Nature and the Human Soul

Author: Bill Plotkin
Publisher: New World Library
ISBN: 1577313542
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 530

Book Description
Addressing the pervasive longing for meaning and fulfillment in this time of crisis, Nature and the Human Soul introduces a visionary ecopsychology of human development that reveals how fully and creatively we can mature when soul and wild nature guide us. Depth psychologist and wilderness guide Bill Plotkin presents a model for a human life span rooted in the cycles and qualities of the natural world, a blueprint for individual development that ultimately yields a strategy for cultural transformation. If it is true, as Plotkin and others observe, that we live in a culture dominated by adolescent habits and desires, then the enduring societal changes we so desperately need won’t happen until we individually and collectively evolve into an engaged, authentic adulthood. With evocative language and personal stories, including those of elders Thomas Berry and Joanna Macy, this book defines eight stages of human life — Innocent, Explorer, Thespian, Wanderer, Soul Apprentice, Artisan, Master, and Sage — and describes the challenges and benefits of each. Plotkin offers a way of progressing from our current egocentric, aggressively competitive, consumer society to an ecocentric, soul-based one that is sustainable, cooperative, and compassionate. At once a primer on human development and a manifesto for change, Nature and the Human Soul fashions a template for a more mature, fulfilling, and purposeful life — and a better world.

Nature and the Human Soul

Author: Bill Plotkin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781876451936
Category : Developmental psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 517

Book Description
Today there is a growing awareness that our planet has entered a time of crisis. The damage to our ecosystems, and the pollution we create, are consequences of our self-centred and irresponsible cultures. It is now undeniable that significant change is required. According to wilderness guide and former psychology professor Bill Plotkin, the changes we need will only flow once we progress from egocentric, competitive consumer societies to ecocentric, soul-based ones that are sustainable, cooperative and compassionate. Bill Plotkin profiles eight maturation stages in the human life cycle from child to elder and depicts the qualities and challenges of each. He offers a practical integration of personal and spiritual understandings (from nature and the journey of the human soul) that will allow us to transform our culture. This landmark book - the result of 25 years' work - encourages us to connect personally with the natural world and reassess our place in it. In this way we can create a more responsible and fulfilling way to live. Given the perilous state of our planet, the optimism and guidance contained in NATURE AND THE HUMAN SOUL are an inspiring breath of fresh air!

An Enquiry Into the Nature of the Human Soul

Author: Andrew Baxter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Soul
Languages : en
Pages : 454

Book Description

Body & Soul

Author: J. P. Moreland
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830874593
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 385

Book Description
While most people throughout history have believed that we are both physical and spiritual beings, the rise of science has called into question the existence of the soul. Many now argue that neurophysiology demonstrates the radical dependence, indeed, identity, between mind and brain. Advances in genetics and in mapping human DNA, some say, show there is no need for the hypothesis of body-soul dualism. Even many Christian intellectuals have come to view the soul as a false Greek concept that is outdated and unbiblical. Concurrent with the demise of dualism has been the rise of advanced medical technologies that have brought to the fore difficult issues at both edges of life. Central to questions about abortion, fetal research, reproductive techologies, cloning and euthanasia is our understanding of the nature of human personhood, the reality of life after death and the value of ethical or religious knowledge as compared to scientific knowledge. In this careful treatment, J. P. Moreland and Scott B. Rae argue that the rise of these problems alongside the demise of Christian dualism is no coincidence. They therefore employ a theological realism to meet these pressing issues, and to present a reasonable and biblical depiction of human nature as it impinges upon critical ethical concerns. This vigorous philosophical and ethical defense of human nature as body and soul, regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees, will be for all a touchstone for debate and discussion for years to come.

The Journey of Soul Initiation

Author: Bill Plotkin, PhD
Publisher: New World Library
ISBN: 1608687015
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 466

Book Description
Soul initiation is an essential spiritual adventure that most of the world has forgotten — or not yet discovered. Here, visionary ecopsychologist Bill Plotkin maps this journey, one that has not been previously illuminated in the contemporary Western world and yet is vital for the future of our species and our planet. Based on the experiences of thousands of people, this book provides phase-by-phase guidance for the descent to soul — the dissolution of current identity; the encounter with the mythopoetic mysteries of soul; and the metamorphosis of the ego into a cocreator of life-enhancing culture. Plotkin illustrates each phase of this riveting and sometimes hazardous odyssey with fascinating stories from many people, including those he has guided. Throughout he weaves an in-depth exploration of Carl Jung's Red Book — and an innovative framework for understanding it.

