The Ethical And Religious Philosophy Of Idealism

There is now renewed and growing interest in post-Hegelian idealism, which was in its heyday at the end of the nineteenth century. This book is concerned with the religious and socio-ethical aspects in the writings of selected idealists. It addresses the question: was post-Hegelian philosophical idealism, in its friendliest guise, more a help than a hindrance to the expression of Christian convictions and the articulation of Christian doctrines? In pursuit of an answer, the author discusses the writings of seven British idealists who, if not in every case entirely doctrinally orthodox, were by no means unkindly disposed towards the Christian faith: T. H. Green, Edward Caird, J. R. Illingworth, Henry Jones, A. S. Pringle-Pattison, C. C. J. Webb, and A. E. Taylor. The book opens with an account of the formative intellectual influences upon the seven idealists and their consequent philosophical positions. There follow chapters on God, ethics and society, and Christian doctrine. The conclusion passes some positive and negative judgments upon post-Hegelian idealism in so far as it bears upon, or expresses, Christian belief. It also broaches the underlying question of the method of Christian thought vis ^ vis the general intellectual environment.

W. J. Mander examines the nature of idealist ethics: the form and content of ethical belief most typically adopted by philosophical idealists. He identifies a tradition of idealist ethics, before going on to argue that such an approach offers an attractive way of looking at moral questions and has much to contribute to contemporary discussion.

After a period of neglect, the idealist and romantic philosophies that emerged in the wake of Kant’s revolutionary writings have once more become important foci of philosophical interest, especially in relation to the question of the role of religion in human life. By developing and reinterpreting basic Kantian ideas, an array of thinkers including Schelling, Hegel, Friedrich Schlegel, Hölderlin and Novalis transformed the conceptual framework within which the nature of religion could be considered. Furthermore, in doing so they significantly shaped the philosophical perspectives from within which later thinkers such as Feuerbach, Kierkegaard, Wagner and Nietzsche could re-pose the question of religion. This volume explores the spaces opened during this extended period of post-Kantian thinking for a reconsideration of the place of religion within the project of human self-fashioning.

Introduction : Idealism and Christian theology / Joshua R. Farris and S. Mark Hamilton -- The theological orthodoxy of Berkeley's immaterialism / James S. Spiegel -- Berkeley, Edwards, idealism and the knowledge of God / William J. Wainwright -- Idealistic panentheism : reflections on Jonathan Edwards's account of the God world relation / Jordan Wessling -- Berkeley, realism, idealism and creation / Keith Yandell -- Edwardsian idealism, imago Dei, and contemporary theology / Joshua R. Farris -- On the corruption of the body : a theological argument for metaphysical idealism / S. Mark Hamilton -- Idealism and the Resurrection / Mark Cortez -- Jonathan Edwards, idealism, and Christology / Oiver D. Crisp -- Jonathan Edwards's dynamic idealism and cosmic Christology / Seng-Kong Tan -- Idealism and participating in the body of Christ / James Arcadi -- Idealistic ethics and Berkeley's good God / Timo Airaksinen