Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and the Desire to Be a God
Seiten
2020
Lexington Books (Verlag)
978-1-7936-3264-7 (ISBN)
Lexington Books (Verlag)
978-1-7936-3264-7 (ISBN)
This book examines a nonconscious and profoundly harmful desire that is almost universally denied: the desire to be a god. Afflicting believers and nonbelievers alike, the desire is manifested in religious myths and throughout the history of philosophy.
Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and the Desire to be a God explores the hidden corridors of the moral responsibility system to discover why that system is so widely accepted and passionately defended. The moral responsibility system has obvious charms: it provides justification for our powerful strike-back motives, transforms selfishness into the virtuous defense of our justly deserved special benefits, draws a radical distinction between humans and the other species we exploit, and protects our nonconscious belief in a just world. Those charms notwithstanding, the resilience and endurance of the moral responsibility system indicates a hidden force that not only binds together the pieces of the system but also motivates our stubborn devotion to that system. That hidden force is a nonconscious desire to be a god: a desire that afflicts both believers and atheists, and that is almost universally denied (Nietzsche being a special exception). That desire can be found throughout the history of philosophy, from Aristotle to the present. It is also manifested in myths and a variety of religious practices and teachings. The breadth, power and harm of nonconscious “apotheosis aspiration” is the focus of this study.
Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and the Desire to be a God explores the hidden corridors of the moral responsibility system to discover why that system is so widely accepted and passionately defended. The moral responsibility system has obvious charms: it provides justification for our powerful strike-back motives, transforms selfishness into the virtuous defense of our justly deserved special benefits, draws a radical distinction between humans and the other species we exploit, and protects our nonconscious belief in a just world. Those charms notwithstanding, the resilience and endurance of the moral responsibility system indicates a hidden force that not only binds together the pieces of the system but also motivates our stubborn devotion to that system. That hidden force is a nonconscious desire to be a god: a desire that afflicts both believers and atheists, and that is almost universally denied (Nietzsche being a special exception). That desire can be found throughout the history of philosophy, from Aristotle to the present. It is also manifested in myths and a variety of religious practices and teachings. The breadth, power and harm of nonconscious “apotheosis aspiration” is the focus of this study.
Bruce N. Waller is retired professor of philosophy at Youngstown State University.
Acknowledgments
Preface
Chapter One: Apotheosis Aspiration
Chapter Two: Promiscuous Teleology and Apotheosis Aspiration
Chapter Three: The Self-Made Man
Chapter Four: Human Uniqueness, Miraculous Will Power, and Rational Godliness
Chapter Five: The System of Apotheosis Aspiration
Chapter Six: Reductio ad Absurdum Defenses of the Apotheosis Aspiration System
Chapter Seven: The Perils of Apotheosis Aspiration
Chapter Eight: The Cure for Apotheosis Aspiration
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
| Erscheinungsdatum | 10.05.2021 |
|---|---|
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 162 x 241 mm |
| Gewicht | 463 g |
| Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Ethik |
| ISBN-10 | 1-7936-3264-2 / 1793632642 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-7936-3264-7 / 9781793632647 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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