious of the value of heteronomy even for ascetics. I argue that a careful effort to distinguish authentic from inauthentic types of obedience can address these concerns." --
Download or read book Being and Authenticity written by Xunwu Chen and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-12-28 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a creative approach to the problem of individual authenticity. What is authenticity? What are its necessary conditions? How is an authentic self possible in society? What are the relationships of authenticity, morality, and happiness? The book examines a wide range of questions in Eastern and Western thought, to which it gives novel answers.
Download or read book Way of the Ascetics written by Tito Colliander and published by St Vladimir's Seminary Press. This book was released on 1985 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Way of the Ascetics is a rich, compact introduction for modern readers to the Eastern Christian spiritual tradition that has been an inspiration to millions for centuries. These compassionate and insightful reflections on self-control and inner peace are meant to lead the readers to fuller union with God. The author makes a generous selection of succinct yet profound extracts from the spiritual Fathers and provides an illuminating commentary and practical applications for daily devotion. He tempers austerity with common sense, warmth, and even humor, as he urges us on our journey toward God. Written for lay persons living fully in the world as much as for clergy, Way of the Ascetics is an excellent resource for daily meditation, authentic spiritual guidance, and a revitalized religious life."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Download or read book The Religion of Existence written by Noreen Khawaja and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-12-02 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Keen insight…reveals existentialism as one more chapter in Christianity’s history.”—Journal of the American Academy of Religion The Religion of Existence reopens an old debate on an important question: What was existentialism? At the heart of existentialism, Noreen Khawaja argues, is a story about secular thought experimenting with the traditions of European Christianity. This book explores how a distinctly Protestant asceticism formed the basis for the chief existentialist ideal, personal authenticity, which is reflected in approaches ranging from Kierkegaard’s religious theory of the self to Heidegger’s phenomenology of everyday life to Sartre’s global mission of atheistic humanism. Through these three philosophers, she argues, we observe how ascetic norms have shaped one of the twentieth century’s most powerful ways of thinking about identity and difference—the idea that the true self is not simply given but something that each of us is responsible for producing. Engaging with many central figures in modern European thought, this book is of value to philosophers and historians of European philosophy, scholars of modern Christianity, and those working on problems at the intersection of religion and modernity.
Download or read book On Being Authentic written by Charles Guignon and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2004-08-02 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'To thine own self be true.' From Polonius's words in Hamlet right up to Oprah, we are constantly urged to look within. Why is being authentic the ultimate aim in life for so many people, and why does it mean looking inside rather than out? Is it about finding the 'real' me, or something greater than me, even God? And should we welcome what we find? Thought-provoking and with an astonishing range of references, On Being Authentic is a gripping journey into the self that begins with Socrates and Augustine. Charles Guignon asks why being authentic ceased to mean being part of some bigger, cosmic picture and with Rousseau, Wordsworth and the Romantic movement, took the strong inward turn alive in today's self-help culture. He also plumbs the darker depths of authenticity, with the help of Freud, Joseph Conrad and Alice Miller and reflects on the future of being authentic in a postmodern, global age. He argues ultimately that if we are to rescue the ideal of being authentic, we have to see ourselves as fundamentally social creatures, embedded in relationships and communities, and that being authentic is not about what is owed to me but how I depend on others.
Download or read book Beyond Pleasure written by Evert Peeters and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Asceticism, so it is argued in this volume, is a modern category. The ubiquitous cult of the body, of fitness and diet equally evokes the ongoing success of ascetic practices and beliefs. Nostalgic memories of hardship and discipline in the army, youth movements or boarding schools remain as present as the fashionable irritation with the presumed modern-day laziness. In the very texture of contemporary culture, age-old asceticism proves to be remarkably alive. Old ascetic forms were remoulded to serve modern desires for personal authenticity, an authenticity that disconnected asceticism in the course of the nineteenth century from two traditions that had underpinned it since classical antiquity: the public, republican austerity of antiquity and the private, religious asceticism of Christianity. Exploring various aspects such as the history of the body, of aesthetics, science, and social thought in several European countries (Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria and Belgium), the authors show that modern asceticism remains a deeply ambivalent category. Apart from self-realisation, classical and religious examples continue to haunt the ascetic mind.
Download or read book 7 Principles For Living With Authenticity written by Jack Beauregard and published by . This book was released on 1916-08-15 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In today's fast-paced world, the effect of inevitable life changes on our identities has never been more amplified. From divorce and loss of loved ones, to job instability, retirement or career change, it's no wonder people of all ages are experiencing epic levels of "identity crises."*Do you want to live an authentic life?*Are you someone who has been successful in your work life, but now you're wondering "Who am I?"*Are you going through a major life transition and want - more than anything - to be true to yourself in this next chapter of your life?
