Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and the Desire to Be a God
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.

1137267598
Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and the Desire to Be a God
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.

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Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and the Desire to Be a God

Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and the Desire to Be a God

by Bruce N. Waller
Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and the Desire to Be a God

Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and the Desire to Be a God

by Bruce N. Waller

Hardcover

$111.00 
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Overview

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.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781793632647
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date: 09/04/2020
Pages: 186
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

Bruce N. Waller is retired professor of philosophy at Youngstown State University.

Table of Contents

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

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