Steiner and Kindred Spirits

Steiner and Kindred Spirits
Author: Robert McDermott
Publisher: SteinerBooks
Total Pages: 558
Release: 2015-08-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1621481379

Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), the Austrian founder of Anthroposophy, is frequently viewed by those familiar with his teaching as unique and separate from other spiritual teachers of our modern era. While, Steiner is thought by anthroposophists to be a scientist and a philosopher, as well as an interpreter of events depicted in Christian scriptures, he is nevertheless generally ignored by scientists and philosophers, as well as by both liberal and fundamentalist scriptural scholars and theologians. In this book, Robert McDermott—the editor of American Philosophy and Rudolf Steiner, which investigates Steiner’s philosophy in the context of American philosophers—places Steiner and his work in the context of a variety of spiritual teachers and teachings, both Western and Eastern. In doing so, the reader is guided to new perspectives that show the similarities and contrasts between Steiner’s Spiritual Science and a number of Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and secular spiritual worldviews. The kindred spirits in this book include His Holiness the Dalai Lama, C. G. Jung, Teilhard de Chardin, Martin Buber, Sri Aurobindo, Rabindranath Tagore, Gandhians, feminists, ecologists, and more. Steiner went as far up the spiritual ladder as any modern individual but, unlike some enthusiasts for Steiner, McDermott is also impressed by other religious thinkers and spiritual practitioners who have been helpful to those of us in need of encouragement and guidance and whose vistas and insights may not have been researched or explained by Steiner. For those with unbiased, open minds, this book presents a fresh look at Rudolf Steiner, a modern spiritual initiate, and his contributions to the world, along with a generous and appreciative view of his kindred spirits of our time.

Disembodied Souls

Disembodied Souls
Author: Richard C. Steiner
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015
Genre: Bible
ISBN: 9781628370768

Biblical scholars have long claimed that the Israelites "could not conceive of a disembodied nefesh [soul]." In this book, Richard C. Steiner rejects that claim based on a broad spectrum of textual, linguistic, archaeological, and anthropological evidence spanning the millennia from prehistoric times to the present. The biblical evidence includes a prophecy of Ezekiel condemning women who pretend to trap the wandering souls of sleeping people--a prophecy that has been only partially understood until now because of the obscure technical terms that it contains. The extrabiblical evidence suggests that a belief in the existence of disembodied souls was part of the common religious heritage of the peoples of the ancient Near East.

NGO Discourses in the Debate on Genetically Modified Crops

NGO Discourses in the Debate on Genetically Modified Crops
Author: Ksenia Gerasimova
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 187
Release: 2017-07-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 131540348X

The development and use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been a contentious topic for the last three decades. While there have been a number of social science analyses of the issues, this is the first book to assess the role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the debate at such a wide geographic scale. The various positions, for and against GMOs, particularly with regard to transgenic crops, articulated by NGOs in the debate are dissected, classified and juxtaposed to corresponding campaigns. These are discussed in the context of key conceptual paradigms, including nature fundamentalism and the organic movement, post-colonialism, food sovereignty, anti-globalisation, sustainability and feminism. The book also analyses how NGOs interpret the debate and the persuasive communication tactics they use. This provides greater understanding of the complexity of negotiations in the debate and explains its specific features such as its global scope and difficulty in finding compromises. The author assesses the long-term interests of various participants and changes in perceptions of science and in public communication as a result. Examples of major NGOs such as Greenpeace, Oxfam and WWF are included, but the author also provides new research into the role of NGOs in Russia.

Pragmatism, Spirituality and Society

Pragmatism, Spirituality and Society
Author: Ananta Kumar Giri
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2021-01-18
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9811571147

This book explores the dynamics of interaction between pragmatism and spirituality in the constitution and working of consciousness, freedom and solidarity. This book is cross-cultural and transdisciplinary in nature and brings critical and transformative perspectives from different philosophical and spiritual traditions of the world. It discusses the works of seminal thinkers such as William James, Rudolf Steiner, John Dewey, Swami Vivekananda, Martin Heidegger, Claude Levi-Strauss, Jordan Peterson, Slavos Zizek, Paul Valeri and O.V. Vijayan. It also explores dialogues between pragmatism and other philosophical and intellectual traditions such as Semiotics, Saiva Siddhanta, Vedanta, Trika Shaivism and Tantra. It explores themes such as pragmatism and belief, evolution of consciousness and happiness, spiritual pragmatism and economics of solidarity, value levels democracy, the perforamtive as an aspect of spirituality and transformation of political theology from Kingdom of God to Gardens of God.

Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo

Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo
Author: Ananta Kumar Giri
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2021-11-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000468674

This book presents the first systematic critical exploration of the philosophical and political thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo, both pioneers of modern Indian thought. Bringing together experts from across the world, the volume examines the thoughts, ideas, actions, lives and experiments of Mahatma Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo on themes such as radical politics and human agency; ideals of human unity; social practices and citizenship; horizons of sustainable development and climate change; inclusive freedom; conceptions of swaraj; interpretations of texts; Sri Aurobindo’s views on Indian culture; integral yoga; transformative leadership; Anthropocene and alternative planetary futures. The book discusses the contemporary legacies and works of the two influential thinkers. It offers insights into historical, philosophical, theoretical, literary and sociological questions that establish the need for transdisciplinary dialogues and the relevance of their visions towards future evolution. This book will be useful to scholars and researchers of political science, Indian political thought, comparative politics, philosophy, Indian philosophy, sociology, anthropology, modern Indian history, peace studies, cultural studies, religious studies and South Asian studies.

Transcultural Encounters between Germany and India

Transcultural Encounters between Germany and India
Author: Joanne Miyang Cho
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2013-12-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317931645

Providing a comprehensive survey of cutting edge scholarship in the field of German--Indian and South Asian Studies, the book looks at the history of German--Indian relations in the spheres of culture, politics, and intellectual life. Combining transnational, post-colonial, and comparative approaches, it includes the entire twentieth century, from the First World War and Weimar Republic to the Third Reich and Cold War era. The book first examines the ways in which nineteenth-century "Indomania" figured in the creation of both German national identity and modern German scholarship on the Orient, and it illustrates how German encounters with India in the Imperial era alternately destabilized and reinforced the orientalist, capitalist, and nationalist underpinnings of German modernity. Contributors discuss the full range of German responses to India, and South Asian perceptions of Germany against the backdrop of war and socio-political revolution, as well as the Third Reich's ambivalent perceptions of India in the context of racism, religion, and occultism. The book concludes by exploring German--Indian relations in the era of decolonization and the Cold War. Employing a diverse array of interdisciplinary approaches to understanding German--Indian encounters over the past two centuries, this book is of interest to students and scholars of Germany, India, Europe, and Asia, as well as history, political science, anthropology, philosophy, comparative literature, and religious studies.

Early Years Pioneers in Context

Early Years Pioneers in Context
Author: Pam Jarvis
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2016-08-12
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1317600096

This accessible text provides an international study of critical educational leaders who established the foundation for Early Childhood Education across continents in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It places each pioneer within the time and culture in which they lived to help the reader understand how theories and knowledge about early years education and care have evolved over time. Early Years Pioneers in Context traces key themes such as play, child-initiated learning, working with parents, scaffolding children’s learning and the environment, enabling students to reflect on the differences and similarities between the pioneers and understand their contribution to practice today. Pioneers covered include: Frederick Froebel; Elizabeth Peabody; Susan Blow; Rudolf Steiner; Margaret McMillan; Maria Montessori Susan Isaacs; Loris Malaguzzi. Featuring student integration tasks to help the reader link key ideas to their own practice, this will be essential reading for early years students on undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses.

Afterlife and Resurrection Beliefs in the Pseudepigrapha

Afterlife and Resurrection Beliefs in the Pseudepigrapha
Author: Jan Age Sigvartsen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 357
Release: 2019-09-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567685551

Jan A. Sigvartsen seeks to examine the immense interest in life after death, and speculation about the fates awaiting both the righteous and the wicked, that proliferated in the Second Temple period. In this volume Sigvartsen analyses the texts of the Pseudepigrapha, identifies the numerous afterlife and resurrection beliefs they contain, and presents an analysis of these beliefs and how they functioned in the Second Temple period. A careful reading of these diverse resurrection passages – from testaments to wisdom, philosophical literature, and prayers – reveals that most of these distinct life-after-death views, regardless of their complexity, show little evidence of systematic development relational to one another, and are often supported by several key passages or shared motifs from texts that later became a part of the TaNaKh. This volume examines testaments from Adam to the Twelve Patriarchs, expansions of stories and legends such as Joseph and Aseneth and the ladder of Jacob, and texts such as 4 Maccabees, before finally considering the posthumous body, the nature of the soul, and anthropological implications. Sigvartsen's study provides a deeper understanding of how texts that later became a part of the TaNaKh were read by different communities during this important period, and the role they played in the development of the resurrection belief – a central article of faith in both Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism. This volume is a companion to Sigvartsen's work on afterlife and resurrection in the Apocrypha and the apocalyptic literature of the Pseudepigrapha.

The Worlds of Patrick Geddes

The Worlds of Patrick Geddes
Author: Philip Boardman
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 542
Release: 2023-07-14
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1000982815

First published in 1978, The Worlds of Patrick Geddes is a study of Patrick Geddes’ thought and action, his relationships and his life, as someone who defied labelling and who was years ahead of his contemporaries. The work of Patrick Geddes (1854-1932) is coming to be more and more widely appreciated, as his ideas on many diverse subjects are being gradually assimilated into the mainstream of modern thought. Geddes has been confidently labelled as a biologist, town-planner, sociologist and educator; but he was all of these and more. This book will be of interest to students of biology, urban planning and sociology.