Download or read book Authenticity and Grace written by Dr. David T. Smith and published by Gatekeeper Press. This book was released on 2024-09-11 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Authenticity and Grace: Uncovering the Authentic Self is a quick guide for readers to easily identify their true authentic life. In this concise exploration, Dr. Smith reveals how we discover the nature of Grace, what it is, and how awareness about it can help us uncover the deep purpose we have been searching for. Looking for and discovering what he calls ‘Gracepoints’, Dr. Smith teaches readers how to remove barriers that inhibit the natural flow of Grace in our lives such as anxiety, depression, loss, fear, conflict, and despair. Understanding how the ego and conditioned thinking cover up who we really are allows us to begin the uncovering process that leads us to our authentic selves. The power of Grace can heal, provide renewed awareness and energy, and restore the lost sense of wonder which makes us truly individual and human. Best of all, Grace is completely free and each of us already has what we need to build a more rewarding authentic life—we just need to get out of our own way.
Download or read book The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism written by Kevin Aho and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-04-18 with total page 511 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of the philosophical movements of the twentieth century existentialism is one of the most powerful and thought-provoking. Its engagement with the themes of authenticity, freedom, bad faith, nihilism, and the death of God captured the imagination of millions. However, in the twenty-first century existentialism is grappling with fresh questions and debates that move far beyond traditional existential preoccupations, ranging from the lived experience of the embodied self, intersectionality, and feminist theory to comparative philosophy, digital existentialism, disability studies, and philosophy of race. The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism explores these topics and more, connecting the ideas and insights of existentialism with some of the most urgent debates and challenges in philosophy today. Eight clear sections explore the following topics: methodology and technology social and political perspectives environment and place affectivity and emotion death and freedom value existentialism and Asian philosophy aging and disability. As well as chapters on key figures such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Beauvoir, the Handbook includes chapters on topics as diverse as Chicana feminism, ecophilosophy and the environment, Latina existentialism, Black nihilism, the Kyoto school and southeast Asian existentialism, and the experiences of aging, disability, and death. Essential reading for students and researchers in the areas of existentialism and phenomenology, The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism will also be of interest to those studying ethics, philosophy and gender, philosophy of race, the emotions and philosophical issues in health and illness as well as related disciplines such as Literature, Sociology, and Political Theory.
Download or read book 7 ORINCIPLES for LIVING with AUTHENTICITY written by Jack Beauregard and published by . This book was released on 2016-08-15 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Theology as Ascetic Act written by Nathan G. Jennings and published by Peter Lang. This book was released on 2010 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nathan G. Jennings's captivating study explores the ascetical logic of the various practices that Christians call theology. By establishing ascetic practice as coherent within the logic of Christian thought, Jennings argues that Christian theology itself, as an embodied Christian practice, is a type of and participant in Christian asceticism. Jennings establishes that the implications of such an understanding of Christian theology can be brought to bear on modern Christian scholarship in profound and transformative ways. With engagements and references that span a vast terrain from Patristic authors to modern systematic theologians, Theology as Ascetic Act: Disciplining Christian Discourse is a significant contribution to both modern Christian thought and the study of asceticism.
Download or read book Authenticity written by David Posen MD and published by House of Anansi. This book was released on 2018-01-06 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Dr. David Posen, the bestselling author of Is Work Killing You? and The Little Book of Stress Relief, comes a book about listening to your body, understanding your mind, and making better choices in your life. For over thirty years, Dr. David Posen has counselled patients suffering from severe stress, anxiety, and depression. Over that time, he noticed a pattern. As our lives have become faster and increasingly fragmented, many of us have become disconnected from our true selves. Using a holistic approach that combines elements of physiology, psychology, and philosophy, Authenticity teaches readers to acknowledge and accept their true selves in order to make better and more informed life choices. Drawing on real-life examples from his experience in stress management, Dr. Posen has identified five common sources of conflict: personality traits, time and speed, sleep, values, and passions. For each of these areas, the solution is surprisingly simple. We must learn to live in a way that is authentic and true to our unique selves; we must live in harmony with who we truly are.
Download or read book Authentic Movement Moving the Body Moving the Self Being Moved written by Patrizia Pallaro and published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This book was released on 2007-01-15 with total page 515 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Praise for the first volume: `It is very valuable to have [this collection of articles] all together in one place...a rich repository of insights and experiences for all the somatic disciplines. It is a wonderful collection of articles.' - Somatics 1999/2000 This second volume on Authentic Movement - a new discipline aiding the creative process in choreography, writing, theatre performance, dance, graphic and expressive arts, as well as spirituality - is an engaging and dynamic collection of scholarly essays, personal stories, practical suggestions and resources. It reflects cutting edge work on creative expression, meditative discipline and psychotherapeutic endeavour. Part I comprises five chapters written by the most prominent Authentic Movement practitioners and teachers and introducing the foundations and principles of Authentic Movement. In Part II, the contributors return to the source of Authentic Movement - the psychotherapeutic setting - and provide an in-depth examination of the personal processes in the therapeutic relationship and the potential of Authentic Movement to facilitate personal growth and change. Part III traces the development of Authentic Movement as a spiritual path and as interface with other spiritual practices. Part IV provides an overview of new developments in Authentic Movement, Part V offers inspiring personal accounts and Part VI provides guidelines drawn from practice as well as tools and resources. These latter chapters sow the seeds for a new understanding and directions for the developments of Authentic Movement. This authoritative text is indispensable for practitioners of Authentic Movement, students and teachers working in the field of dance therapy, art therapists, all creative arts therapists and body psychoanalysts.
