Goddess as Nature: Towards a Philosophical Thealogy

by Paul Reid-Bowen

Overview

Goddess as Nature makes a significant contribution to elucidating the meaning of a female and feminist deity at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Bridging the gap between the emergent religious discourse of thealogy - discourse about the Goddess - and a range of analytical concerns in the philosophy of religion, the author argues that thealogy is not as incoherent as many of its critics claim. By developing a close reading of the reality-claims embedded within a range of thealogical texts, one can discern an ecological and pantheistic concept of deity and reality that is metaphysically novel and in need of constructive philosophical, thealogical and scholarly engagement. Philosophical thealogy is, in an age concerned with re-conceiving nature in terms of agency, chaos, complexity, ecological networks and organicism, both an active possibility and a remarkably valuable academic, feminist and religious endeavour.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781409477556
Publisher:	Ashgate Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	05/28/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Paul Reid-Bowen lectures at Bath Spa University, UK, teaching courses on Philosophy of Religion, Contemporary Spiritualities, Psychology of Religion and Religion and the Media. He has edited and contributed to a volume (1998) Themes and Issues in Hinduism and is the author of previous and forthcoming articles.

Table of Contents

Contents: Introduction: Radical beginnings; Thealogy and metaphysics; Models of goddess/nature; A thealogy of nature; Time and becoming; The human condition; Coda; Bibliography; Index.

Reading Group Guide

Paul Reid-Bowen lectures at Bath Spa University, UK, teaching courses on Philosophy of Religion, Contemporary Spiritualities, Psychology of Religion and Religion and the Media. He has edited and contributed to a volume (1998) Themes and Issues in Hinduism Cassells and is the author of previous and forthcoming articles.

Editorial Reviews

’Anyone who is interested in the logic of Goddess feminism can find all of the aspects concerned in this book. The book really covers, or at least aims to cover, the whole issue in all its details. It is clearly written and well substantiated.’ Ars Disputandi ’... makes a significant contribution to elucidating the meaning of a female and feminist deity at the beginning of the twenty-first century.’ Theological Book Review

From the Publisher