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Philosophy and Religion in the West

By: Phillip Cary, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Phillip Cary
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Publisher's Summary

Professor Cary explores thousands of years of deep reflection and brilliant debate over the nature of God, the human self, and the world in these 32 lectures. It's a debate that serves as a vivid introduction to the rich and complex history shared by the West's central religious and philosophical traditions.

Whether you're a believer, a seeker, or both, you'll find much to spark your deepest ponderings in these talks on the long and rich interplay between faith and reason. You'll join Professor Cary on the fascinating search for answers about the similar questions philosophy and faith ask: What is the ultimate reality? What can we know, or what should we believe about it? To learn how these crucial issues have been discussed over the past three millennia is to enter the core of our intellectual heritage - to find the origin of some of our deepest perplexities and most cherished aspirations. It is a comprehensive journey - intellectually, philosophically, and spiritually - but one which requires no special background. By the end of these lectures, you'll gain a new or sharpened fluency in issues that include the historical interaction between philosophical traditions (such as Platonism) and religious traditions (such as Judaism and Christianity); the synthesis of philosophy and religion that characterized the "classical theism" of the medieval period; the most prominent philosophical criticisms of religion; and the reasons why many religious thinkers of the 20th century are suspicious of the alliances between philosophy and religion.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©1999 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)1999 The Great Courses

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Biased in favour of Judaism, anti-Christian

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. The narrator, Professor Phillip Cary reminds us that he has "many Jewish friends" and that he is not happy with Christians who attempt to label Judaism 'legalistic' or Christians who don't understand why Orthodox Jews can't utter the word 'YHWH" (Yahweh). He then frequently lambasts Christian theology for 'stealing' Greek philosophy for its owns ends. Yet when he comes to the Kabbalah and realises most of it is lifted from Plotinus, he never once accuses the Jewish tradition of 'stealing' key elements from Neoplatonic philosophy.

What did you like best about this story?

Decent overview, not much detail

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I don't know whether this is the modern liberal academia in the US being ridiculously politically correct and appeasing Jews no matter what, but Cary's blind adoration for Judaism and his anti-Christian overtones really detracted from the professionalism and academic honesty required for such difficult topics as this.

Could you see Philosophy and Religion in the West being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

No.

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