Body, Soul, and Human Life

Author: Joel B. Green
Publisher: Paternoster Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Book Description
"Are humans composed of a material body and an immaterial soul? This view is commonly held by Christians, yet it has been undermined by recent developments in neuroscience. How much of Christian theology is built on views of humanity that modern science has proved to be untenable? Exploring what Scripture and theology teach about issues such as being in the divine image, the importance of community, sin, free will, salvation, and the afterlife, Joel Green argues that a dualistic view of the human person is inconsistent with both science and Scripture"--Publisher description (cf OCLC)

Whatever Happened to the Soul?

Author: Warren S. Brown
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 9781451420036
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 276

Book Description
As science crafts detailed accounts of human nature, what has become of the soul?This collaborative project strives for greater consonance between contemporary science and Christian faith. Outstanding scholars in biology, genetics, neuroscience, cognitive science, philosophy, theology, biblical studies, and ethics join here to offer contemporary accounts of human nature consistent with Christian teaching. Their central theme is a nondualistic account of the human person that does not consider the "soul" an entity separable from the body; scientific statements about the physical nature of human beings are about exactly the same entity as are theological statements concerning the spiritual nature of human beings.For all those interested in fundamental questions of human identity posed by the present context, this volume will provide a fascinating and authoritative resource.

Nature, the Soul, and God, 2nd Edition

Author: Jean W. Rioux
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 166670248X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 268

Book Description
The full title of Newton’s Principia is “The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.” Sadly, some contemporary philosophers might be hard-pressed to say just what natural philosophy is about—sadly, because it remains foundational to questions arising in other disciplines: metaphysics, ethics, philosophical psychology, and the philosophy of god, to name a few. In Nature, the Soul, and God, Jean Rioux has brought together primary readings in the philosophy of nature, presenting ways in which philosophers conceive of and account for the natural world in a pre-scientific reflection upon the way things are. Its three main sections comprise: a consideration of what the world would look like if natural philosophy were not possible, some representative natural philosophies (materialism, formalism, dualism, and hylomorphism), as well as an investigation into the implications these philosophies of nature have for other important questions, such as human freedom and the immortality of the human soul. Through the medium of philosophers both ancient and modern, Rioux makes the point that one’s philosophical account of the natural world will inevitably have an impact upon how one regards oneself, and even things divine. It all begins with nature.

The Earth Has a Soul

Author: Carl G. Jung
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
ISBN: 9781556433795
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Book Description
While never losing sight of the rational, cultured mind, Jung speaks for the natural mind, source of the evolutionary experience and accumulated wisdom of our species. Through his own example, Jung shows how healing our own living connection with Nature contributes to the whole.

Nature, the Soul, and God

Author: Jean W. Rioux
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1725241463
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Book Description
The complete title of one of the most famous works ever written, Isaac Newton's Principia, was actually Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, or "The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy". Sadly, many contemporary philosophers would be hard-pressed to say just what natural philosophy (or philosophy of nature) is all about. Without question, the philosophy of nature has received relatively less attention than ethics and metaphysics for some time. In "Nature, the Soul, and God," Jean W. Rioux has brought together a number of important readings in natural philosophy, from the Pre-Socratic philosophers and Aristotle to the 19th-century entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre. Collectively, they present three ways in which one might conceive of the natural world in a pre-scientific reflection upon the way things are: either the classical materialism of Empedocles, Democritus, and Epicurus, the formalism of Plato, or the hylomorphic view espoused and defended by Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. In the sections following the consideration of nature are selections from these representative views concerning the immortality of the soul and the existence of God. Through the medium of philosophers both ancient and modern, Rioux makes the point that one's philosophical account of the natural world will have an impact upon how one regards human nature, as well as divinity itself. It all begins with nature.