Human agency in the twenty-first century: the views of P. S. Davies, R. Niebuhr, and A. N. Whitehead
With neuroscience and psychology making significant advances in contemporary brain research, fundamental questions concerning the nature of human life and activity will become evermore critical as we proceed further into the twenty-first century. Put simply, are we creatures who exercise some genuin...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer Nature B. V
[2017]
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| In: |
International journal for philosophy of religion
Year: 2017, Volume: 82, Issue: 2, Pages: 119-134 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Davies, Paul Sheldon
/ Niebuhr, Reinhold 1892-1971
/ Whitehead, Alfred North 1861-1947
/ Plot
/ Free will
/ Determinism
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| Further subjects: | B
Determinism
B Neuroscience B Neurosciences B Agency B Brain research B Whitehead B Niebuhr B Pseudoscience B Philosophy B Remote sensing B Medical Research |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | With neuroscience and psychology making significant advances in contemporary brain research, fundamental questions concerning the nature of human life and activity will become evermore critical as we proceed further into the twenty-first century. Put simply, are we creatures who exercise some genuine degree of freedom and agency in the world or are we creatures whose actions are largely if not wholly determined by biological, neurological, and psychological factors far below the radar of our conscious awareness? This article explores this important and timely question by examining the views of Paul Sheldon Davies, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Alfred North Whitehead. Drawing on contemporary science, Davies dismisses Niebuhr's existential analysis of human existence and any meaningful conception of human agency. Succinctly stated, can one take both the results of contemporary neuroscience seriously, as Davies does, and the affirmation of human agency seriously, as Niebuhr does? The thesis of this essay is that Whitehead offers a constructive bridge between Davies' affirmation of science and Niebuhr's existential account of human existence. In sum, it is argued that Whitehead's process philosophy enables us to affirm the genuine influence of nonconscious factors in experience as well as the authenticity of human agency and subjectivity in the world. |
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| ISSN: | 1572-8684 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International journal for philosophy of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s11153-017-9629-y |