Download or read book Authentic written by Stephen Joseph and published by Piatkus. This book was released on 2016-09-01 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The hunger for authenticity guides us throughout our lives. People strive for joined-up living, where on the one hand what they say and do reflects what they think and feel, and on the other what they think and feel reflects who they are. Stephen Joseph has pioneered developments in research into authenticity, drawing on the solid science of positive psychology to develop what has become one of the gold-standard tests for assessing authenticity. His and others' findings reveal that when people are in relationships in which they feel accepted, understood and valued, they drop their defences. They naturally begin to examine themselves psychologically, accommodate new information and live more authentically. What's more, the latest studies reveal that it is authenticity that leads to true happiness. In Authentic, Stephen Joseph presents his fresh and inspiring perspective on the psychology of authenticity alongside practical advice and exercises for the reader. Drawing on the wisdom of existential philosophers, the insights and research of psychologists, and case studies from his own and others' clinical experiences, he shows how authenticity is the foundation of human flourishing - as well as how the ideas relate to debates about the importance of happiness.
Download or read book The Ascetic Imperative in Culture and Criticism written by Geoffrey Galt Harpham and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2011-01-15 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this bold interdisciplinary work, Geoffrey Galt Harpham argues that asceticism has played a major role in shaping Western ideas of the body, writing, ethics, and aesthetics. He suggests that we consider the ascetic as "the 'cultural' element in culture," and presents a close analysis of works by Athanasius, Augustine, Matthias, Grünewald, Nietzsche, Foucault, and other thinkers as proof of the extent of asceticism's resources. Harpham demonstrates the usefulness of his findings by deriving from asceticism a "discourse of resistance," a code of interpretation ultimately more generous and humane than those currently available to us.
Download or read book Authenticity and Religion in the Pluralistic Age written by Francesca E.S. Montemaggi and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-03-19 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an original concept of authenticity to illuminate the transformation of Christian consciousness in the increasingly more secular and pluralistic culture of Western societies. The present work is unique in offering an in-depth study of Simmel’s sociology and philosophy in dialogue with an ethnographic account of contemporary Christians. It develops original concepts drawing on Simmel’s writings on individuality and religion and connecting them with classical and contemporary scholarship in sociology and philosophy. The theoretical framework is illustrated through an analysis of the narratives and practices of Christians in an evangelical church in the UK and several New Monastic communities in the UK, US, and Canada. The book proposes an understanding of belief as relational and experiential and a concept of authenticity, as self-transcendence articulated in dialogue with religious tradition and the Other. Religious tradition is developed through an on-going process of interpretation and sacralization of what is considered within and without the tradition’s boundaries. The book also proposes an innovative approach to the study of morality by distinguishing between a people-centered ethic (ethic of compassion) and a norm-centered ethic (ethic of purity) to account for the the different ways in which Christians engage with the Other. This allows an exploration of the relationship between ethics and the making and breaking of boundaries in a given community. The case studies in this book show that committed Christians attempt to reconcile commitment to their tradition with the value of inclusiveness and to affirm their moral and religious identity as a distinctive moral lifestyle, not superior, but of equal worth to those of non-Christians.
Download or read book Hindu Christian Faqir written by Timothy Dobe and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the mid-nineteenth century, the American missionary James Butler predicted that Christian conversion and British law together would eradicate Indian ascetics. His disgust for Hindu holy men (sadhus), whom he called "saints," "yogis," and "filthy fakirs," was largely shared by orientalist scholars and British officials, who likewise imagined these religious elites to be a leading symptom of India's degeneration. Yet within some thirty years of Butler's writing, modern Indian ascetics such as the neo-Vedantin Hindu Swami Rama Tirtha (1873-1906) and, paradoxically, the Protestant Christian convert Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1929) achieved international fame as embodiments of the spiritual superiority of the East over the West. Timothy S. Dobe's fine-grained account of the lives of Sundar Singh and Rama Tirtha offers a window on the surprising reversals and potentials of Indian ascetic "sainthood" in the colonial contact zone. His study develops a new model of Indian holy men that is historicized, religiously pluralistic, and located within the tensions and intersections of ascetic practice and modernity. The first in-depth account of two internationally-recognized modern holy men in the colonially-crucial region of Punjab, Hindu Christian Faqir offers new examples and contexts for thinking through these wider issues. Drawing on unexplored Urdu writings by and about both figures, Dobe argues not only that Hinduism and Protestant Christianity are here intimately linked, but that these links are forged from the stuff of regional Islamic traditions of Sufi holy men (faqir). He also re-conceives Indian sainthood through an in-depth examination of ascetic practice as embodied religion, public performance, and relationship, rather than as a theological, otherworldly, and isolated ideal.
