The Other Calling: Theology, Intellectual Vocation and Truth (Illuminations - Theory & Religion)

The Other Calling: Theology, Intellectual Vocation and Truth (Illuminations - Theory & Religion)

by Andrew Shanks (Author)

Synopsis

What is the true calling of the intellectual? In this provocative new book, Andrew Shanks presents a distinctive fresh answer. The Other Calling is a systematic riposte both to the elitism of philosophy in the heritage of Plato, and to the typical individualism of Plato's philosophic opponents. Here, instead, intellectual integrity is identified with a form of priesthood. * Asserts that intellectuals are critical to bringing together the common aspirations of a community * Offers a strikingly original approach to the moral and political aspects of theology's relationship with philosophy, exploring the perspectives of both disciplines * Draws on the work and thought of Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Agnostics, and Atheists * Argues for a new, religiously multicultural priesthood of all thinkers , considering how once, all intellectuals were as a matter of course also priests * Published in the new and prestigious Illuminations series

$129.82

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 224
Edition: 1
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Published: 18 Dec 2006

ISBN 10: 1405157666
ISBN 13: 9781405157667

Media Reviews
This book is a brave counter to both anti-intellectualism and intellectual elitism, and would be worth buying simply for the opening and closing chapters, where the essentials of the argument are clearly articulated. Nevertheless, those who wish to overhear the author coming to his conclusions in conversation with the likes of Plato, Hegel, Leo Strauss, Alexandre Kojeve, Coleridge, and Girard will find the intervening chapters intellectually demanding, but also consistently enlightening. Church Times
Author Bio
Andrew Shanks is the Canon Theologian for Manchester Cathedral. He is also the author of the following books: Hegel's Political Theology (1991), Civil Society, Civil Religion (Blackwell, 1995), God and Modernity (2000), What is Truth? (2001), and Faith in Honesty (2006).