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Faith, Reason, and Culture

An Essay in Fundamental Theology

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Explores the rationality of faith in the contemporary world

  • Addresses multiple issues of contemporary culture, including: secularism and atheism, science-religion relations, religious diversity and inter-religious dialogue

  • Conceives fundamental theology as a discipline which seeks religious truth in the midst of diverse perspectives

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
  2. Reason: The Multi-Coloured Chameleon

    • George Karuvelil
    Pages 1-36
  3. Part I

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 37-44
    2. Religious Diversity and Theology

      • George Karuvelil
      Pages 45-74
    3. Science and Religion: Some Parables and Models

      • George Karuvelil
      Pages 75-101
    4. Science and Religion: Autonomy and Conflict

      • George Karuvelil
      Pages 103-135
  4. Part II

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 137-149
    2. Communication, Culture, and Fundamental Theology

      • George Karuvelil
      Pages 151-180
    3. Justification: Beyond Uniformitarianism

      • George Karuvelil
      Pages 181-211
    4. Perception: Its Nature and Justification

      • George Karuvelil
      Pages 213-244
  5. Part III

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 245-255
    2. Mysticism

      • George Karuvelil
      Pages 257-283
    3. Nature Mysticism and God

      • George Karuvelil
      Pages 285-316
    4. Religious Diversity, Christian Faith, and Truth

      • George Karuvelil
      Pages 317-347
    5. Pulling Together

      • George Karuvelil
      Pages 349-357
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 359-402

About this book

In this book, George Karuvelil seeks to establish the rationality of religion and theology in the contemporary world. Theology has always required some philosophical basis. Moreover, Christian theology has had a dynamic character that enabled it to adapt to more than one philosophy depending on the need of the time. For instance, it shifted in accordance with the change from Neo-Platonism to Aristotelianism in the thirteen century. However, this dynamism has been absent since the dawn of modernity, when reason became identified with modern science to disastrous results. While the advent of postmodernism has brought the limits of modernism to light, it has done nothing to establish the rationality of religion, other than to treat religion as a cultural phenomenon along with science. This book conceives fundamental theology as a discipline that seeks religious truth in the midst of diverse perspectives, ranging from militant atheism to violent religious fanaticism.


Reviews

“The effort developed by Karuvelil is impressive, without a doubt, and – from my point of view – this is clearly a theological essay that brings more fresh air and a much needed renovation to FT. … Scientific reason is not everything, but neither can we ignore the objections of such people when it comes to practicing the healthy dialogue to which Karuvelil’s impressive work invites us.” (Lluis Oviedo, ESSSAT News & Reviews, March, 2021)

“George Karuvelil’s mastery of epistemology has enabled him to make a truly major contribution: he has justified brilliantly the essential rationality of religion and theology. This book has re-established a philosophical base for fundamental or foundational theology. Only a scholar with such epistemological expertise could have achieved this remarkable break through and elucidated a true and convincing starting-point for theology.”
­—Gerald O’Collins, SJ, former dean of theology, Gregorian University, Italy


“Faith, Reason, and Culture is an impressive and comprehensive engagement with some of the most difficult questions facing us today on religion and its role in society and the academy. Karuvelil robustly engages a wide range of classical and contemporary Western scholars who debate religion’s place and role in society, while remaining ever attentive to his home context in India. He is conscientious in considering a wide range of views, yet steadfast in his defense of religion’s enduring importance and relevance in every contemporary debate. This book will open doors on the philosophy of religions and fundamental theology for beginners, while yet too catching the attention of established scholars in the field.”
Francis X. Clooney, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University, USA

 

“There have been many books on faith and reason but none comes close to the erudition and comprehensiveness that characterize this book. Karuvelil’s resourcefulness in philosophy and his long experience in interreligious dialogue enable him to explore important theological themes in original and highly informative ways. Thoroughly researched and rigorously argued, this book will prove indispensable for both theologians and philosophers who want to explore new frontiers in in the area of faith, reason and culture.”
Louis Caruana SJ, Dean, Faculty of Philosophy, Pontifical Gregorian University, Italy

 

“George Karuvelil’s Faith, Reason, and Culture: An Essay in Fundamental Theology is a real tour de force, which will delight those interested to explore the complex issue of the rationality of religious belief. Integrating Kierkegaard’s insistence on religious belief as existential concern and adroitly pressing into service Wittgenstein’s concepts of ‘language game’ and ‘grammar,’ Dr. Karuvelil has developed a convincing case to justify religious belief. In this process, he has built on the work of contemporary philosophers whose analyses he has found fertile while not mincing words in his critique of authors whose thinking he judges has gone astray, being particularly severe on those who are wedded to scientism as the last word in human rationality. Lucid writing, helpful introductions and summaries and numerous examples make this book intelligible to non-professionals while professionals will find the acute analysis and meticulous argumentation worth careful attention.”
Lisbert D'Souza, Emeritus Reader in Philosophy, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth (Pontifical Athenaeum), Pune, India; former Assistant to the Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

 

“With skillful and patient archeology of the divide between reason and faith, especially in modernity and Western thinkers, resulting in severe harm for both, George Karuvelil convincingly shows that to successfully meet the challenges of contemporary religious pluralism we must, as Pope John Paul II says, breathe with both lungs and fly with both wings, namely, reason and faith. With this work, Karuvelil establishes himself as a first-class authority on fundamental theology. At a time when truth is dismissed as ‘alternative facts,’ Karuvelil's robust confidence in both reason and faith is all the more needed and urgent.”
Peter C. Phan, The Ignacio Ellacuria , S.J. Chair of Catholic Social Thought, Georgetown University, USA


“In its grand sweep of the history of philosophy, theology, and modernity, the book provides a remarkably open access to a theological project that is rationally based, and addressing the intellectual debates of our contemporary times.  The author opens up a splendid panorama of reason and critically challenges its Procrustean curtailment by scientism and positivism. The book is deep, and at the same time, highly engaging and accessible to a wider readership, thanks to its clarity of thought, expression and cogency.”
Felix Wilfred, Emeritus Professor, University of Madras, India


Authors and Affiliations

  • Faculty of Philosophy, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, India

    George Karuvelil

About the author

George Karuvelil received his PhD from the University of Delhi and has a background in philosophy and theology. He is the editor of Romancing the Sacred (2007) and was the editor of Jnanadeepa: Pune Journal of Religious Studies.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Faith, Reason, and Culture

  • Book Subtitle: An Essay in Fundamental Theology

  • Authors: George Karuvelil

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45815-7

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-45814-0Published: 25 July 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-45817-1Published: 26 July 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-45815-7Published: 24 July 2020

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVII, 402

  • Number of Illustrations: 8 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Christian Theology, Philosophy of Religion

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access