Man S Nature And His Communities

This book centers on the major theme of Reinhold Niebuhr's lifework, the nature of humanity and the political and social life. Idealistic and realistic social philosophies are reevaluated and tribalism is analyzed as a pervasive quality of humankind's societies. A thinker who has always advanced by criticizing his own assumptions, Dr. Niebuhr continued to break new ground and to reconsider some of his earlier judgments. In this book, Dr. Niebuhr reviews the doctrines of the political order advanced by religious and secular interests; he traces the long history of the paradox of man's obvious universal humanity and the tribal loyalties which are the roots of human inhumanity; and he deals with the complex relation between ambition and creativity. Adding to and modifying his remarkable contribution to contemporary thought, Dr. Niebuhr has written a book that is of fundamental importance.

In Man's Nature and Nature's Man, Lee R. Dice tells of the interrelationship of man in his communities, of his plant and animal associates, and of how they act one upon the other. He describes the laws that govern their rise and decline, and the regulatory mechanisms set up by nature and by man himself that promote human progress. He deals with the dynamics of human populations, and with the philosophical and moral bases of human communities. Finally, he casts his eye upon the prospects before us. "A series of well-regulated world communities," he writes, "is not likely to be constructed soon nor without tremendous effort and travail. Nevertheless, the evolutionary trend is in that direction. Selfishness, ignorance, and bigotry may delay the discovery and application of these principles. But no force will be able to prevent the evolution of world communities which will continually advance toward ever higher levels of culture. If effective efforts are made to discover and apply the natural laws that affect human affairs, the time required can be greatly shortened. Our future is in our own hands."

If he had been pressed, Macaulay would probably have admitted that there are cases in which human acts and impulses to act occur independently of any idea of an end to be gained by them. If I have a piece of grit in my eye and ask some one to take it out with the corner of his handkerchief, I generally close the eye as soon as the handkerchief comes near, and always feel a strong impulse to do so. Nobody supposes that I close my eye because, after due consideration, I think it my interest to do so.

The Nature and Destiny of Man issues a vigorous challenge to Western civilization to understand its roots in the faith of the Bible, particularly in the Hebraic tradition. Niebuhr here lays out his influential understanding of the two poles of human existence: finitude and freedom. Individual human thriving requires that we fully understand and honor both of these aspects of our nature, yet human history demonstrates our penchant for placing one over the other. This book is arguably Reinhold Niebuhr's most important work. It offers a sustained articulation of Niebuhr’s theological ethics and is considered a landmark in twentieth-century thought.

Exploring the relationship between natural law theory and the philosophy of law, Bebhinn Donnelly proposes a new approach to natural law theory - one which addresses some of the tradition's shortcomings, and advances further the approach to Hume's dichotomy. This volume will be of interest to academics in philosophy of law, moral/political philosophy, natural law theorists, and students of jurisprudence internationally.

Less Than a Roar

How to Tell God From the Devil is the first book to depict the relationship among comedy, the Devil, and God. Drawing from Jewish and Christian theories, Eckardt describes comedy as a means to distinguish the divine from the diabolic. He presents a thorough critique of efforts throughout history to justify God in the presence of radical evil and suffering. How to Tell God From the Devil is a sequel to Eckardt's fascinating earlier study Sitting in the Earth and Laughing. Eckardt offers a theological vision of the comic, and shows its practical use in differentiating God from the Devil. The viewpoint presupposed is a special application of the incongruity theory of humor, which sees humor as an attempt to deal with inexplicable occurrences. Eckardt shows how humor can make faulty explanations tolerable for examining evil and suffering, particularly the notion that God can somehow be "excused" for the terrible evils extant in the world. Eckardt critiques dualistic views that make the Devil and God independent sovereign beings, and monistic views that try to reduce evil to non-being. Eckardt holds God to be ultimately responsible for evil, in such ways that the only final resolution of evil-if there is such-is a form of divine comedy. Eckardt employs a variety of historical, psychological, sociological, philosophical, and theological sources. He discusses and assesses such diverse figures as Martin Luther, Reinhold Niebuhr, Zen Buddhists, Conrad Hyers, Nancy A. Walker, Jon D. Levenson, and Harvey Cox. How to Tell God From The Devil is an exceptional work, and will be significant and enjoyable for sociologists, theologians, philosophers, and specialists concerned with the study of humor.