Book chapter
Alienation and the Cosmos
The Evolution of Alienation: Trauma, Promise, and the Millennium
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
01 Jan 2006
Abstract
Draws upon the work of Erich Fromm (1941) & Joel Kovel (1991) to discuss spiritual alienation & the need for more attention to be given to humanity's relation to the cosmos. It is argued that the postmodern condition itself is a form of spiritual alienation that has led to the loss of a larger moral purpose which in turn results in alienation from one's true self. The source of this alienation is said to be "more a matter of the heart than of the head." The discovery of personal identity requires going beyond social space to the space of alternative & competing moral values; however, morality that is exclusively instrumental fails to identify moral purposes that give a higher meaning to life. It is contended that pursuit of an overriding moral purpose shapes an individual's identity, plans, & actions. Attention is given to the meaning of the theological term "ultimate concerns" & the obsession with superficial goods that distracts people from greater human values & further alienates humanity from transcendental meanings. References. J. Lindroth
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Details
- Title
- Alienation and the Cosmos
- Creators
- Douglas Porpora
- Publication Details
- The Evolution of Alienation: Trauma, Promise, and the Millennium
- Publisher
- Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Communication
- Identifiers
- 991021863480504721